Preston Lambert was travelling between races when he spotted a simulator inside an airport store. He stopped, tried it and filmed a short video on his phone.
Preston says the video reached 30 million views. A few days later, according to his account, the brand behind the simulator contacted him. It wanted to work together and went on to pay him to make more content.
An ordinary stop between flights had become an example of work a business wanted to buy. For a racing driver looking for sponsors, that is the part of the story worth studying. Watch Preston explain what happened.
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The brand could see what he could do
Preston's account starts with a real experience: a racing driver trying a simulator in a place other travellers could visit. The video gave the business something tangible to assess before it contacted him.
Our reading of the example is straightforward. He demonstrated the experience, brought a driver's perspective to it and made a piece of content around it. Those are activities a company can commission. A racing budget, on its own, does not explain what a company receives.
The Reel does not disclose the payment, contract or exact deliverables. It also does not identify the business by name. What Preston describes is paid content work following an initial video, so that is the outcome we can discuss here.
The useful part is repeatable. The reach is not.
It would be easy to take the wrong lesson: post a video, wait for it to take off, then wait for sponsors to arrive.
That leaves almost everything outside your control. A stronger approach is to build examples of work you can deliver, identify businesses with a relevant use for that work and put a specific idea in front of them.
You might demonstrate a product you already use in training. You might explain an experience at a local venue, with permission. Or you might turn a technical subject into a clear video for customers who are new to it. The idea needs to make sense for the company, and you need to be able to produce it again.
Preston's wider story includes working as a mechanic and driver coach, then building his social presence with his brother. In his account, the commercial work developed over time. The airport video was one opportunity within that effort. Hear Preston describe his journey.
Give a business something specific to consider
Before approaching a company, answer three questions:
- What would I make? Describe an actual piece of work, such as a short demonstration of one product in use.
- Why would this business use it? Connect the idea to its customers, an experience it sells or a product it is promoting.
- What can I show already? Choose a relevant example that demonstrates your filming, explanation or delivery.
You do not need to reproduce Preston's audience to start thinking this way. You do need to distinguish the content you can create from the audience you can reach. Each has a different value, and neither guarantees a buyer. Our guide to sponsorship with a small audience explains how to make that distinction.
When the brand replies, define the work
A positive message starts a conversation. Before filming more, agree what the business wants, where the content will appear, how it may be used, the approval process, the fee and payment timing.
Keep that agreement alongside the delivery dates and subsequent conversation. That is how an interesting first interaction becomes work you can fulfil and a relationship you can develop.
Preston's story offers a useful starting question for your own sponsor shortlist: what could a business see you do today that it might want to commission tomorrow?
Two other stories explore different routes into a commercial conversation: Colapinto’s introductions beyond racing and what Vuori commissioned from Livvy Dunne.
Turn your content into a reason to talk.
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Can you get racing sponsors with a small following? ↗Find the right companies to approach ↗Agree the work before you promise it ↗Preston is Nick Lambert’s brother and part of Turn One. This is a first-party account, not independent proof of Sponsor AI software results. This story is based on Preston Lambert’s first-person account, linked above. The view count is self-reported; the payment and contract terms are not disclosed. The practical recommendations are Turn One’s editorial interpretation, not a claim that Sponsor AI produced this result.