As a driver, you’ll be extremely focused on your racing season. But, as well as doing the job on-track, a lot of thought has to go into your off-track career, especially the all-important business of getting the funding to race.

So, what does it take to get yourself established with fans, partners and sponsors? We asked Colchester-based tintop racer Fulvio Mussi, who came fourth in last year’s Ginetta G50 championship and is racing this year in the Elf Renault Clio Cup with YourRacingCar.com, for a few tips.

Here’s what he told us:

1. Be individual – it’s a crowded field and you need to stand out from it with a distinctive presence that works for all the different people who are important to your career.
2. Develop a brand early and stay with it – Move beyond helmet design and logo and extend your brand to your website, promotional materials and any off-track business activities such as driver instruction.
3. Have a website and keep it updated – make sure you’re the one in charge of the site, that you can update it easily and that you control your domains, which are important business assets. Include information for sponsors and clients.
4. Work with the fans – take time to engage with the people who follow your race series and they’ll reciprocate with support that will extend beyond the end of your season, increasing your marketability to teams and sponsors.
5. But strike a balance between fans and sponsors – resist the temptation to express your personality too strongly. You also need to present a professional and capable face to the people who are paying you to represent their brand.
6. And also between enjoyment and responsibility – like it or not, people will take notice if you’re in the public eye, and the more successful your career the truer that becomes. Facebook is the classic example: use sensible privacy settings, friend people you know personally and set up a page for everyone else.
7. Keep an eye on opportunities outside racing – many drivers are effectively small businesses. Racing might be your main focus but you also need to develop other interests and income streams if you possibly can.
8. Be an opportunist – work with whatever is available rather than fretting over what isn’t. For example, if a potential sponsor doesn’t offer what you expected, think carefully about what is on the table and how you can make it work for you.
9. Don’t over-extend yourself – go racing with what you can afford and don’t get yourself into debt. This is one of the most important things to remember.
10. Above all, have fun – don’t forget that it’s all a means to an end – racing!

• You can follow Fulvio and his team YourRacingCar.com through their 2010 season via the YRC website here.