Author: Riccardo Tafà
Riccardo Tafà is the founder and Managing Director of RTR Sports Marketing, the independent motorsport sponsorship agency he established in 1995. A law graduate of the University of Bologna, he began his career in PR in London before moving into motorsport, and has spent more than 30 years structuring sponsorship partnerships in Formula 1 and MotoGP - closing over 100 deals across eight championships with properties including McLaren, Williams, Ducati, Honda HRC, Yamaha Factory Racing and Dorna Sports. He writes on sponsorship strategy, commercial rights, pricing, and ROI measurement for brands entering motorsport at every budget level.
February 26, 2020
Naming rights: what putting your name on a stadium is really worth
In the summer of 2026, for the length of the football World Cup, three of the most recognisable stadiums in the United States stopped using the name their sponsors pay for every year. MetLife[...]
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February 15, 2020
Motorsport sponsorship opportunities: Why racing is great for business.
At RTR sports marketing, we spend most of our time focusing on Motorsport sponsorship opportunities: why is that? Because we have a passion for all things racing, but more importantly because[...]
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January 8, 2020
The 2020 ABC of MotoGP Hospitality
2020 MotoGP Hospitality A – Around the World The MotoGP World Championship travels 5 continents and 19 races along 9 months of fierce competition. From Australia to Italy, from Argentin[...]
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October 28, 2019
Best Sports Marketing Agencies for MotoGP Sponsorship
Sometimes we are asked by potential customers which Sports Marketing Agency they should consider for their activities around MotoGP and motorsports in general. It’s a valid question –[...]
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July 25, 2019
Sponsorship and pollution: a question of consistency
A few years ago, the marketing director of a manufacturing company told me he would never consider a sponsorship in Formula 1 or MotoGP. His reason: pollution. He said this over a business lu[...]
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July 21, 2019
Things to do to become a MotoGP sponsor
Let’s start this post with an example. After some research and various meetings, a company eventually decides to invest in sports marketing to engage its target more efficiently. The com[...]
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July 17, 2019
How sports sponsorships work in Italy and worldwide
We are often asked how sports sponsorships work in Italy and in the world. The most frequent questions include: “What does it mean to be a sponsor?”, “What do sponsors do?” and genera[...]
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July 15, 2019
Sports sponsorships: highly effective, but with ever elusive resources
When did the sponsorship crisis begin in Italy? The easiest answer would be 2008 in conjunction with the economic crisis. Honestly, we are going through a perfect storm where multiple factor[...]
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July 10, 2019
What are the advantages of sports sponsorships?
If you are considering an investment in sports sponsorships, it is essential to exactly know the commercial advantages they can offer. I am pretty sure that you must have already asked you[...]
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July 8, 2019
Good reasons to choose MotoGP sponsorship
RTR Sports Marketing has focused its core business on sponsorships in MotoGP and motorsports marketing ever since 1995. At RTR we specialize in the provision of consultancy services to compa[...]
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July 7, 2019
Sports testimonials: here come the true celebrities!
In today’s social imaginary sports people have taken the role that mass audience used to recognize to actors first and musicians then, starting from the 60s onwards: people to love and to f[...]
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June 25, 2019
What Is the Difference Between Sponsorship and Donation?
The distinction is fundamental: sponsorship is a synallagmatic contract, donation is a gratuitous act. They are not two versions of the same gesture, calibrated by generosity — they are leg[...]
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June 19, 2019
Sports events and tourism: why the marriage works
There is a growing marketing bond between sport and geographic territories that has become increasingly relevant in the landscape of sports sponsorships. On one hand, major sports events have[...]
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June 13, 2019
London and international sports marketing: why the City remains the industry’s hub
London is not just Europe’s financial capital: it has been for decades the world’s foremost hub for international sports marketing. Agencies operating from Soho, Farringdon or Can[...]
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June 11, 2019
International Sports Sponsorship: Why Sport Is the Global Lever for Brands
International sports sponsorship is one of the few marketing levers that manages to be simultaneously local and global: a logo on a MotoGP bike is seen by millions of people in 19 countries, [...]
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June 9, 2019
Can We Sponsor Just One Race? Local, Regional and Event-Based MotoGP Sponsorship
One of the most common questions we receive from companies with primarily local or national markets is: “Can we sponsor a MotoGP team just for our home race?” The answer is yes [...]
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June 5, 2019
What is the difference between sponsorship and donation?
As a brand that wants to support sports and invest in teams or athletes, it’s important to know what your aims are – and whether you want to provide monetary support only, or be invol[...]
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June 3, 2019
Sport sponsorship in Russia
There’s no question that Russia has been involving itself in the world of international sports for a long time. Before hosting last year’s Fifa World Cup, the Black Sea resort of Sochi he[...]
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May 19, 2019
Why has Formula 1 become such a bore? Causes and consequences
Practice without theory is blind: who could doubt this? This is why theory cannot be ignored and, when something does not work or practice gives poor results, it should be given back its cent[...]
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May 17, 2019
Sports Sponsorship in Germany: MotoGP, Football and Motorsport
Germany is the world’s third-largest economy by GDP, with 83 million inhabitants and one of the highest average purchasing powers in Europe. For a brand looking to use sport as a market[...]
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