I'm pretty sure nobody ever crashes their car at a DE - but there do seem to be a surprisingly large number of single car accidents immediately outside the front gates of tracks ... like a short towing distance away ... hint hint ...

Seriously, I've yet to hear of a novice (eg. with instructor) go off the track at any of the PCA events I've been to. I'm sure it has happened before but if you are humble and listen to your instructor, things should be fine.

 

This is a valid concern. Most (not all) insurance companies have written language into their policies that will leave you exposed if you have damage at a DE.

You would be wise to check you policy before you attend. I would not call the company and ask as some on this board have found that route problematic. Check the language in your policy.

There is suplemental coverage available from several different sources. (I use an outside company to supplement my vehicle coverage on track)

 

The guys are right - some insurance policies do - and some don't. We had our Boxster totalled a few years ago at Roebling Road Raceway - it was months before we heard from our insurance company. Yes, they wrote us a check, they also gave us three weeks to find a new policy. They recommended their sister insurance company, who wanted to charge us so much more and for so much less. Our insurance agent found us a better policy, but in it was clearly written a track exclusion.

So, when we do DEs we use Lockton-Affinity. They insure us for the whole weekend of being on the track for a reasonable price and a reasonable deductible. Knock wood, so far we haven't had need to put in any claims - but I can sleep better at night...

P.S. And for the Racing & DE Forum - yes, those of us who are regular - just can't get enough of it.

 

That DE insurance sounds interesting. I took a look at their site - it doesn't really talk about how a repair amount would be determined or the process involved.

For anyone whose curious, for a $20K policy it would be $126 for an event.

 

You are one pretty funny dad there! I just want to share a story that took place in Lime Rock with you. It was back in the 1960s. A little 356 on the track died. It's owner and 3 friends carried it out onto the local streets and left it in a ditch. The owner went and called his insurance company to let them know the car had been in an accident. Everything looked like it was coming together for the owner.

However, the insurance company sent around an investigator who went door to door talking to neighbors to see if anyone saw anything. One sweet, little old lady when asked told the investigator of the funny sight of four men carrying a car and leaving it right there....

You just never know - and it isn't worth it.

And yes, I know you are joking. Unfortunately, I've been told I don't have much of a sense of humor when it comes to the safety of all....

For those that didn't find the Lockton-Affinity's HPDE Insurance site and wanted to:
http://hpdeins.locktonaffinity.com/

 

very helpful info, thanks.

 

what outside company do you use?

 

tris911

There are some companies that will supply you with a year's contract - and depending on how many DEs you do per year - that could work fine.

Lockton-Affinity works great for the individual who attends 6 or less DEs a year.

Just thought I'd throw that out...

and oh, of course, you are most welcome.

 

Ryan Staub here from the HPDE Insurance Program. Our repair process is very similar to what you'll go through on a standard policy. One advantage - we don't have a preferred network of body shops that you have to use. Up to this point, our insureds have been able to use the body shop of their choice. The body shop works with the adjuster to determine an appropriate repair value.

In the case of a total loss the adjuster will do research and offer a buyback value for your vehicle. You can buy it back or let the insurance carrier dispose of it. Our average claims process has been about 2 weeks from incident to settlement. It's a little longer than I'd like, but we have dealt with a few individuals where their 3rd car was damaged and they weren't in a rush to keep the process moving.

If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Regards,
Ryan Staub

rstaub (at) locktonaffinity (dot) com

 

It covers up to the agreed upon value, minus deductible.

It doesn't provide any liability insurance, so while your car may be fixed, all the liability issues you'll still have to deal with. (obviously if you are by yourself and hit a wall or something then liability is less of a concern, but if you injure someone else......)

 

Ryan, I did send you guys an email to get an event I'm involved with added to the list. I haven't received any replies. Thanks for posting here, I'll forward the email I sent over to you.

edit: I just sent it yesterday, so not a big deal, just want to get the process finished

 

Dave - it just got forwarded to me this morning. I'll call you in a few minutes to discuss.

 

Sounds good. Thanks!

 

Very good point about liability. Just as I did as I started in this hobby, I'd recommend that all individuals sit down and read the liability waivers and event policy information that you can typically get from the national clubs we participate with.

I still suggest doing your own research. Here's what I came away with:
- everyone waives their rights against everyone else...the one exception is the track doesn't waive their rights against you (Barber and other tracks will charge you for property damage)
- event policies typically state that participants, event officials, etc are additional insureds under the event policy
- most clubs carry between $5M and $10M of coverage for any one occurrence. Many clubs also have Particpant Accident/Excess Medical coverage in addition to the liability policy.

 

As long as there is no gross negligence anyways. (see the famous Carrera GT incident...)

A lot of tracks (all of the one's I've dealt with over the last 5 years anyways) require the club to have insurance. I would guess all would after the above mentioned Carrera GT crash.

Good talking to you earlier btw!