Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1N, United Kingdom
R. Bela Cintra, São Paulo - SP, 04421-230, Brazil
OUR STORY
OUR STORY
Racing United is a motorsport partnerships and communications agency run by Guido Hakkenberg and Rachel Cavers. Both have extensive experience helping brands, teams and investors succeed in motorsport.
We combine deep expertise with insight — offering brands a strategic, independent advisory approach to partnerships, and PR. Our focus is on measurable ROI, authentic brand alignment and long-term growth.
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Guido Hakkenberg
Founder & Managing Director
With a background in data-driven partnerships and a deep understanding of Formula 1, Guido founded Racing United to help brands achieve meaningful results through clear, strategic advice grounded in real experience. Having played pivotal roles at Motorsport Network, Veloce Racing, and Williams F1, he has collaborated with leading teams and sponsors across the sport. Guido specialises in partnership strategy, negotiation, and management — ensuring every collaboration delivers measurable impact and long-term success.
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Rachel Cavers
Co-founder & Communications Director
Rachel has over 15 years' experience within the sport, automotive and events industry. Having headed up the PR for the FIA World Rallycross Championship and travelled worldwide as a PR manager in Formula 1, WEC, WRC and Extreme E, she has extensive experience of dealing with high-profile individuals and international media across various motorsport disciplines.
Sharing Our Expertise
Guido and Rachel bring their Formula 1 and motorsport knowledge to ELVTR’s globally recognised Motorsport Marketing & Partnerships course, offering real insight into the business of racing.
Their involvement reflects the same approach they take at Racing United — combining strategic insight with real-world experience to help brands and professionals succeed in the fast-evolving world of motorsport marketing and partnerships.
CASE Studies
However, just a day before filming, a tropical typhoon hit the region, grounding the helicopter that was due to fly the team into the jungle.
“The day before we were due to travel, we couldn’t fly safely anymore,” Rachel recalls. “We had to find an alternative location within 24 hours. It was incredibly stressful, but sometimes you just have to adapt and find a way through.”
Thanks to quick thinking and strong teamwork, the shoot was successfully relocated and completed on schedule. Two weeks later, the feature aired globally on Sky Sports F1 — a moment of pride and relief for everyone involved.
The activation not only reinforced Petronas’ sustainability message but also highlighted Rachel’s ability delivering F1 storytelling and sponsorship execution.
Petronas x Lewis Hamilton activation (2018)
When Petronas wanted to highlight its commitment to sustainability, Rachel led a motorsport partnership strategy activation taking Lewis Hamilton deep into the Borneo jungle to showcase the brand’s conservation efforts firsthand. The project aimed to generate authentic, global brand storytelling through Sky Sports F1 and other key media partners.
Logistics were complex from the start. Transporting a Formula 1 star, production crew and equipment into a remote rainforest required careful coordination, safety planning and precise motorsport sponsorship execution across multiple teams.
“Our goal was to highlight the incredible conservation work being done in Borneo,” Rachel explains. “It was incredibly challenging, but once the event took place and Sky aired the piece, it made all the long hours and planning worth it.”
The event delivered outstanding results for the federation. The partnership achieved 310 hours of branding, 43 minutes of exposure per hour, a 15.2 million global audience, and 98% positive sentiment, demonstrating the strength of the collaboration and global appeal of the virtual race.
“My role was to ensure the partnership delivered clear value, consistent visibility and a strong strategic presence for the federation throughout the event,” Guido notes.
The activation significantly enhanced the Saudi Esports Federation’s international profile within Vision 2030, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in digital sport. It also highlighted Guido’s ability to lead high-impact motorsport partnership strategy on a global stage, ensuring the federation’s positioning was clear, credible and internationally recognised.
Saudi Esports Federation x 24H Le Mans (2020)
When the Saudi Esports Federation (formerly SAFEIS) partnered with the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual, the objective was to elevate Saudi Arabia’s visibility in global motorsport and esports — an important ambition within Vision 2030. The virtual race quickly became one of the biggest sports moments during lockdown, an innovative concept later recognised with the Live Experience Award at the Leaders Sports Awards.
Guido led the integration and management of the partnership while in a key role at Motorsport Network, ensuring strong alignment with the federation and the Saudi Ministry of Sport. Coordinating broadcast teams, talent, infrastructure and remote workflows across regions required precise planning and fast decision-making to ensure smooth delivery.
“From day one, my focus was ensuring the partnership delivered real reach, real value and a clear narrative for the federation,” Guido explains.
The activation delivered strong results for Mahindra Racing. The animated series offered fans a clearer understanding of the team’s engineering approach, driving meaningful engagement and creating measurable value for partners through international reach and extended digital viewership.
By combining technical authenticity with creative storytelling and strategic distribution, the programme demonstrated how effective motorsport sponsorship execution can elevate a team’s identity in Formula E. The “Blueprints” campaign reinforced Mahindra Racing’s innovative positioning and showcased the impact of well-planned motorsport partnership strategy in shaping brand perception across global motorsport platforms.
Formula E x Mahindra Racing (2021)
When Mahindra Racing aimed to strengthen its presence in the Formula E Championship, a bespoke “Blueprints” partnership activation was developed at Motorsport Network to bring the team’s engineering philosophy to life. The project centred around a ten-episode animated series translating Mahindra’s technical thinking into accessible, engaging motorsport brand storytelling.
Delivering the programme required close coordination across creative, technical and distribution teams, with each episode built around accurate engineering insights and shaped for global motorsport audiences. Ensuring consistent quality, brand alignment and multi-platform relevance was central to the project’s success, helping position Mahindra as a technology-driven competitor in the electric racing category.
