Brian Bohlander

The OSUSC Podcast - Episode #154 Welcome to the Show! Get the show in Stitcher! Get the show in iTunes! Welcome to the Optima Search For the Ultimate Street Car Series Podcast! This show is produced twice-per-month show and will be a great way to keep people informed on

LIVE from John Force Racing with John Force, Brittany Force, Robert Hight, Austin Prock, & Brian Bohlander! Drag racing's No. 1 talk show returns to break down all the latest news and hottest topics in the sport of drag racing. Each week on the Wes Buck Show the Drag Illustrated staff, Wes Buck, Murder T, and Mike Carpenter, talk all things drag racing and more. Drop in and join the conversation. #dragracing #wesbuck #dragillustrated #NHRA #PDRA #NoPrep #Streetoutlaws #NoPrepKings #Promod #MWDRS #topfuel #funnycar #prostock #radialracing--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thewesbuckshow/support

When Brian was on with us last year, we started talking about identifying sponsors, working with potential sponsors, and how to get and treat sponsors to assist with the expenses related to racing.  Since then, Brian has given several talks on this topic, as well as appearances on several podcasts.  As always, our goal was to provide a complete summary of the area of sponsorship and allow you to be able to identify potential sponsors and find a way to help their business and your racing.  If you use the strategies Brian covers and understand that it is not all about you, your speed, and your race wins, you should be able to start or grow your current driver/team/car sponsorship program.  So technically, our podcast is not only free to you but may actually make or save you some money.   There is no Dominating with Dawson on this episode, but we will double up next Monday.  You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc.  Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving. For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review.  We hope you enjoy this episode! PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  We have two systems for our team and Bill is looking to add a third for this season, pending CFO approval from Vicki.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc. Best regards, Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers Highlights from this episode include: 1)  Bill establishes his wish list for a dream sponsor and Brian quickly dashes it against the rocks and we move to the reality of the current sponsorship and business climate. 2)  Brian defines exactly what should be considered to be sponsorship and provides several examples of how these relationships start and develop. 3)  Sponsorships are sometimes monetary but can also be discounted goods or services. 4)  When approaching a sponsor, the key is to try to determine what the sponsor is looking for and how you can help them grow their business.  Try to look at it from their perspective before thinking of what you can give or what you want from them. 5)  Advertising and media exposure should not be the focus of your pitch. 6)  What are the three components that make the strongest proposal to a potential sponsor. 7)  What is a potential sponsorship program, how to prepare one, and how to increase your likelihood of success.  We also go into the importance of having an internal champion is getting the traction needed to start the relationship even before you have a sponsorship program. 8)  We even go into an area that is often overlooked by our racing friends:  what does the business want in return from the sponsorship. 9)  We even go through a scenario using an example business and product with an amateur endurance racing team as a worked example.  Just for instance.  Hey, it’s our podcast, lol. 10)  Tips and guidance on how to approach your first sponsor that you probably already know within your personal social network. 11)  Getting, maintaining, and growing a sponsorship relationship is a significant investment of time and effort by your team or at least one team member and can really be a near full time job. 12) Brian also goes into several examples of sponsorship deals that he has witnessed during his professional life. 13)  How to present you and your team to the sponsor and what you should do before even sending them any information. 14)  As many would have guessed, Bill tries to get Brian’s help with his dream Slurpee sponsorship.  And then we walkthrough a potential path to Vicki’s dream sponsor of Flyin’ Miata for her baby.  The thought behind these would be to show a worked example and what factors and approaches that may be helpful with trying to prepare for and start the conversation. 15)  How and where to start your first steps towards working with a sponsor. 16)  UPOD – Under Promise and Over Deliver.  Words to live by in racing and in the real world.  (Meat Space).  Its right up there with “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing” 17)  Brian was also kind enough to offer several additional potential models that can be pursued instead of, or in addition to, seeking sponsorship. 18)  Vicki goes off program and starts talking racing EV’s in endurance racing from out of nowhere.  It is kind of like the line from the Talking Heads “Well, How Did I Get Here”

