Tackling the Challenge of Racing Drivers' "Difficulty in Connecting with Sponsor Contracts"
HORIZONTAL Inc. is enhancing its support system for 12 racing drivers through its "Otasuke Manager" service, aiming to facilitate sponsor acquisition and continuous motorsport activities. The service addresses the significant practical burdens faced by drivers beyond competition, such as proposal creation, reporting, and relationship building, which often hinder their careers. By providing comprehensive practical support, HORIZONTAL Inc. seeks to create a sustainable environment for drivers and sponsors alike.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 10:30
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 18, 2026 at 00:51 (350h 21m after Collected)
HORIZONTAL Inc. (Headquarters: Yatomi City, Aichi Prefecture, Representative Director: Kyosuke Toda) will strengthen its support system for 12 racing drivers through its "Otasuke Manager" (Helper Manager) accompanying support management service for racing drivers. We will further promote sponsor acquisition support for racing drivers, while also continuing to support individuals, companies, and organizations involved in the automotive industry.
In motorsports, even drivers with competitive ability and future potential often face significant burdens in non-competition activities such as acquiring sponsors, proposal activities, reporting, relationship building, and information dissemination to secure operational funds, which become barriers to continuous competition. In particular, the ability to accurately convey one's value to sponsoring companies, articulate the significance of their support, and build lasting trust is a crucial element supporting competitive activities.
In response to these challenges, "Otasuke Manager" provides comprehensive support, including assistance with creating proposals and reports, designing proposals for sponsoring companies, establishing reporting systems after support begins, and organizing practical matters. This creates an environment where racing drivers can focus on competition, promotes relationship building that makes support value more visible to sponsoring companies, and aims to improve the sustainability of motorsports activities from both sponsor acquisition and continued support perspectives.
■ The Reality for Racing Drivers: Speed Alone Isn't Enough to Continue Racing
Continuing race activities incurs significant costs such as vehicle management fees, maintenance fees, race entry fees, and travel expenses. On the other hand, many racing drivers have limited opportunities to systematically learn how to propose to potential sponsor companies, what kind of materials are needed, and how to report after receiving support.
Furthermore, companies considering sponsorship also face challenges such as:
- Lack of necessary documentation and data for internal approval.
- Difficulty in visualizing media exposure and utilization of racing drivers after support.
- Challenges in establishing decision-making criteria compared to advertising or sales promotion.
In this way, the lack of information design and practical support on both the driver and corporate sides contributes to the difficulty in maintaining motorsports support. HORIZONTAL Inc. is developing accompanying support for racing drivers through "Otasuke Manager" to bridge these structural gaps.
■ Accompanying Support That Practically Backs Sponsor Activities, Not Just One-Off Advice
"Otasuke Manager" is a service that provides phased and continuous support for the practical tasks necessary for racing drivers to build lasting trust with sponsoring companies. The main support contents are as follows:
- Support for creating proposals and reports from the sponsor company's perspective.
- Organizing how to communicate, present, and provide decision-making materials to potential sponsor companies.
- Support for communication design, including post-race thank-yous, reports, and future proposals.
- Support for visualizing sponsor value, including SNS outreach and on-site responses.
- Support for activity improvement, practical organization, and communication design based on continued support.
We focus not only on preparing materials but also on "communicating in a way that is easy for companies to decide" and "creating a state where relationships can be continued after support." This is expected to improve the sustainability of racing activities for drivers and enhance the clarity of support value and ease of external communication for companies.
■ Introduction of Supported Drivers
HORIZONTAL Inc. supports the activities of racing drivers who are dedicated to their racing careers and can act with gratitude and responsibility towards sponsoring companies and stakeholders. We provide accompanying support from a practical standpoint for the growth of promising drivers, including not only improving competitive performance but also assistance with proposal and report creation, information dissemination, and sponsor relations.
Yohei Ono
[Category of Participation] BMW & MINI Racing MINI CHALLENGE JAPAN (MINI JCW)
[Comment] I am deeply honored to be able to compete in the MINI CHALLENGE JAPAN (MINI JCW class) with the support of HORIZONTAL Inc. Furthermore, as a member of "DRIVER PROLOGUE" developed by BMW & MINI Racing, I aim to grow comprehensively by actively engaging in training using racing simulators, alongside race activities, and receiving guidance on conduct and communication. While I will of course respond with results, I aim to become an entity that can convey the charm of motorsports to society, and I will compete the season with all my effort, never forgetting my gratitude to everyone who supports me.
