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You can find an enthusiast website for pretty much all things automotive, and it’s probably a good bet that somewhere out there are advertisers that want to reach exactly the niche audience visiting that page. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA-based ad networking company Digital Throttle was formed with the purpose of bringing those parties together. “We go out and we find all these really focused, small- and medium-sized websites,” said founder and president Bryan Robb, whose industry background includes working in sales, marketing and online-related projects at Edelbrock, DCI and Source Interlink. “We pool these sites into common audiences. We basically make it easier for advertisers to find these audiences.”

From the ad-buyer’s point of view, he explained, it means dealing with a single agency rather than having to seek out and set up individual advertising deals with several websites. “He sends all his ads to me, and I kind of disperse all his ads to the sites he wants to be on,” Robb said.

Digital Throttle launched with a focus on reaching motorsports racers and fans. Its 10 recruited sites so far includes DragTimes.com and the official IHRA website. But, Robb said the company has already identified more than 30 enthusiast categories with dozens of sites catering to fans in each. DragTimes.com owner Brooks Weisblat said that, while the site is well-known and highly-trafficked in the motorsports community, he has lacked the resources to fully monetize its increasing traffic. “Working with Digital Throttle puts us front and center with on-target major advertisers and improves both our business and value to our audience,” Weisblat said.

Digital Throttle itself uses the vertical ad network management and services of Atlanta-based Adify, customized to fit the automotive market it serves. “What you find is that a good part of your enthusiasts are somehow involved in the trade: They’re store owners, they’re mechanics,” Robb said. “They’re guys who get into the automotive business because it’s their lifestyle.”