track/high performance driving insurance

[Xenonk]

There are some companies in Canada/overseas as well that allows coverage for you even if you live in the USA. I'll post more when I find more.

 

I think on other track insurance companies have some average policy setups like:

 

20% deductible of the value of the car

coverage can be yearly premium or by number of events

coverage can be as low as $5,000 car

comprehensive race coverage is also available (incase YOU hit someone else)

and much more other variations out there

 

Just google it, some track insurance is REALLY cheap compared to your normal car insurance.. but basically, you get BOTH.. one policy for TRACK, and another one (your original insurance) for STREET.

 

American Collectors Insurance (by Motor Trend Magazine):

http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2005/112_news051216_classicinsurance/

http://www.americancollectorsins.com/index.php

 

Hagerty Collectors Insurance

http://www.hagerty.com/

 

Parish Heacock

http://www.parishheacock.com

 

K & K Insurance (Canada based)

http://www.kandkinsurance.com/

 

Sports Insurance (Canada based)

http://sportsinsurance.com/sports/?culture=en-us

http://sportsinsurance.com/apps/request.php?culture=en-us&p_title=Race%20Track/Racing%20Facility&type=race_track

 

Motorsports Insurance

http://www.motorsports-insurance.com/

 

WSIB Insurance

http://www.wsibinsurance.com/products.html

 

Wisenberg Motorsports Insurance

http://www.wisenberg.com/

 

CSP Insurance

http://www.cspinsurance.com/motorsports.html

 

CAP Coverage Insurance

http://www.capcoverage.com/motorsports.html

[SBT]

Thanks Keefe - I had wondered about this.

 

SBT

[Th3Franz]

Is there one in particular you would recommend?

I'm not 25 yet, so I don't know if I can get insurance through American Collector's.

[KartRacerBoy]

Keefe, I read somewhere, perhaps Grassroots Motorsports magazine, that some US insur companies cover damage at high performance driving events since they are "instructional" events. These companies do not cover damage if it is a competitive event. Know anything about this?

[Th3Franz]

^^^ Depends on your insurance company. Some will drop you instantly if you even mention the possibility of driving your car on a track.

[KartRacerBoy]

Not getting my Subie from bodyshop for the Labor day weekend, Franz, so won't be able to watch you play Monday at Gingerman. Are you getting track insur for the event or does you insur already cover it?

[rc0032]

comprehensive race coverage is also available (incase YOU hit someone else)

http://images.nasioc.com/forums/images/smilies/bigeek.gif

[Xenonk]

Keefe, I read somewhere, perhaps Grassroots Motorsports magazine, that some US insur companies cover damage at high performance driving events since they are "instructional" events. These companies do not cover damage if it is a competitive event. Know anything about this?

 

some name brand companies MAY cover it since it's INSTRUCTIONAL. You have to be VERY CAREFUL of how you word it to these insurance companies. My suggestion is if you want to find out from your insurance company, call another different agent, give a false name along the way, and ask that way if instructional high performance driving events are covered in the comprehensive portion of the insurance company. You can tell them there is no racing or timing involved and that these classes are car control classes. Remember, some dont even cover such events because the environment is at "higher risk" just like when you DECIDE to PURPOSELY go out and drive during a snow storm (some people still dont understand that when I give that example). They will look into that as a factor.

[Xenonk]

Is there one in particular you would recommend?

I'm not 25 yet, so I don't know if I can get insurance through American Collector's.

 

Not that I have seen yet (as I am looking something for my GT as well right now and see how much it really costs for covering for Time Trial events). The E30 is cheap enough that I dont need insurance for it, if anything, my health insurance covers the cost of my crazy driving. Now, if I did hit someone, Im pretty screwed so I'll need to find comprehensive track driving insurance to cover such things... I just hope that I dont hit a Lamborghini or something extremely expensive on the track..

 

Usually in a race condition, all bets are off and you cover your own ass as the racing world all knows that we all put ourselves out here at our own risk. So if anything, you can get coverage for your own property (whereas most normal insurance state laws are the opposite way around where you have to buy a minimum of liability coverage).

 

Under high performance driving events, the common procedure and ettiquette of such incidents, the person at fault will help pay for the other person's damages.. if there is no one at-fault, you just fix your own car. Now, no one really wants to be a total dick, but there are no written rules about helping a fellow DE-er to pay for damages that you caused, so you can go your own way of just fixing your own car's damages.

