Well just as the title says, What does everybody do for insurance when they are on the track. AX car may not have a problem but RR cars can have a big problem. I understand the risks and all that jazz, but disaster can happen at any time. then what do you do? Do they have an optional policy from a differnet carrier that would cover something like that or are you Shit out of luck. Later John

Some insurance companies will cover a hpde event as a driving school. I would tow the car to a store and say it happened there. A guy backed into my car right after I bought it. His insurance took care of it over the phone, and I dropped the car off at a body shop. For all they know I could of crashed at the Daytona 500.

When I tagged the wall at Memphis in '01, I turned it in as a driving school. The ins. company paid up, but marked the policy "non-renewable". They didn't cancel us, but we had to find someone else. I would only pursue that option as a last resort. You play, you gotta pay.

Chad's scenario isn't that uncommon. I know some guys who have not been able to get anything from their insurance companies if they learn the accident occurred on a road course, whether the event was timed or not. Others have gotten their totalled car paid for and are still with that company. Read your policy thoroughly, but if you turn it in be prepared to be laughed at or stamped "non-renewable" like Chad was.

I would never even turn in an accident that happened on a track.

Even if they did pay the claim, the probable gigantic rate increase would wipe it out in a few years.

Funny you say that at memphis. We were there last yr for 03 OLOA and the drag strip was under 2 ft of water so they had us go down the pit lane and take an abrut left and right back onto the track. Many driver's commented that it was like you were heading right at the wall then turn. Most went flat foot after 1 lap or so. We lost a couple car's last yr one impala ss was stuffed on his recon lap wasn't pretty. Oh did I say it was the first day, first recon lap at watkins glen. But he went home got his other car and finished the week out. I guess I will wing it on telling my agent or not. She already has twitches after I start talking about racing cars!!!! Thanks for all the great Info>> Later John

I had always planned on not telling them if an incident happened on the track. Never had it come up...

In the next week or two, I plan to pay my insurance agent a visit. I plan on talking out how my car insurance works with regards to trailering and how my (rather large) life insurance policy views road racing. Ought to be an interesting discussion.

I'm taking a more military tact ... don't ask, don't tell ....

Would it be possible for you guys who have had good or bad experiances with insurance companies, in regards to HPDE events and accidents post what companies they were with, so that others of us can either sleep well, or possibly start looking for another insurance company that will work with us. i had one rather small incident, that turned a HPDE event into a off-road driving event and damaged the nose on my camaro. being as it was just a new nose and some paint, I of course did not turn it into the insurance company, but I have often wondered how they would have reacted if I had told them I crashed my car on a race track.

Thanks
John

I pretty much have taken the stand that if I wreck it then I have to pay for it and wouldn't ever tell the insurance company.

John, no personal experience, but this might help you ....

http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthrea...&threadid=13731

Good advice, insurance fraud.

DO NOT follow this advice. When you're Bubba's bitch in prison, you'll wish you'd paid the couple grand to fix the damage yourself.

Insurance companies are getting smarter, and some are specifically exempting DEs and track days in their policies. If you can't afford to ball it up and walk away, don't take it to the track. Period.

What are you a insurance agent? I guess I should of included a winking smiley Relax. I would not tell anyone to commit a crime. I dought one sentance on the internet will sway someone to a life of crime. And Bubba may just turn out to be my bitch.

I have nothing to do with the insurance industry. I just realize when certain risks are worth it, and when they are not. Yes, I suppose you should have included a winkie, because your post sure as hell sounded serious the first time around, including your example where you "could have crashed at the Daytona 500."

Personally, I don't think insurance companies SHOULD cover track days. It's there for the drive to and from the track, and of course daily driving. While driving on the interstate certainly has it's own hazards, open track speeds are entirely outside the scope of normal insurance.

Now I have heard of people getting their policy cancelled simply becuase they race. Not because of an accident, but simply because they race.

I would rather just have a clear boundary - when it's on the road it's covered, when it's on the track it's irrelevant and not covered - instead of having ontrack activities potentially affect off track insurance.

Like Pat said, never race a car you can't walk away from. 3 more years of payments is a big part of the reason my car won't be on a track for a while.

Life insurance is another interesting question. I seem to remember that activities such as skydiving, racing, etc aren't covered. As a new father and the main source of income, that's a sobering thought.

I have reviewed my State Farm policy, and it looks like I would be covered at an HPDE, and not covered at an autox because it is a timed, competitive event.

