Trackday Insurance, what the score?

[superdavelotus]

Do everday insurance companies REALLY cover you in an event of an accident on the track?

I went on a trackday yesterday and plenty of action was going on. A car nearly hit me big time, another spun off and hit a barrier, another caught fire!

I've hear so many people say to get your car towed outside etc. but the insurance companies aren't soft. They know the racing track locations and hotspots.

Do any of our well known limited mileage insurance comanies do trackday cover?

Iam going to ring my insurance today but I think I know what they will say.

[bramble111s]

Nope, no normal insurance will cover trackdays.

Competition Car Insurance do a policy that can include 4 trackdays at approved events by approved trackday organisers.

Although bear in mind that a claim from a trackday will affect your everday policy.

You should have signed a discalimer at your trackday that said if anything at all happens to my car I hold no one responsible. EG, man walks up with hammer and wacks your windows in, or idiot ploughs into the back, its just tough with out seperate trackday insurance.

Should be able to get some for about

[superdavelotus]

Thanks for that. Best to stay off then really isn't it? I should quit while Iam ahead. I may buy a cheap trackday car instead.

[EspritMiltonKeynes]

[Can't resist the plug here...]

Fancy a mk1 MR2 Dave???? Yours for only

[Guest teigan]

track days are safer than the highways around here. stay away from tracks with concrete barriers. tire walls and sand pits are common near me, and cars seldom get damaged. most of the amateur races here are time based and drivers have plenty of room to go mad, as they are offset by up to 8 minutes for a full circuit. i am not insured for the track, nor does my regular auto insurance have such a provision.

[Rob]

Dave, i used http://www.moris.co.uk/ to insure my v8 for my recent airfield day. cost 150 quid which i think is good value for money given the cost of repairing the car if i smacked it.

There was an accident on the event i attended a few weeks back - honda integra spun and got smacked in the side by an impreza. Neither were covered by their 'normal' insurance and neither had taken out track day insurance. .. ouch.

BTW - Rob C has insured his 350 with a company that covers you for 4 track/airfield outings per year as part of the standard cover. Can't remember who he said it was with though.. sorry.

I'm with direct line - they are very clear, NO cover at all for track or airfield days including driver training etc.

R

[bramble111s]

as mentioned in my post the company who will cover 4 trackdays included with road cover are Competition Car Insurance.

[Backmarker]

Dave,

I'm a member of a team of 6 guys that organises track day for bikes.

We tell all those that attend our days that they are not covered on their insurance. They go out on track armed with that knowledge.

The insurance industry is wise to the claims that the accident happened just outside the circuit and have been known to have agents turn up as spectators and make a note of the registration number of each vehicle that is involved in an accident. That information is then entered onto a central database which every insurer has access too.

Defrauding an insurance comany (or attempting too) carries a significant penalty!

Your suggestion of a track-only car is the most sensible route to go down. That is certainly what has happened in the bike track-day world.

Graham.

Edited September 23, 2005 by Backmarker

[oneshot]

Of course you could always drive the Nurburgring - for public sessions it is classed as a public road - down side is that normal German traffic laws apply and the car has to be road legal.

When I was there I saw a Lotus 7 stopped from going on the track - it had arrived in a trailer and wasn't road legal (no number plate for a start!)

[Bazza 907]

Have a look at your insurance policy. If the insurer has smelt the coffee they will have an exclusion saying no track tdays etc and that's a big no. If however the previous usual standard exclusion is still used it will talk of excluding racing, pacemaking, and speed trials.

With this exclusion, so long as you don't deliberately go looking race somebody else, or time yourself on the track, then you would have a stromg arguement to say your standard policy covers you.

I work in the insurance industry and had a very public spat via the trade press with a large well known insurer over this and the end result was that agreed I had track day cover but slapped a more restrictive exclusion on at the following renewal !

Bazza

[DBredS4]

be very careful about the Nurburgring. a lot of insurers have a clause in the smallprint saying specifically that it is not covered. either that or the unlimited toll roads are not covered of which there are very very few in the town of Nurburg.

also hire car companies specify it too as hire cars are often taking on it without the company knowledge.

this website has it all in plain english

http://www.nurburgring.org/

Also, I am with Competition Car Insurance. I get 4 track days, the excess for these is

Edited September 23, 2005 by DBredS4