What is a sponsorship deck and what should it include?

A sponsorship deck is a short presentation document that introduces a driver and sets out what a commercial partnership could look like. If you are a driver, parent or manager trying to secure driver sponsorship in motorsport, it is one of the most practical tools you can have in your corner.

This guide covers what a sponsorship deck is, what it should include, what to leave out and how to make it genuinely useful for the people you are sending it to.

What is a sponsorship deck?

A sponsorship deck is a document, usually a PDF of around 8 to 12 pages, that outlines a driver's programme and the opportunity for a brand to get involved. You might also hear it called a driver sponsorship deck, a sponsorship proposal or a motorsport sponsorship presentation, and while people use these terms differently, the purpose is broadly the same.

Its job is to help a business quickly understand who the driver is, what they are competing in, what audience or visibility the programme can offer and what the sponsor would receive in return. Most decks are sent after an introduction has already been made, or used as a supporting document in meetings, rather than fired off cold to a list of companies.

A well-made deck does not guarantee funding and it will not replace proper relationship building. What it can do is help the right people understand a driver sponsorship opportunity clearly, take it seriously and feel confident starting a conversation.

Why a sponsorship deck matters

Motorsport sponsorship is competitive, and most businesses simply do not have time for proposals that are too long, too vague or too focused on what the driver needs rather than what the sponsor gets. A well-structured deck cuts through that by presenting the driver professionally, making the commercial offer easy to understand and giving everyone involved a clear basis for the conversations that follow.

That said, it is worth being straightforward about what a deck can and cannot do. If the audience figures do not stack up, the claims cannot be verified or the offer does not make commercial sense, sponsors will spot it quickly regardless of how polished the design is. Good presentation supports a strong offer; it does not rescue a weak one.

What a sponsorship deck should include

Driver profile

Start with a factual and concise introduction to the driver, covering their name, current championship and team, a brief summary of career highlights and a short outline of what comes next. The aim is not to tell the full story but to give a potential sponsor enough context to understand where the driver is now and where they are realistically heading. Keep it focused and let the facts do the work.

Racing programme and season plan

This section gives sponsors the framework to understand the scale and structure of the programme, so set out the championship, the number of rounds, the key circuits and the overall season calendar. Include geographic detail where it is relevant, and any broadcast or media context you can genuinely verify. The more clearly a sponsor can picture the season, the easier it becomes for them to see where their brand fits into it.

Audience and reach

This is one of the most important sections in the deck and also one of the most commonly handled badly. Include social media platforms, following and engagement figures where you have reliable data, along with any audience profile information your analytics actually support, such as age range, location or interests. If the numbers are still growing, say so honestly rather than dressing them up. A smaller but genuine and engaged audience is considerably more credible to a sponsor than inflated figures, and local or niche brands in particular can find real value in a tightly connected community.

What the sponsor receives

This is the commercial core of the deck, and it needs to be specific. Depending on the programme and the rights available, benefits might include logo placement on overalls, helmet, car, kart or teamwear, agreed social media content and brand tagging, event appearances or guest experiences, content creation for the sponsor's own channels, or use of the driver's image in marketing materials. Whatever is on offer, set it out clearly rather than reaching for broad language about exposure or coverage. Sponsors want to understand exactly what they are buying, not be left to imagine what it might amount to.

Partnership options

You can structure the deck with set package tiers or keep it open for a tailored conversation, and both approaches can work well depending on the driver and the type of sponsor you are targeting. If you use packages, show clearly what changes at each level and why the value is different. If you prefer a more bespoke route, say so directly and make it clear that the partnership can be shaped around the sponsor's specific goals and budget. The important thing is that the offer feels considered rather than generic.

Why this partnership makes sense

This is the section that separates a strong motorsport sponsorship deck from an average one, because it moves beyond explaining what the driver needs and starts answering the question every sponsor is actually asking: what is in it for us? The answer will vary depending on the brand you are approaching, but it might involve visibility with a relevant audience, content for their own marketing, client or staff entertainment, local market presence or simply an association with performance and ambition that aligns with how they want to be seen. You do not need to cover every angle, but showing that you understand sponsorship as a business relationship rather than a funding request makes a significant difference to how the proposal lands.

Contact details and next steps

End the deck with the right contact name, email address and any relevant website or social handles, and make the next step clear and easy to take. It sounds straightforward, but the number of decks that make sponsors search for a way to respond is higher than it should be.

What to leave out

A shorter, cleaner deck is almost always more effective than a longer one. Try to avoid long blocks of dense text, generic copy that could apply to any driver, audience or media claims that cannot be backed up, inconsistent design, poor-quality images and motorsport clichés that do not add anything meaningful. If something cannot be confirmed, leave it out or qualify it properly rather than hoping it goes unnoticed, because one unverifiable claim is often enough to undermine an otherwise credible proposal.

Sponsorship deck checklist

Before sending your deck, check that it covers:

• A clear and factual driver profile

• Programme and season detail

• Honest audience and reach figures

• Specific and confirmed sponsor benefits

• Partnership options or a tailored offer

• A section that connects the opportunity to the sponsor's goals

• Clear contact details and an obvious next step

How 115 Degrees can help you

Putting together a sponsorship deck that is commercially focused, well written and properly presented takes time, and the details matter more than most people expect. At 115 Degrees, we work with drivers, managers, teams and motorsport brands to build driver sponsorship tools that reflect a programme accurately and make the right impression with the people who matter.

From copywriting and branding through to full sponsorship deck creation, we help you present the opportunity in a way that is credible, clear and built for the conversations you actually want to have. If you are ready to put together something stronger, get in touch with the team at 115 Degrees.

‍