Shota Tsujino
[Category of Participation] TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Cup 2026・TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup
[Comment] My name is Shota Tsujino. I am deeply honored to have been given the opportunity for a new challenge as a racing driver by entering into a sponsor agreement with HORIZONTAL Inc. starting in 2026. Normally, I utilize racing simulators for training towards real car races and participate in esports competitions. The "HC GALLERY Summit Showdown Tokyo Auto Salon 2026" held in January 2026 provided me with the opportunity to participate in real car races. Going forward, with the support of HC GALLERY, I plan to participate in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Cup 2026 or make spot entries in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup. Although I have no experience in real car racing yet, I will cherish each opportunity to drive, carefully blending the sensations cultivated in racing simulators with real car experience, and aim for high rankings in my first-ever real car race with all my might.
Tomohiro Yasuda
[Category of Participation] N-ONE OWNER'S CUP・K4GP
[Comment] Thank you for your continued warm support. Thanks to everyone's support, I have been given the opportunity to continue my race activities in 2026 together with Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology Automobile College and the SAT'S Motorsports Circle. HORIZONTAL Inc. has provided me with significant support from new perspectives that I could not have realized on my own, including advice on document creation. I will earnestly tackle everything from vehicle preparation to race participation and document creation, working together with the students, and strive to respond with growth and results. I humbly ask for your continued warm support.
Kazuaki Kimura
[Category of Participation] ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE
[Comment] I began my serious challenge in the world of racing after the age of 40, achieving a spot entry in the Super Taikyu Series at 44. Now, at 46, I have been given the opportunity for a new challenge: a full season. The fact that I, a former automotive dealer mechanic, can stand on this stage is entirely due to the warm support of the sponsors who have supported me. While I was feeling the challenges of continuing my activities on my own, I met HORIZONTAL Inc. and was able to systematically learn the practical skills that support racing activities, such as creating reports, proposals, and customer service. I feel that this learning and support have led to my full participation this season. I will not forget my gratitude, turn HORIZONTAL Inc.'s cooperation into strength, and tackle the season with all my might to respond with results and growth.
Keiichiro Nagasaka
[Category of Participation] Tsukuba-Fuji Super FJ Championship
[Comment] Although the Tsukuba-Fuji Super FJ Championship offers a limited opportunity with participation from the latter half of the season, I consider this challenge to be extremely valuable. Within a short period, I will steadily absorb the delicate driving techniques specific to formula cars and integrate them into my own driving. Leveraging my experience in touring cars, I will aim for top rankings with tenacious and stable race management. Through my challenge in this new category, I will strive with all my might to grow as a driver and convey the appeal of motorsports to a wider audience.
Yuta Tanaka
[Category of Participation] ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE
[Comment] In 2026, I am scheduled to make a spot entry in the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE ST-5R class at the Okayama round, driving the Fets Takasago NIWA Racing Roadster. The fact that I have been able to continue my activities up to this point is thanks to the support of HORIZONTAL Inc. and everyone who has supported me, and I am sincerely grateful. I will make the most of my experience cultivated in the Fuji Championship Series Roadster Cup and the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup, as well as in racing simulators, and together with HORIZONTAL Inc., I will challenge with all my might to convey the appeal of motorsports to more people through my driving. Thank you for your warm support.
Genki Murakami
[Category of Participation] Roadster Party Race III West Japan Series
[Comment] I sincerely thank you for your continued warm support. I always value a spirit of challenging my limits while refining my personal growth and expressiveness through racing activities. Racing is never a solo endeavor; it is thanks to the support of everyone who cheers for me and our sponsors that I can move on to the next challenge. With that gratitude in my heart, I will continue to push forward with all my might. Through driving that exceeds limits, I aim to deliver the passion and appeal of motorsports, as well as my own value as a driver, to more people.
● List of Supported Drivers
Yuya Eki
Koki Kosaka
Junichi Sato
Fuyo Nagata
Hiroki Matsushima
■ Representative's Comment
In the world of motorsports, "speed" is one of the most important values. However, the reality is that speed alone is not enough to continue competitive activities. The era has arrived where non-competition practical tasks such as building relationships with sponsoring companies, making proposals, reporting, and disseminating information significantly influence a driver's career.
