Insurance HPDE

[cardcurt]

I'm confused......New to NASA and looking forward to becoming involved in HPDE, however, after checking with my insurance carrier, I wouldn't be covered, this seriously discourages me from driving a nicer car.... What does everyone do to protect their cars.....? I could buy a 3-5,000 dollar car......but would much rather drive a car that I know has a decent suspension, reliable engine, etc... What do I do....?

 

I want to participate in 2-3 HPDE events per year for the next 2 years and then decide on TT, CMC, etc. later.....

 

How do I go to the track with a decent car and have fun for a year or two, with peace of mind...?

 

Thanks for your help....Kurt (Midwest)

[CMC#64]

MAKE Sure your insurance co. knows that the HPDE's are a DRIVING SCHOOL and not a competition... you are not running for points or trophies... the majority of insurance co's will cover a driving school event... I have Geico and they cover... my brother wadded up his 2000 Mustang a few years back and was totally covered... now his rates did soar though

[cardcurt]

I plan on checking with Gieco, my current insurance excludes coverage in or around any complex designed for racing, including schools, etc... I had them send the verbage last week........

 

Thanks again, just curious what everyone else does for insurance, do alot of people go without coverage....?

[genikz]

Call for sure. I called Mercury and after numerous transfers and supervisors, they finally determined that I was covered for HPDE. 2 people wrecked that weekend too, but I wasn't one of them thank goodness...

[Frank Corkran]

I plan on checking with Gieco, my current insurance excludes coverage in or around any complex designed for racing, including schools, etc... I had them send the verbage last week........

 

Sounds like Allstate. They changed their wording like that a couple years ago, probably others have too. The exclusion used to be only for "participating in a time/speed competition". The way it's worded now, coverage would seem to stop just by driving through the front gate as a spectator.

 

Someone recently mentioned to me they were getting an HPDE policy through one of the stated-value firms (such as Haggerty) for something like $400/yr. Don't have any more details, but it's a place to start.

[m95]

http://www.americancollectorsins.com/

I just got this off of a preivious post on this thread. They said that they will insure HPDE at a rate according to value. His was $900 for $55000. My insurance covers but I might check this for extra safety inorder not to make claim with my present insurance company.

[granracing]

Kurt,

Call your agent and request your policy's list of exclusions. Do not make any decisions over a verbal "yeah, sure it covered."

 

I could buy a 3-5,000 dollar car......but would much rather drive a car that I know has a decent suspension, reliable engine, etc...

 

You know you could buy a used, safe and reliable (not a front runner) racecar for that, right?

 

When I first started, I used my baby (a car I always wanted growing up - a Mits. 3000GT). I was so nervous about getting chips on the car, going off the track, ect. My wife convinced me to use my old junky '87 Prelude si - boy, was that ugly then! That was the best decision I ever made and helped me grow much faster as a driver. Instead of focusing on all the bs that I did with my other car, I instead focused my energy on improving my driving. While at first I got picked on running my 110 hp car with some crazy fast cars, I had the biggest smile on my face while passing them.

 

My suggestion is if you've never done a HPDE before, take your car out and don't try to impress your instructor (because you won't). See if you like doing these types of events. Depending on where you want to go with this - just do events to have fun, and spirited jaunts on the track or move into racing. If you want to move into racing, you'll most likely become more aggressive with your learning curve and driving on the track = more risk to the car.

 

Dave

[white_2kgt]

Bottom line, if you can't afford to walk away from it, don't put it on track. If you have some emotional attachment to your car and your world would come to an end if wrecked, don't put it on track. You may be the best driver in the world, shit happens, sometimes out of your control. I put my pride and joy into a wall last year at a non NASA HPDE. Yea, it sucked, yea it cost me a butt load of $$ to fix, but in the end I could afford it and it was just a car (hell I bent a fender/bumper 3 years prior on my way to work and thought the world had come to an end!). Now, it's a race car! Wife was more pissed/upset than I was post on track wreck, I just srugged it off and thought about all the work it would take to fix it, and got excited.

 

So, save that $$$ you'd spend in premiums and deductables and buy a car you can put on track and flog the crap out of. If it turns out you don't care for the sport in a year or so, sell it to someone else.

[Cornfed]

white_2kgt thats great advice, now i'm questioning how upset I would be if I put my car into a wall, and at the moment I would be pretty damn upset. Its not my daily, and this is what i built it for so what the hell, I might shead a few tears, but I'd have a ton of fun rebuilding it.

[jfranci3]

So, save that $$$ you'd spend in premiums and deductables and buy a car you can put on track and flog the crap out of. If it turns out you don't care for the sport in a year or so, sell it to someone else.

 

I don't believe you're giving best advice. I think that's more manly man grandstanding than solid thinking. While you should fess up to a significat risk, if you have the oppertunity to protect your financial investment for a small amount, you should take it. The advice you gave is like saying "don't bother wear leathers while riding your motorcycle, if you can't take massive scarring you shouldn't ride a motorcycle".

