In motorsports, a factory-backed racing team or driver is one sponsored by a vehicle manufacturer in official competitions.

As motorsport competition is an expensive endeavor, some degree of factory support is desired and often necessary for success.

The lowest form of factory backing comes in the form of contingency awards, based upon performance, which help to defray the cost of competing.

Full factory backing can be often seen in the highest forms of international competition, with major motorsport operations often receiving hundreds of millions of euros to represent a particular manufacturer.

The advantage to this is drivers can get access to expensive prototype parts provided by the company that are not yet available to customers and in the event of their car being too badly damaged to compete, a back-up car will be available to them.

In Grand Prix motor racing, the most well-established or traditional definition of a works team or factory-backed team is a manufacturer that builds its own car or motorbike including the engine. In a broader sense, it can also be any team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business, institution, or organization.

Scuderia Ferrari is a notable example of a works team or factory-backed team in Formula One.

Several factory-backed motorcycle racing and World Rally Championship teams exist.