MARA REYES

Mara Reyes made history as the first woman to ever take first place in the Truck Series Championship, the first Mexican and Latin woman to race in NASCAR, and the first pole position in history of stock car racing in Mexico up to date. Tweet This IN THE NEWS: Mara Reyes Motivated for the ARRIS Grand Prix in Monterrey ARRIS-Telmex driver to car No.3, Mara Reyes, is concentrated to finish the season strongly and risk everything to position within the top five of stellar category Super V8.   Full Article

DANICA PATRICK

Danica Patrick is one of the most successful women in the history motorsports. Her wins include Indy Japan 300 in 2008 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup pole in 2013. She is the only women's victory in IndyCar and currently holds the highest finish for a woman in Daytona 500.   IN THE NEWS: Stewart-Haas Racing Signs Multi-Year Deal with Danica Patrick and Nature's Bakery What does Danica's Nature's Bakery deal mean for the sponsor landscape?  Full Article

SIMONA DE SILVESTRO

Simona de Silvestro is a Swiss motorsports racer and has raced in Formula 1 and IndyCar. She was named Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 2010 and became the first woman to claim a road course podium in 2013.   IN THE NEWS: Bathurst 1000: Renee Gracie and Simona de Silvestro in first all-female team in for nearly 20 years As the only all-female team in the 2015 Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama in central-west New South Wales, they are facing both sceptics and supporters. Full Article

NASCAR

Latino superstar teams with NASCAR for comedy movie Eugenio Derbez - who was named No. 1 on Variety's Power of Latinos List in 2014 - broke through on the global scene in 2013 with the hit film "Instructions Not Included." He raced competitively in Mexico and has a deep passion for the sport. Full Article    Tweet This

INDYCAR

IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies from head injury at Pocono Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. IndyCar Series driver Justin Wilson died Monday after suffering a severe head injury at Pocono Raceway. He was 37. Full Article

FIA FORMULA E

Bird sets the pace as final testing resumes Sam Bird set the pace during a cold, wet and windy day of testing at Donington Park. On the penultimate day of running before the cars are packed up and freighted to the Beijing ePrix, the DS Virgin driver became the first man not from Renault e.dams or ABT Schaeffler to record the fastest time at the conclusion....Full Article

FORMULA ONE

Mexico set to return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015 after a 23-year absence   Tweet This A return of Formula One to Mexico is almost perfect and deal has been agreed. It is down to the Mexican promoter now to improve facilities and bring the circuit up to scratch with Formula One's high expectations. Full Article

How It Works: After the 26th race of the season and with 10 more to go, the top 16 ranked drivers qualify for a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. There is a Challenger Round, Contender Round, Eliminator Round, and finally the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship title race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Each round eliminates four drivers until there are only four left, and one takes home the coveted cup and title!

 

This is a great opportunity to get your brand in front of the Latino community through motorsports as NASCAR stops into various Hispanic markets along the way: Chicago, Phoenix, Texas, Charlotte, and of course Miami!

 

How can your brand get in on the action? From integrating into one of the many media blitzes to sponsoring a track or driver, there are tons of ways to get involved and in front of fans. It all depends on what's right for your brand and the message you want to deliver. Here are just a few ideas:

 

Sponsorships: By sponsoring a track, driver, or event, you're put in the heart of the race! All eyes are on the track, drivers, and cars so this is an optimal opportunity for brand integration.

 

Bloggers: They know how to speak their reader's language and can get an audience behind them in an organic and personal way. Brands can create a "Running with the Chase" type of series where key beat bloggers immerse their readers in the action. This is a superb option because they're socially active and can increase buzz during the Chase, benefitting everyone in the sport! I have activated many blogger programs with huge ROI! View our Case Studies to see how we did that for Homestead-Miami Speedway.

 

Charity: Giving back to the community is a phenomenal way to get involved and there are countless organizations related to motorsports. The NASCAR Foundation has some amazing initiatives focused on education (Classroom Donation Program, P.I.T. Crew Project, Scholarship Program) and medical care (Speediatrics).

 

The Chase is one of the most exciting times of the year in racing, when thousands tune-in, tweet, and cheer on the track for their favorite drivers. It's an optimal opportunity for your brand to be seen by multitudes of passionate fans and consumers. For more information on the Sprint Chase and how to get in on the action, email me. 

