Racing is one of the most expensive enterprises one can undertake in an automobile, and for some teams every hour not spent wrenching or driving is devoted to pinning down cash commitments from sponsors so they can keep living the dream. Over the decades that combination of desperation and determination has led to some strange bedfellows as companies, brands, and in some cases chart-topping musical acts one would never associate with motorsports have seen their logos (and faces) plastered over race cars of nearly every description.
Which unlikely high-octane partnerships were the most head-scratching? These are our picks for the five weirdest sponsors to ever walk the racing grid.
ABBA F1
Is it possible to lead too-charmed a life? ‘Karl “Slim” Borgudd had been a jazz drummer in the 1960s, eventually working his way through Sweden’s somewhat limited musical circle until he crossed paths with Björn Ulvaeus—better known as one of the ‘Bs’ in “ABBA.” At that point in his career, however, he was a simple folk musician, and Ulvaeus and Borgudd developed a bond after playing together in a band called the Hootenanny Singers. Flash forward a few years and Ulvaeus had moved onto much bigger things. He eventually brought Borgudd with him, plopping Slim down on the drummer’s throne for more than few of ABBA’s studio recordings, where he became good friends with another ABBA member, Benny Andersson.
During the same period Borgudd had begun to make a name for himself on the European racing circuit, competing in touring car and Formula 3 events throughout the 1970s and snagging a title in the latter by the end of the decade. At the beginning of the ’80s, Slim was ready to take the next step in his career and began to drum up support for a potential Formula 1 venture. One of first people he turned to for help was his old pal, Benny.
With the superstar’s blessing, Borgudd’s 1981 ATS Formula 1 car featured the ABBA name prominently on the sidepods and the spoiler. The deal was a unique one: the band fronted no cash, but agreed to let Slim compete under its banner in the hopes of attracting paying sponsors. The deal helped secure Borgudd’s seat in the sport and helped him rake in an army of small but vital supporters, and it wasn’t long before he was finishing races, claiming a sixth-place spot at British GP and earning ABBA its one and only point in the F1 championship.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ NASCAR Team
A Venn diagram of Kim Kardashian’s fashion followers and NASCAR fans would seemingly look like a pair of gaping eyeballs, but that didn’t seem to deter the super-celebrity from picking up the tab for driver Mike Bliss’ Sprint Cup entry in 2010. Kardashian used the number 36 car as a rolling billboard for a new fragrance debut, and the stocker hit the grid at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in February of 2010.
Kardashian went full-court press on her NASCAR play, pulling duty as the race’s Grand Marshal as well as embedding herself with the team itself (when not putting in face time at the Venetian for a more on-brand perfume launch). The move attracted a ton of attention to her brand, as motorsports and mainstream media alike were utterly charmed by the fish-out-of-water scenario that Kardashian’s face on a stock car hood presented.
Bliss finished an uninspiring 39th that day after hitting the outside wall (we’d like to think it was due to an unexpected fragrance deployment in the cabin). He would only drive the car for another three races (and fail to qualify at Bristol), before Tommy Baldwin Racing replaced him with Johnny Sauter. We’re not saying there’s a link here, but…
Just Say No to Drugs (Unless Vince Neil Is Asking)
We’ve already covered Motley Crue front man Vince Neil’s unlikely, and brief racing career, but it’s worth pointing out that the glam metal icon’s limited but notable time in IndyLights was associated with a sponsor that couldn’t be more diametrically opposed to the driver’s previous lifestyle: Say No To Drugs.
In the mid-1980s the White House had strong-armed the music industry establishment into preaching First Lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign to the teens who were buying records by the millions. This initially took the form of the “Rock Against Drugs” campaign that put famous faces in TV ads where they decried the use of mind-altering substances.
Vince Neil himself had appeared in one of these ads in 1986, possibly as part of the 200 hours of community service and anti-drug and alcohol abuse lectures he had been ordered to serve after being convicted for vehicular manslaughter the year before. Strangely, the 1992 “Say Not To Drugs” sponsorship was completely unrelated to the earlier publicity effort, instead flowing from a California non-profit foundation that was inspired by the Reagan-era policy. After a single season of four starts and three finishes (never climbing higher than 10th place), Vince Neil retired car number 69 and relapsed back into the world of music.
Taylor Swift Strikes Twice
Back before her acrimonious split with label Big Machine, Tay-Tay’s publicity machine seemed laser-focused on finding fans in two of America’s biggest racing paddocks. The first effort came in 2012 Juan Pablo Montoya’s number 42 car saw its Target sponsorship shunted to the side in favor of Taylor Swift’s face and the name of her latest album, “Red,” occupying prime real estate on the Chevy Impala’s hood.
What’s interesting about the effort is that Swift was already enjoying massive success, with songs from the album having generated over a million and a half downloads while she dominated the Billboard Hot 100. This particular promotion was tied to Target retailers, which had exclusive rights to the “deluxe” version of the Red album to be released to Monday following the Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City (where Montoya finished a respectable 16th).
Apparently, the boost in sales was strong enough to warrant another unlikely automotive sponsorship five years later. This time, Swift’s visage got the full wrap-around treatment on NHRA driver Courtney Force’s Chevrolet Camaro dragster at the Auto Club Finals in Pomona. Promoting the “Reputation” album, Force’s Funny Car spit flames across Swift’s face, much in the same way the singer herself hurled vocal venom about her place in the star system that had by that point fully ensnared her career.
Maybe she should have picked Force’s sister Britney’s Top Fuel car instead. Courtney was eliminated by her teammate, but her older sibling claimed her first, and only, NHRA championship that weekend.
Ueno Clinic Wins at Le Mans, and In Your Pants
Building a vast fortune based on private parts, but doing so entirely outside the porn industry, is perhaps the most unusual way to profit below the belt. It’s also how Motokazu Sayama was able to insert himself into McLaren’s Le Mans plans back in 1995 and unwittingly become forever associated with one of the company’s greatest triumphs.
Sayama was the proprietor of a vast chain of what could most easily be termed “genital clinics” targeted at men throughout Japan. The Ueno Clinics dealt with everything from STDs to rare medical conditions to elective “enhancement surgeries,” and have a history of memorable advertisements for their services. Suffice it to say, Sayama was not a shy man, and when McLaren told him they had no sponsorship spots left on the six F1 GTR cars it planned to support (run by privateers), he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The indomitable Sayama committed to paying for an entire season’s competition in exchange for McLaren adding a seventh car—its own development mule—to the platoon. Despite being a late addition to the field of McLarens, the Ueno Clinic car took the overall win during the very wet 24-hour race, its simple black-and-white livery becoming an instant legend.
The deal Sayama had with McLaren stated that if the car didn’t win, he could buy it for his collection. But given the happy circumstances, McLaren retained ownership of the car, and Sayama took home a road-going McLaren F1 instead. Not a bad deal, we’d say.
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