I think they should cover you if it is not a timed event. You pay through the nose for 20 years and the first time you need them you get cancelled. Say you pay $1200.00 a year for 20 years and you get creamed in a intersection. Now you either get cancelled or your policy goes up so much you cant pay it anymore. Meanwhile you have already paid out 10 times the amount the insurance will have to pay.

With respect to Mel Brooks, "It's good to be the King"!

Has anyone checked into dedicated track coverage? Probably costs a small fortune, but may be worth it, especially from a bodily injury, liability, or, God forbid, worse things.

For Autox I'm just payin my money and takin my chances. If I ever decide to jump into the RR ring, though...

Maybe the Street insurance carriers would feel a little better about our hobby if their risks were lessened?

i am not in anyway related to the insurance industry....

but you also have to look at the other side of the coin.

someone has a policy for 4 months, and HITS someone, puts them in the hospital, ect, the insurance company has to pay out sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. and they have gotten what? $600 from the customer, who can change companies at the end of his policy. as much as i think insurance in this country is a big sham. there are places where the insurance companies can lose big money. so the have to make it up else where. the sad part of the whole thing, is that the people who have to pay for this, are the GOOD drivers. the bad ones (who alot of the time should not even be allowed to drive) are the ones who get the benifits.

Insurance companies are great at marketing their product. "You are in good hands" is a prime example how far they go to make you feel at home, beside a warm fire and totally protected.

This is a misnomer!

Insurance companies are in business to make money. Anything and everything they can do to minimize risk and cut losses they will do.

Insurance folks are not our friends, they don't have our best interest at heart and they will exercise both of those at the first hint of a problem.

I had an accident almost 2 years ago.

In a parking lot, I was looking for a space, creeping along, saw one to the right and turned to the right to get to it. An idiot, doing 30mph plus (as evidenced by the skid marks) was attempting to pass me on the right. His left front hit me dead on the right front wheel.

Insurance claimed 50/50 fault. In effect, they split the cost of the claims and was able to raise rates on both policies. win/win for the insurance company.

The really sad part is that it was sent into arbitration at the direction of the insurance companies. I had no input what-so-ever as to why it was sent there and who the arbitraitor was. This was all orchestrated and controlled by the insurance companies.

I am not advocating insurance fraud in any respect. However, I certaily don't lose any sleep when someone walks away from a favorable settlement.

Just like insurance marketing, market your accident so that minimal information is actually conveyed and leaves room for plenty of positive supposition on thier part.

"I had a single car accident at a location approximately 1 mile west of the intersection of Texas Hiway 377 and Texas hiway 171. I ran off the road on the right side and the car just slid out of control into an object. I had the car towed to my house because I was afraid to leave it abandoned."

If I had an accident at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas where I put 2 wheels off and slid the car sideways into a tirewall, tell me what in that statement is a lie?

Insurance fraud is a big time no no. I work in the insurance realted field and personally hate insurance companies. Especially the auto and medical field. i will 100% agree that the companies ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND and are in it to make money and a TRAIN LOAD OF IT. BUT they are a nessecary evil in the world for the afore mentioned case where someone with a policy that is 4 months old wipes out a family in a mini van. That and there inst a state in the union that does require insurance by LAW for that exact reason. There are on the other hand people in this world that are "self insured". these people are in the top .00000001% of the income steam in the nation. The ultra wealthy.

Now onto the meat of it. MOST insurance co's wont corver ANY form of automotive sport where a clock is involved. These are the co.'s that you and I generally hear about. THERE ARE companies out there that will insure a race car. As a matter of fact to participate in some events your race car is required to have insurance. The prototype division in the 24 hour Rolex Division requires insurance. Can you and I get it for our daily driver that sees track time or the trailor queen that is a wheel to wheel racer.....no. BUT one thing about insurance..........ANYTHING can be insured; for a price of course. Loyyds of London will insure just about anything. I recently had to do a very large disability policy on an very prominent NW surgeon. And due to the amount that was required and the circumstances we had to go through Loyyds. When I got the paperwork to start it, there was a whole paket with it for noghting but Pro athletes and Race car drivers. come to find out that they insure alot of the F1 drivers and quite a few of the NASCAR boys.

I have a life policy that will cover me in the event of my untimely demise behind the steering wheel of a car on a race track or "event". Yes, it does cause the premiums to go up but whats your life worth. And when I was talking with the agent he about fell out of his chair when I explained to him what I did.

Now if you say you don't race or don't ever have any intentions of racing and go out and kill yourself behind the wheel at a race track, they will say "misrepresentation" and deny your life insurance claim and refund you premium payments to you. As well as disability insurance or they will say anything that happens during "X" event is not covered. This does not apply to auto insurance (refund of premiums).

sorry so long winded.