FORMULA ONE

Jules Bianchi: Formula 1 bids farewell at driver's funeral The Formula One community joined family and friends to pay tribute to one of their own as Jules Bianchi was laid to rest, Tuesday. Full Article

FIA FORMULA E

Nelson Piquet Jr. is the first Formula E champion The Brazilian took the title at the end of an incredible day! Piquet Jr's win marked the first time, a Chinese team, NEXTEV TCR, has produced the champion in an FIA series. Full Article

INDYCAR

IndyCar creates conduct code to limit competitor criticism! Mark Miles insisted Tuesday that the rule is "not a gag order" and won't limit content for media coverage. Full Article

NASCAR

Kevin Harvick wins Best Driver Award at 2015 ESPYS Harvick triumphed over 2015 Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya, 2014 IndyCar champion Will Power, 2014 Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and 2014 NHRA champion Erica Enders-Stevens for the win.  Full Article

Hispanic Heritage Month takes place September 15 - October 15 and it's the perfect opportunity for brands to win the hearts of Hispanic motorsports fans. Wondering how to do it? A recent Nielsen study reveals some key insights that can help you tailor a campaign for this growing audience.

• Hispanic consumers look favorably on sponsorships. 43% of Hispanics feel loyalty toward sports sponsorships and, 41% of that demo is inclined to buy products offered by sponsors. 
• 75% of Hispanics have purchased sports-related merchandise within the last 12 months, compared with 62% of non-Hispanics. 
• Hispanics place value in athletes as role models more so than non-Hispanics. 47% of them saw NASCAR drivers as role models, compared with 41% of non-Hispanics. 
    Tweet This
• Hispanic sports fans watch sports programming with others. 55% of Hispanics say they're more likely to take in a televised game or other sports programs at someone else's home.

How can your brand get in the mix with this loyal and coveted demographic? Here are a few opportunities to leverage during Hispanic Heritage Month:

 

1. Sponsor Their Passion: Look for sponsorship opportunities within motorsports. Here are just a few to consider: Everything from a car sponsorship to a Twitter chat! It truly depends on exposure desired. I was actually at the Indianapolis 500 this past month and came up with some cool ideas to incorporate Hispanic celebrities into the mix. All we need is a sponsor looking to target the Hispanic market, a driver willing to meet one of Latin America's biggest stars, and some space so we can do all the media that will naturally want to document some of the action!

 

2. Motivate the Next Generation: Use Hispanic drivers to create motivational content that fits with your brand's mission and create a campaign across all digital channels. Include a hashtag for the campaign that will help direct your story and track share of voice.

 

3. Recognize Their Potential: Hispanics are a driven, hardworking and passionate demographic. Awards and scholarships are a strong way to get their attention. A great example is NASCAR's Hispanic Heritage Foundation's recognition and grants to young students. This created a buzz in the Latin community and placed NASCAR and its sponsors as socially responsible brands.

4. Celebrate in Community: Have a driver be your brand ambassador and spread good-will in the Hispanic community with programs for kids and teens or special events. One idea we love is working with NASCAR or IndyCar to host driving clinics that can focus on driving safety or spotting new racing talent. This puts your brand in the spotlight while positively celebrating the Hispanic community. 
  

Need help getting your Hispanic Heritage Month strategy started? Email me 

Last month Juan Pablo Montoya made motorsports history when he won the #Indy500 after a 15 year gap! #TEAMEMAR was ready and delivered national coverage across Miami, LA, New York and even Hispanic news icon Raul de Molina (@RauldeMolina) of El Gordo y La Flaca was on hand to celebrate! Check out some of our coverage below.

INDYCAR

Montoya se vuelve a robar el protagonismo deportivo  La victoria del piloto colombiano Juan Pablo Montoya después de 15 años en la prueba más importante y exigente del automovilismo estadounidense, las 500 Millas de Indianápolis, le permitió acaparar todo el protagonismo deportivo en Estados Unidos. - Hoy Los Angeles  Full Article

Video Segment: Raul Molina aka El Gordo following his amigo Juan Pablo Montoya at #INDY500 - El Gordo y la Flaca Watch Now

Montoya gana por segunda vez las 500 Millas de Indianápolis (Video)  - El Diario Nueva York Full Article

When you begin to create your brand story surrounding an event you're participating in, create a hashtag that you can use on social media, especially on Twitter and Instagram. 