Through our interactions with many racing drivers, we have strongly felt the issue that "values that should inherently be recognized are not being appropriately communicated." The inability to verbalize and structure their competitive abilities and future potential in a way that can withstand corporate decision-making is one of the factors preventing sponsor contracts.
While we are strengthening our support system for 12 racing drivers through "Otasuke Manager" this time, our efforts do not stop here. We will provide opportunities for support through this service to all racing drivers who are challenging themselves at this very moment. We aim to build a system that supports the endeavors of any driver who holds aspirations and continues to act, regardless of their environment or track record.
"Otasuke Manager" goes beyond mere advice; it aims to create a state where value is established for both drivers and companies by delving deeply into practical matters such as creating proposals and reports, handling sponsor relations, and designing communication strategies.
What we emphasize is "sustainability." We believe that by creating a state where relationships with sponsoring companies accumulate and a driver's own value is built as an asset, rather than temporary support, it will contribute to the overall development of motorsports.
HOLYRIZONTAL Inc. will continue to provide practical, ground-level support to all individuals involved in the automotive industry, starting with racing drivers. Furthermore, through the cultivation of human resources capable of converting "speed" into social value, we will contribute to the creation of a sustainable motorsports environment.
Kyosuke Toda, Representative Director, HORIZONTAL Inc.
■ Future Outlook
HOLYRIZONTAL Inc. will continue its support for those involved in the automotive industry, including racing drivers, in 2026. Moving forward, we will comprehensively strengthen sponsor acquisition support, material production support, public relations support, event collaboration, and SNS communication design, further promoting the creation of touchpoints for talent, companies, and brands in the automotive and motorsports industries. We will also leverage the know-how gained from supporting racing drivers to build practical support models in the fields of education, training, communication, and relationship building within the automotive industry.
■ About "Otasuke Manager"
"Otasuke Manager" is an accompanying support management service for racing drivers. It comprehensively supports the practical tasks necessary for driver activities such as sponsor acquisition, proposal and report creation, race reporting, SNS utilization, and sponsor handling, thereby supporting the building of continuous relationships with companies.
Official Website: https://otasukemaneja.com
■ Company Profile
Company Name: HORIZONTAL Inc.
Location: 3-289-2-205 Sagiki, Yatomi City, Aichi Prefecture
Representative: Kyosuke Toda
Website: https://horizontal-japan.com
Business Activities:
- Event Planning and Management
- Human Resource Development Support Services
- Business Improvement Consulting
- Business Manual Creation
- Web Production
■ Contact for Inquiries
HOLYRIZONTAL Inc. Public Relations Department
Mail: info@horizontal-japan.com
In motorsports, even drivers with competitive ability and future potential often face significant burdens in non-competition activities such as acquiring sponsors, proposal activities, reporting, relationship building, and information dissemination to secure operational funds, which become barriers to continuous competition. In particular, the ability to accurately convey one's value to sponsoring companies, articulate the significance of their support, and build lasting trust is a crucial element supporting competitive activities.
In response to these challenges, "Otasuke Manager" provides comprehensive support, including assistance with creating proposals and reports, designing proposals for sponsoring companies, establishing reporting systems after support begins, and organizing practical matters. This creates an environment where racing drivers can focus on competition, promotes relationship building that makes support value more visible to sponsoring companies, and aims to improve the sustainability of motorsports activities from both sponsor acquisition and continued support perspectives.
■ The Reality for Racing Drivers: Speed Alone Isn't Enough to Continue Racing
Continuing race activities incurs significant costs such as vehicle management fees, maintenance fees, race entry fees, and travel expenses. On the other hand, many racing drivers have limited opportunities to systematically learn how to propose to potential sponsor companies, what kind of materials are needed, and how to report after receiving support.
Furthermore, companies considering sponsorship also face challenges such as:
- Lack of necessary documentation and data for internal approval.
- Difficulty in visualizing media exposure and utilization of racing drivers after support.
- Challenges in establishing decision-making criteria compared to advertising or sales promotion.
In this way, the lack of information design and practical support on both the driver and corporate sides contributes to the difficulty in maintaining motorsports support. HORIZONTAL Inc. is developing accompanying support for racing drivers through "Otasuke Manager" to bridge these structural gaps.
