I have had to say that over the last few months, I have been in a rebuilding mode with the direction of motorsports. I know that I am focused on the 2014 race season. I see that many people throughout the years has not had my best interest in mind. So it has taken a strong family to point that out, with proof of the badness in certain people that are supposed to be working with me and not against me. That has always been the case in my racing adventure since 1983. I remember a time back in 1986; I brought in a very big clothing company to the Indianapolis 500 mile race that year. This company has sponsored a major Formula One Team for many years, and had a great clothing store franchise system here in the USA. I was bringing this great Clothing company to there first Indy 500 as my guest. I told a race team about it, to ask for guidance in this matter because I feel that it was just out of my realm of business ( I was just a tour guide at the Indy 500; that was lucky in bring two new sponsors in Indy type of racing). I was great in the great Pizza deal that year of 1986, and knew that if I just kept on focus that I could have this clothing company for years to come in sponsoring an Indy Car team. Well even though I did bring in a major restaurant and a beer company that year in racing; even though I wasn't old enough to even drink beer I closed a beer deal. As soon as I asked for guidance from this race team, the race team treated me as a some low life asking them questions. How dare I disturbed them? Well; I knew at that point that this race team was not for me to ask them anything further in this matter (This race team is not even around today, and now I see why). The next race team I thought would be good, I was wrong again. I went to a local preacher of the Lord's word, and asked him; " What can I do in this matter of this client coming to the race on my behalf? " This wonderful preacher said to me in a very calm voice, " Jim; I just don't know that end of any business, but why don't you just take care of this matter all on your own. Jim, just buy this man a ticket and sit next to him and give him a great tour of the race track all on your own!" I was at peace in this matter, and handled this all on my own with the help of a few friends. It seems that everyone is always smarter than me in this business and seems to try to out smart some one, somewhere here and there. I love the sport of racing and getting the products sold through racing in some fashion or another. This great future client helped me in many ways, but not in Indy type racing, only in Formula One. That is what started my passion in Formula One that whole process. I went through with how could I ever bring in such a major client as this great clothing company? I have been treated that way my whole life in this sort of action in business around racing. I had a great chief mechanic out at that race track tell me, " Jim; so many great race car drivers had crashed in there start as a race car driver, and had many non performance races (that's what we call in today's world start and park), then they get a grove on and start to win and finish strong in a race car, as they gained more experience." In the best situation in racing you would of never have heard of the art of a deal that I have put together because there would of been no problems to complain about at all. When things are smooth there is peace in the valley there is no drama. Then my friends in racing at that point you have to wonder if you are really in racing at all at that point in time. I have found out that most race teams in marketing or sales of sponsorships can only call companies that already have a relationship with another race team, and try to take the sponsor away from that current race team. Most race teams can't even start a new relationship because they just do not have the vision to start new strong system for both parties, the race team and the sponsor. I have made many mistakes in that platform of motorsports to gain knowledge on how to even do a deal in this sport of motorsports. I have closed deals for many companies that thought they just didn't need me in any way after the deal is done with the race team. Then I watched some of these deal fall apart after each program in motorsports starts. Companies claiming what they can do, and they don't have the funding? (not even having the funds to manufacture a super large order, that I have brought to the table) Race teams over promising some claims. Then who is to blame? Well I will tell you, oh the guy that brought the sponsorship! Really people? Once the sponsorship is brought to the race team owner the deal is out of the sales teams hand. So I have decided to start something at a much stronger level in racing real soon. I have some great help from some very professional companies and people at this point and enough bumps and bruises to be moving forward through many acts of praying to do the right thing in motorsports.
Jim Gandolf