Hashtags work like keywords to help people find topics of interest and follow a conversation online.

Here's how to incorporate hashtags into your social media story: 

• Use trending hashtags to participate in the online conversation about an event or topic and help others find your content on the same subject.
• Create your own hashtags to accentuate and manage your story in social media, and encourage others to use your hashtags when sharing your content.  
• Use multiple hashtags. By combining trending hashtags along with your own hashtags, you amplify your share of voice and reach more of your target audience.

A good hashtag should be short and distinctive enough to be tracked back to your event, but understandable to others. Tracking your hashtag and other event hashtags helps to give you a bigger picture of the event and your part in it.    Tweet This
Last month's race in Miami used the hashtag #miamieprix. You can search for the hashtag directly on Twitter or Instagram. But here's a quick way to get a bird's eye of the stories generated by the Miami ePrix: go to Tagboard.com and check out their hashtag #miamieprix. 

Do you use hashtags? Look it up and see how you're doing!

INDYCAR

Scott Dixon took his first win of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season Sunday at Long Beach, ending a lengthy and perplexing run of futility at one of IndyCar's most historic venues for one of the sport's greatest champions. http://bit.ly/1K2K85I

Congratulations to Rodolfo Gonzalez who is set for IndyCar debut with Coyne at Barber http://bit.ly/1DdRFd7  #IndyCar

NASCAR  MEXICO

@dnlsuarez makes history as highest-finishing Mexican driver in @NASCAR_XFINITY history http://nas.cr/1zvLTlr View on Twitter  Tweet This

@NASCARmxOficial official 2015 schedule has been released http://nas.cr/1yTuS7Y

FORMULA E

Monaco ePrix - Lucas di Grassi race preview: http://youtu.be/D14M6OQzIDE?a v?a @YouTube

The FIA Formula E Championship - the world's first fully-electric racing series made its historical Miami ePrix (@Miami_ePrix) debut March 14, 2015. Click here to view highlights.

Dozens of high-speed racecars will rev-up their engines to kick-off the most important race of the NASCAR season - the Daytona 500! The Daytona 500 is widely considered to be the Super Bowl of racing with millions of viewers tuning in on their T.V.s and following along on social media. 

It's no secret that Latinos are in the running to take the lead when it comes to brand approval. How can you make sure your brand gets off to a strong start in 2015? Here are a few tips that can help: 

While Latinos are integrating into the mainstream, they aren't necessarily looking to acculturate, or become monolingual English-speakers. Hispanics are still tied to their culture and connected to their Latino roots. Because of this, advertisers know that they have to be fluent in biculturalism and diverse ideas. It's not enough to speak their language and translate messages. You have to really know them. 

Hispanic consumers take a more favorable eye toward sponsorships. Forty-three percent of Hispanics feel loyalty toward sports sponsorships and, what's more, 41% of that demo is inclined to buy products offered by sponsors. 

INDYCAR

Gabby Chaves (@GabbyChaves), the 21-year-old Colombian racecar driver and one of motorsport's rising stars, announced he's been confirmed for a full season in the Verizon IndyCar Series as driver of the No. 98 entry for Bryan Herta Autosport. http://ctt.ec/fddef+  Tweet This

Congratulations to Carlos Muñoz (@CarlosMunoz034) who last month was awarded Univision Deportes' Best Car Racing Performance of the year!

FORMULA E

@NelsonPiquet on his relationship with Formula E & NASCAR - http://ctt.ec/YoBU9+  Tweet This

The FIA Formula E Championship - the world's first fully-electric racing series - is making its historical Miami ePrix (@Miami_ePrix) debut March 14, 2015 and is inviting the South Florida community to participate in what will be the most impressive motorsport entertainment event of the year by signing up as volunteers. "It is with the support of the community that the Miami ePrix will be a success," said Miami ePrix General Manager, Chuck M. Martinez. "We are eager to work alongside local volunteers for this groundbreaking sporting event." Miami ePrix volunteers can sign-up online by completing The ePrix Association Member Application, available here.