■ Accompanying Support That Practically Backs Sponsor Activities, Not Just One-Off Advice
"Otasuke Manager" is a service that provides phased and continuous support for the practical tasks necessary for racing drivers to build lasting trust with sponsoring companies. The main support contents are as follows:
- Support for creating proposals and reports from the sponsor company's perspective.
- Organizing how to communicate, present, and provide decision-making materials to potential sponsor companies.
- Support for communication design, including post-race thank-yous, reports, and future proposals.
- Support for visualizing sponsor value, including SNS outreach and on-site responses.
- Support for activity improvement, practical organization, and communication design based on continued support.
We focus not only on preparing materials but also on "communicating in a way that is easy for companies to decide" and "creating a state where relationships can be continued after support." This is expected to improve the sustainability of racing activities for drivers and enhance the clarity of support value and ease of external communication for companies.
■ Introduction of Supported Drivers
HORIZONTAL Inc. supports the activities of racing drivers who are dedicated to their racing careers and can act with gratitude and responsibility towards sponsoring companies and stakeholders. We provide accompanying support from a practical standpoint for the growth of promising drivers, including not only improving competitive performance but also assistance with proposal and report creation, information dissemination, and sponsor relations.
Yohei Ono
[Category of Participation] BMW & MINI Racing MINI CHALLENGE JAPAN (MINI JCW)
[Comment] I am deeply honored to be able to compete in the MINI CHALLENGE JAPAN (MINI JCW class) with the support of HORIZONTAL Inc. Furthermore, as a member of "DRIVER PROLOGUE" developed by BMW & MINI Racing, I aim to grow comprehensively by actively engaging in training using racing simulators, alongside race activities, and receiving guidance on conduct and communication. While I will of course respond with results, I aim to become an entity that can convey the charm of motorsports to society, and I will compete the season with all my effort, never forgetting my gratitude to everyone who supports me.
Shota Tsujino
[Category of Participation] TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Cup 2026・TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup
[Comment] My name is Shota Tsujino. I am deeply honored to have been given the opportunity for a new challenge as a racing driver by entering into a sponsor agreement with HORIZONTAL Inc. starting in 2026. Normally, I utilize racing simulators for training towards real car races and participate in esports competitions. The "HC GALLERY Summit Showdown Tokyo Auto Salon 2026" held in January 2026 provided me with the opportunity to participate in real car races. Going forward, with the support of HC GALLERY, I plan to participate in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Yaris Cup 2026 or make spot entries in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup. Although I have no experience in real car racing yet, I will cherish each opportunity to drive, carefully blending the sensations cultivated in racing simulators with real car experience, and aim for high rankings in my first-ever real car race with all my might.
Tomohiro Yasuda
[Category of Participation] N-ONE OWNER'S CUP・K4GP
[Comment] Thank you for your continued warm support. Thanks to everyone's support, I have been given the opportunity to continue my race activities in 2026 together with Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology Automobile College and the SAT'S Motorsports Circle. HORIZONTAL Inc. has provided me with significant support from new perspectives that I could not have realized on my own, including advice on document creation. I will earnestly tackle everything from vehicle preparation to race participation and document creation, working together with the students, and strive to respond with growth and results. I humbly ask for your continued warm support.
Kazuaki Kimura
[Category of Participation] ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE
[Comment] I began my serious challenge in the world of racing after the age of 40, achieving a spot entry in the Super Taikyu Series at 44. Now, at 46, I have been given the opportunity for a new challenge: a full season. The fact that I, a former automotive dealer mechanic, can stand on this stage is entirely due to the warm support of the sponsors who have supported me. While I was feeling the challenges of continuing my activities on my own, I met HORIZONTAL Inc. and was able to systematically learn the practical skills that support racing activities, such as creating reports, proposals, and customer service. I feel that this learning and support have led to my full participation this season. I will not forget my gratitude, turn HORIZONTAL Inc.'s cooperation into strength, and tackle the season with all my might to respond with results and growth.
Keiichiro Nagasaka
[Category of Participation] Tsukuba-Fuji Super FJ Championship
[Comment] Although the Tsukuba-Fuji Super FJ Championship offers a limited opportunity with participation from the latter half of the season, I consider this challenge to be extremely valuable. Within a short period, I will steadily absorb the delicate driving techniques specific to formula cars and integrate them into my own driving. Leveraging my experience in touring cars, I will aim for top rankings with tenacious and stable race management. Through my challenge in this new category, I will strive with all my might to grow as a driver and convey the appeal of motorsports to a wider audience.