[granracing]

Cornfed,

While you certainly can't overlook the risks doing HPDEs, in novice groups it is very controlled environment. Although it is not a spectator event, I'm sure your region would allow you to go to a HPDE as a spectator. Heck, ask if you can go for a ride along with one of the instructors.

 

Especially in a novice group, the focus is to learn the proper lines and safety is the number one priority. It's probably a bit different than what you're thinking. Usually it is the more experienced drivers that get themselves into trouble.

 

That said, you'll make you day much more enjoyable if you are not worried about damaging your car. If you start focusing too much on not hitting a wall, you'll hit a wall.

 

Best of luck whatever you decide and have fun with it!

[white_2kgt]

So, save that $$$ you'd spend in premiums and deductables and buy a car you can put on track and flog the crap out of. If it turns out you don't care for the sport in a year or so, sell it to someone else.

 

I don't believe you're giving best advice. I think that's more manly man grandstanding than solid thinking. While you should fess up to a significat risk, if you have the oppertunity to protect your financial investment for a small amount, you should take it. The advice you gave is like saying "don't bother wear leathers while riding your motorcycle, if you can't take massive scarring you shouldn't ride a motorcycle".

 

That's not even close to the same thing. I bet you opt for the 'Extended Warrenty' when buying electronics don't you? That's the same thing.

 

I think Homer said it best when they were inserting the crayon into his brain, 'Extended Warrenty, how could I lose!'

 

This hobby is an expensive one, the sooner people realize that the better off they can make informed decisions.

[Cornfed]

Cornfed,

While you certainly can't overlook the risks doing HPDEs, in novice groups it is very controlled environment. Although it is not a spectator event, I'm sure your region would allow you to go to a HPDE as a spectator. Heck, ask if you can go for a ride along with one of the instructors.

 

Especially in a novice group, the focus is to learn the proper lines and safety is the number one priority. It's probably a bit different than what you're thinking. Usually it is the more experienced drivers that get themselves into trouble.

 

That said, you'll make you day much more enjoyable if you are not worried about damaging your car. If you start focusing too much on not hitting a wall, you'll hit a wall.

 

Best of luck whatever you decide and have fun with it!

 

Thanks for the advice. I've already participated in three HPDE's and I'm very comfortable with the rules, and safety is never an issue. I really just like being out on the track, its something i've always wanted to do.

 

But of course the reason I go out there is to go fast safely and have a great time doing so. Up untill this thread i've never thought about hitting a wall, and quite honestly I really don't think I push myself and my car to the level that hitting a wall is even an issue. But with that said, I understand that there is a very very small risk of damaging my car in an HPDE, and that is a risk that I'm willing to take for the love of going fast. Heck, its a turbo Rx-7 i run the risk of the engine blowing up every time I drive it.....

 

When i'm ready to take the next step of wheel to wheel racing it will be in a car that I have no attachment to, and so if it gets beat up or even wrecked i'll be able to walk away and not be upset about the car.

[jfranci3]

 

That's not even close to the same thing. I bet you opt for the 'Extended Warrenty' when buying electronics don't you? That's the same thing.

 

I think Homer said it best when they were inserting the crayon into his brain, 'Extended Warrenty, how could I lose!'

 

This hobby is an expensive one, the sooner people realize that the better off they can make informed decisions.

 

You can't compare a 30-50% electronics warranty to a 1.5% HPDE insurance policy, they are in different leagues. I don't see how you can admit that there's a very real chance you'd wreck your car on a track, then say it's stupid to spend a small amout of money to protect your asset. I just spent $150 ($8500 policy)to protect my car for a year. That's about a set of brake pads. It makes a hell of a lot of sense to me.

[05 cayuse]

As a person headed for their first HPDE, this thread has been interesting to say the least. I'll be driving my new mustang in the event, and have no problem with it. Do I love my car? Yes! But, they're meant to be used and enjoyed. If I run it into a wall it can be fixed or replaced. I checked with my State Farm agent (who checked with the company underwriters) and said as long as it is not a "race" or "timed event" I'm covered. He said they are aware of these events happening all over the country, and the incident rate is low. He also said he wished he was going with me and to have fun. Just my $.02 worth as a new guy.

[RedRicer]

After having done 5-6 HPDE's in my daily driver I would have to say I feel more at risk of wrecking my car every day at 5:45pm on the local interstate than at ANY HPDE I have attended. If your insurance stopped full coverage on a highway from 5-6 pm would you still drive on the highway from 5-6 pm? If you would then HPDE is for you.

 

The controlled environment of the HPDE's make it ideal for agressive driving. If that is important to you their is no better or safer place for you or your car. While their is risk in everything we do just look at the risk/reward for you and you can easily make this personal decision.

 

Although I would say screw the risk even if your insurance doesn't cover it. But thats my opinion

[white_2kgt]

I just spent $150 ($8500 policy)to protect my car for a year. That's about a set of brake pads. It makes a hell of a lot of sense to me.

 

That's just the premium, then you have the deductible. I would have rather spent the $$$ in a set of brake pads so I wouldn't have an accident. But its your money, spend it how you see fit. I'm not doing HPDE's much anymore, if I were maybe I'd feel different. But in 3 years of HPDE I only had 1 major incident.