 

Drive safe, think ahead. We all accidents do happen, we just have to minimize it as much as we can. And for those that don't want to take that risk, just remember, everyday you get into that car and drive off onto public roads, you just increased your risk of having an accident.

[KartRacerBoy]

Keefe, I NEED this kind of insurance. I don't ride motorcycles anymore since I have more balls than brains or talent. And I race karts (or used to since I sold mine and haven't replaced it yet) because that way I take my idiocy out on the kart track rather than the road. I NEED this kind of insurance for HPDE. And more importantly, my wife says so.

 

:lol:

[Th3Franz]

Yeah I haven't decided on a 3rd party for this kind of insurance yet. I'll have to ask another insurance agent under a false name like you said, but I doubt my current company would cover it. I'm just careful on the track. I know my limits very well now through autox and 6 HPDE's already.

[Xenonk]

Keefe, I NEED this kind of insurance. I don't ride motorcycles anymore since I have more balls than brains or talent. And I race karts (or used to since I sold mine and haven't replaced it yet) because that way I take my idiocy out on the kart track rather than the road. I NEED this kind of insurance for HPDE. And more importantly, my wife says so.

 

:lol:

 

 

well, talk to magnetic1 about the wife thing, his wife wont let him race unless he got the BEST cage in the market. You should see his M3 now. The cage is well built.

[Xenonk]

Yeah I haven't decided on a 3rd party for this kind of insurance yet. I'll have to ask another insurance agent under a false name like you said, but I doubt my current company would cover it. I'm just careful on the track. I know my limits very well now through autox and 6 HPDE's already.

 

 

it's best to ask along the way and get coverage for the car.. especially if it's an $$$ car.. with the E30 I can get away with wading up a $1500 car.. but the GT is a totally different ball park, say more than 20 times the size of the tab

[KartRacerBoy]

At Gingerman Racetrack in Michigan, there's a nice series of pictures in the clubhouse of a M3 rolling after going off track and digging a wheel in. About 5 to 6 pics, but the last two show the A pillars collapsed (the car rolled multiple times but landed on its wheels) and the driver crawling out a window. The last picture is the driver sitting on the ground, helmet still on, but his head between his knees and the M3 is totalled. An employee at the track told me the story behind the pics is that the M3 was pretty new with a 5 year loan and the damage wasn't covered by the driver's insurance. I imagine that last picture as me when I total my LGT and have to explain to my wife why it's not covered by insurance. I hope it will keep me in my place when I do an HPDE.

[Aczwild]

Thanks Keefe

[Xenonk]

At Gingerman Racetrack in Michigan, there's a nice series of pictures in the clubhouse of a M3 rolling after going off track and digging a wheel in. About 5 to 6 pics, but the last two show the A pillars collapsed (the car rolled multiple times but landed on its wheels) and the driver crawling out a window. The last picture is the driver sitting on the ground, helmet still on, but his head between his knees and the M3 is totalled. An employee at the track told me the story behind the pics is that the M3 was pretty new with a 5 year loan and the damage wasn't covered by the driver's insurance. I imagine that last picture as me when I total my LGT and have to explain to my wife why it's not covered by insurance. I hope it will keep me in my place when I do an HPDE.

 

 

we are out there to learn something useful that may save our lives later, but there shouldnt be a need to drive fast on purpose for the sake of an HDPE. I had a student that did no more than 80 mph throught the entire track weekend, we still learned something about driving regardless.. you'll be suprised of how easy a person can basically lose control of a car even AT speed limits.. one thing I have notice is that people dont give enough respect to their own cars which will result in such misfortune.. just because the car is magnificant doesnt mean the driver is. As much as the automaker make the cars as safe as possible, we, as humans, will make a mistake somewhere along the way.

 

we can view HDPEs as a way to reduce risk, or increase risk, no matter how you look at it, it's some sort of risk that we all take the moment we sit in that car and decide to go out for a drive.

[KartRacerBoy]

I guess I view HPDE the same as I view trials for my criminal defendants. I always tell them that if they want to go to trial, they have to be ready for the worst possible outcome. That doesn't mean that it's likely, but they have to be ready for a guilty verdict and the maximum sentence; if you can't face that, don't go to trial. If you want to do HPDE, make sure you're ready for the consequences, however remote they might be (much less likely than in a jury trial where your best odds as a defendant are 50%).