bobracing wrote:Sorry, sponsorship is money (number 3 on the list), even if only product was supplied, which makes for a bias recommendation.
My comments above have nothing to do with Master Pull but in general, if you have the sticker on your race rig, then most likely you are a paid spokes person.
So what? By the same logic you are implying that I would lead my friends astray for the sake of a corporate relationship. Gosh, that's not very nice.
Master Pull helped us at one race. . . I hope that they want to come back for more, but if not, they are friends that have great product. Period.
Let's talk specifics since everyone is such an authority on my motives:
We run Sway A Way Racerunner Shocks. They are a great product, but they have terrible customer service. We removed their stickers from our truck and don't promote them even though they offer prize money to those that do. Now, we are giving them another chance because our latest experience was good. Maybe they are turning over a new leaf. . . but I am biased.
We use belts and fire suits from DJ Safety. They are fantastic to deal with and give us a GREAT deal, but they will do that with or without the sticker. We choose to run a sticker because it is the right thing to do. They also give our friends and fans a good deal. Anybody need harnesses for their wheeler? Again, they don't give us a dime and we SPEND money with them.
We bought our radios from *another Vendor*. . .but we run stickers from PCI Race Radios. . .care to guess why that is? We've SPENT money with them but NEVER have gotten a dime in product or cash from them. They don't even give us a discount. Yep, that's right, they SAVED OUR a$$ and never asked for anything in return.
How about Goodyear and Ford? Sure, we promote them both. MT/Rs are great tires and Ford, as far as I know, is the ONLY manufacturer that is actively involved in promoting the off-road lifestyle outside of just making vehicles that fit the mold. Heck, I even got the Ford Off-Road/Grassroots manager to come to Winter Convention all the way from Deerborn, MI. .yeah, they are good people. Goodyear did sponsor our tires when we raced with BITD. Neither of them are supplying anything right now, although I hope to change that soon. It will never have anything to do with the fact that I promote them to my friends.
Bottom line: I don't race NASCAR and I don't race for money. I SPEND a serious amount of money to race. I only enter into relationships with companies that I would promote for free. This is a hobby for now anyway. Even if it wasn't, I'd still feel the same way. Business is all about relationships and if you give misguided advice to those that trust you. . .you are screwed.