Yuta Tanaka
[Category of Participation] ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE
[Comment] In 2026, I am scheduled to make a spot entry in the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2026 Empowered by BRIDGESTONE ST-5R class at the Okayama round, driving the Fets Takasago NIWA Racing Roadster. The fact that I have been able to continue my activities up to this point is thanks to the support of HORIZONTAL Inc. and everyone who has supported me, and I am sincerely grateful. I will make the most of my experience cultivated in the Fuji Championship Series Roadster Cup and the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup, as well as in racing simulators, and together with HORIZONTAL Inc., I will challenge with all my might to convey the appeal of motorsports to more people through my driving. Thank you for your warm support.
Genki Murakami
[Category of Participation] Roadster Party Race III West Japan Series
[Comment] I sincerely thank you for your continued warm support. I always value a spirit of challenging my limits while refining my personal growth and expressiveness through racing activities. Racing is never a solo endeavor; it is thanks to the support of everyone who cheers for me and our sponsors that I can move on to the next challenge. With that gratitude in my heart, I will continue to push forward with all my might. Through driving that exceeds limits, I aim to deliver the passion and appeal of motorsports, as well as my own value as a driver, to more people.
● List of Supported Drivers
Yuya Eki
Koki Kosaka
Junichi Sato
Fuyo Nagata
Hiroki Matsushima
■ Representative's Comment
In the world of motorsports, "speed" is one of the most important values. However, the reality is that speed alone is not enough to continue competitive activities. The era has arrived where non-competition practical tasks such as building relationships with sponsoring companies, making proposals, reporting, and disseminating information significantly influence a driver's career.
Through our interactions with many racing drivers, we have strongly felt the issue that "values that should inherently be recognized are not being appropriately communicated." The inability to verbalize and structure their competitive abilities and future potential in a way that can withstand corporate decision-making is one of the factors preventing sponsor contracts.
While we are strengthening our support system for 12 racing drivers through "Otasuke Manager" this time, our efforts do not stop here. We will provide opportunities for support through this service to all racing drivers who are challenging themselves at this very moment. We aim to build a system that supports the endeavors of any driver who holds aspirations and continues to act, regardless of their environment or track record.
"Otasuke Manager" goes beyond mere advice; it aims to create a state where value is established for both drivers and companies by delving deeply into practical matters such as creating proposals and reports, handling sponsor relations, and designing communication strategies.
What we emphasize is "sustainability." We believe that by creating a state where relationships with sponsoring companies accumulate and a driver's own value is built as an asset, rather than temporary support, it will contribute to the overall development of motorsports.
HOLYRIZONTAL Inc. will continue to provide practical, ground-level support to all individuals involved in the automotive industry, starting with racing drivers. Furthermore, through the cultivation of human resources capable of converting "speed" into social value, we will contribute to the creation of a sustainable motorsports environment.
Kyosuke Toda, Representative Director, HORIZONTAL Inc.
■ Future Outlook
HOLYRIZONTAL Inc. will continue its support for those involved in the automotive industry, including racing drivers, in 2026. Moving forward, we will comprehensively strengthen sponsor acquisition support, material production support, public relations support, event collaboration, and SNS communication design, further promoting the creation of touchpoints for talent, companies, and brands in the automotive and motorsports industries. We will also leverage the know-how gained from supporting racing drivers to build practical support models in the fields of education, training, communication, and relationship building within the automotive industry.
■ About "Otasuke Manager"
"Otasuke Manager" is an accompanying support management service for racing drivers. It comprehensively supports the practical tasks necessary for driver activities such as sponsor acquisition, proposal and report creation, race reporting, SNS utilization, and sponsor handling, thereby supporting the building of continuous relationships with companies.
Official Website: https://otasukemaneja.com
■ Company Profile
Company Name: HORIZONTAL Inc.
Location: 3-289-2-205 Sagiki, Yatomi City, Aichi Prefecture
Representative: Kyosuke Toda
Website: https://horizontal-japan.com
Business Activities:
- Event Planning and Management
- Human Resource Development Support Services
- Business Improvement Consulting
- Business Manual Creation
- Web Production
■ Contact for Inquiries
HOLYRIZONTAL Inc. Public Relations Department
Mail: info@horizontal-japan.com