I admit, when i i first started riding DH i was like "oh god i wanna be sponsord" blar blar blar. Now im loving being not sponsord. I not rubbish, but im not the best. i usally finnish in the top 12 and sometimes even a top 10 (in juniour). But i love the fact im beating a few sponsord riders. Its brilliant. And if something turns up it will be quality. But if sponsorship is really something you really really want turn upto every comp turn up with clean kit, make sure your bike is 100% and get popular. If your good, and they can see you take your riding really seriously they will sometimes come upto you. Sponsors dont always look for the best riders. They look for the popular riders aswell. They want their gear to be seen! It also doesnt do any harm handing a CV of all your compition results to some companys. And what kind of person you are. They can only say no. Go to your local bikeshop, ask them if you compete with their name so in exchange they do you some deals in their shop. And go from there.... But for now, ride your bicycle and have a shit load of fun! Thats whats its all about!