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I just registered for my first DE at Lime Rock in April. Woohoo!
As far as track insurance goes, I am hearing opinions from two expert driver friends: 1) I never get it, and 2) I get it sometimes.
I suppose if you are driving yer $130K turbo/GT/blah/blah it might be wise to pony up $500 in insurance for the day, but in my '03 Carrera with an instructor in a controlled DE event, is the insurance recommended? $30K insurance will be about $200.
Further, insuring for the full value of the car assumes I will total it, along with myself, in which case who cares if I had the insurance or not :-)
So another thought is to insure for maybe half the value, assuming some kind of less than total damage. And even in the event of totaling it - and surviving - surely I could part it out with the engine/tranny still in one piece.
Have not tracked my c4s yet.... But I have done numerous events in my s2 and never bought insurance
Not sure you need it for your First event.... You will not get signed off to drive solo... And I don't think the instructor will let you get out of your skill zone.
That said.... If it makes you feel better... Get it... It does not sound expensive
You can buy coverage for 1 event or multiple events from Lockton Affinity. They have a high deductible on these policies. $5,000 if I remember correctly.
I did two events at Lime Rock and one here in the Pacific Northwest. In one event, no one crashed but in the other two there were accidents. I guess the odds are something like 2%. One case may not have been covered by the large deductible but the other looked like a total loss. $200 on a $30K car is 0.6%. Insurance companies are in it to make money so I guess they have the odds figured out right.
My vote is to get the insurance and enjoy the experience.
From what I have read, for a DE event, your regular insurance should give you coverage. You need to check with your insurance company
If it is a competitive event, that includes any timed laps, your regular insurance may not cover you. Again, you need to check with your ins company.
That is the very reason many events are not advertised as a race
DE - probably regular insurance covers you
TT - maybe, but probably not
AX - maybe, but probably not
Club racing - no way, Jose with regular insurance
It sucks that your regular policy will cover you if your crash your car driving 30 miles over the speed limit drunk, but not in a safe (?) controlled environment, stone cold sober at a track
I sometimes get track insurance at Road Atlanta because walls are close to track and T 12 is intimidating. Everywhere else I skip it. Your call though. Nobody can make it for you. The comment of "2% accident rate" seems about right in my experience. Accidents are not usually in the beginner groups however.
I would call you insurance company and see if you are covered. I have State Farm and was told I was covered because it is technically a drivers education event and not racing or an open track day.
If you have an instructor in the car it may qualify as a training class as far as your insurance is concerned which they may cover. Definitely call your agent and see what they say.
It will vary dramatically by state. I can confirm that the state farm policy issued in PA does not cover damage occurring on a track during a drivers education session.
If wadding up your car would be a major financial hit, call your agent and ask before you head out so you have accurate information.
I had heard before my first event that people didnt buy either. I went to maybe my 5/6th track day at the Glen and spoke with others and they all had insurance. Think of it as a way to "keep you in the game". From what I understand, there are very few road insurance policies that will cover anything that happens on track. I have carried ever since as just seems silly not to. Anything can happen. I have Lockton as they cover events in Canada as well as the US. Cant even think of doing this without insurance at this point. Take the high deductable and the agreed-value (you get to set where you want). Ive seen way too many people have some sort of incident. Like everything else, you wont need it....untill you do.
Most likely not covered with your personal car insurance policy. The vast majority of the companies are excluding coverage for a mishap that occurs on a racing surface, including the parking lot, regardless of whether the event is educational based (vs. a speed or a timed event). The insurance companies are wise to track events and they are increasingly not insuring the vehicles for these types of events. You must check your policy and the exclusion, don't rely on your agent's word.
Having said that, remember that you could simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, if a car in front of you dumps some coolant or oil, even though it wasn't due to running out of skill....... s*#t happens.......if you are okay with covering the cost of fixing or replacement, skip the insurance. If, on the other hand, you don't want to write a check to fix it, the insurance is somewhat of a type of peace of mind, should something happen....only you can make THAT call. For the most part, probably not going to have "an event".......
FWIW, I have had my car insured with track insurance every time it goes out. Should something happen, the $$$ will go to a GT3, not to fixing up my 12 year old car....that's the plan anyway.
Remember, track insurance only covers physical damage to the vehicle, not personal liability, and it also does not cover the bill you could get from the track.............
it is an expensive hobby, with considerable risk and exposure,...........manage your comfort zone accordingly. GL and Enjoy LRP!!!!!!! You will most hopefully become a track junkie!!!!!!!
At a DE where you likely have large fields in each group, I would get the insurance. Even more so if the weather forecast is iffy. Granted, accidents aren't very common, but they do happen in all groups. If you can easily afford to walk away from your car in the event of a total loss, then forget the insurance.
Once you become hopelessly addicted to the sport and get an "inexpensive" track car (maybe a spec 944, spec e30, spec Miata, etc) you might forego the recurring insurance expense.
Personally, I would be very reluctant to even ask my insurance company if they cover a loss at a DE - they probably do not, and the mere suggestion might be a "red flag" (pun intended) to them.
Last edited by Upstate101; 02-21-2015 at 05:52 PM.
Reason: spelling!
Have not used it. First day was a little intimidating, but having my first instructor explained that the first goal is safety, in so doing he explained that he would not push me to do anything that he felt was beyond my comfort level. Each day is a building block to further understand car control. Beginning groups have limited passing with only point by's which will be gone over in your first class. What club are you running with?
02-21-2015, 08:44 AM
Track Insurance?