On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Brian Bohlander, racer and director of sports marketing for the company that owns PEAK Antifreeze, joins me to discuss what to do (and not do) to land a motorsport marketing partner/sponsor. Want to know the biggest mistake racers make? Tune in to find out! Brian’s Speed Secret: Reach out and ask people in the sport for opportunities. Check out Brian Bohlanderbelow: https://www.brianbohlander.com brianbohlanderracing.com Brian Bohlander is an industry veteran who has successfully led brand sponsorship activation programs within professional motorsports with drivers, teams, and major global series. He also has over three decades as a champion club racing driver, instructor, and grassroots team owner ranging from karting to club road racing. His on-track accomplishments include winning three Thunder Roadster Series championships and 35 series wins in the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). He’s won a WKA Manufactures Cup national event and most recently teamed to win class 5500 at the 2020 Mint 400.  Off the track, Brian owns a race team, is a Motorsports Safety Foundation (MSF) Certified Instructor, and NASA Great Lakes Region's Competition School Director. He also instructed at corporate driving programs including the Raybestos Rookie School.  In 2019, Brian received the Forgeline Wheels Sportsman of The Year award from NASA Pro Racing for leading the development of grassroots racing drivers and working to elevate the professionalism of grassroots motorsports.

Brian Bohlander is the Director of Marketing at Sports & Partnership at Old World Industries. Over the course of 45 years, Old World Industries has transformed from a small chemical trading company into a multi-billion dollar global power house for the automotive, chemical, and agricultural industries. 

Brian Bohlander is a very accomplished race driver having competed for over 30 years and has won the Mint 400 Class 5500 and is a 3-time Thunder Roadster champion.  In his professional life, he is the marketing director for Peak antifreeze and is responsible for all sports and racing partnerships.  As if that was not enough, he is also the Comp school director for NASA Great Lakes.  During the episode, we try to compare two of the primary paths for training and qualifying to compete in wheel to wheel racing:  attending a formal racing school or working your way through the HPDE levels and graduating through Comp school.   Please note that this was recorded prior to our skid pad event that we covered in earlier episodes. We discuss the different methods of determining your braking point markers and their relative importance in our Dominating with Dawson segment.  We start with a discussion of the relative importance of the point where you begin braking and the point where you come off the brake.  Then we digress into a wide variety of discussion points, some related, some very much not.  We each learned a bit of what we each do when on track.  Who knew? We hope you enjoy this episode! Best regards, Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers Highlights from this episode include: 1)  We start with a bit about off road racing and quickly go into several strategies for organizing and prepping for a track event.  It is not only a skill challenge, but a large and complicated logistical challenge. 2)  Brian has probably the shortest and most direct racing philosophy that we have heard to this point. 3)  What is Comp school and how it compares to attending a racing school and where HPDE’s fit into the landscape, including a brief history of where we started driving instruction and how we arrived to where we are now.  4)  We learn that the NASA CCR (~ rule book) actually has a definition of what a “pass” is on track and how to and how not to pass, but also addresses what each drivers responsibility is during a pass. 5)  What is Comp school?  What do you do and learn while in Comp school?  What are you qualified to do after passing Comp School?  Hint:  Safe, Predictable, and FAST are three key points that allow you to advance. 6)  How the NASA program works to prepare you a driver for better, fast, and safer driving on a track, wheel to wheel racing, time trials, or even to eventually work towards being a competent and certified performance driving instructor. 7)  What is the best path to learn depending on your personal goals. 8)  Several tips that we tried to apply at our skid pad event a few weeks ago at Lime Rock Park. 9)  Brian gives some opinions on the use of data and how it can help you while you are learning and progressing as a driver. 10)  Track Attack Software comes up again.  Please let us know if you have used it what you think of it.  Also, if you would like us to try to get them on a guest, please let us know. 11)  Brian does a very good and clear description of trail braking and how to use it bet on a track.  So, if you haven’t ever been 100% clear on what trail braking is or why you would want to use it, this may be a great episode for you.  Even if you already use trail braking, this may increase your understanding and use of the technique. 12)  We also have a chance to go into the auxiliary benefits of learning to drive in this manner and how it helps you when driving every day on regular street roads.