Track Day insurance questions ?

"multiple wheels for each day of the week" (jaylutz) 06/04/2014 at 10:08 • Filed to: None

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So for those of you with Track cars ... or a daily that likes a good flogging (dirty little whore) ... What or who do you use for insurance on the track . I have a FoST and my wife for my b-day got me a 1/2 day at High Plains Raceway. I'm not scared of crashing but scared of replacing the front clip if I go of hard.

William Byrd > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 10:11

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Is your event considered "driver education"? Like, will they have instructors on hand to help? That's pretty key, most(?) insurance will cover that type of event, but not anything considered a "race".

I have a friend who eventually got his anniversary edition ZO6 replaced after flipping it at Summit Point (or VIR, I forget). But it took months and he was a touch stressed.

Devlin Munion > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 10:12

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I cant answer your question, but I am also interested in an answer because I wondering if I should get some for when I AutoX....

FrederickLawOlmsteez > Devlin Munion 06/04/2014 at 10:19

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It all depends on the AutoX course. If there are light poles and curbs anywhere near the racing line, you might want to get it. But, if the worst you can do is suck a cone up into your wheel well, you're wasting your money. AutoX courses rarely allow you to get out of 2nd gear.

roflcopter > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 10:26

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I've never had any sort of insurance on cars that I have tracked, I always just figured that you don't take something you aren't willing to lose. But that being said I've never tracked anything 'nice' and it makes it easy to go fast when you don't care about the car. I think it would kind of suck being on track and having to worry about hurting a car I really liked, takes away from the raw 'go-fast' of it.

That being said, I know a lot of insurance companies don't condone anything considered racing. I've never looked that deeply into it though, and I wouldn't be so worried about pushing your ability and messing up, but more about the other guys that are having their first time on track the same time you're out there.

TheCraigy > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 10:26

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Read your auto policy.

Also, don't push so hard at the track.

FrederickLawOlmsteez > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 10:26

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If you have an instructor, the biggest risk you are going to run is getting in an incident with another car. A good instructor is going to keep you from going off and doing damage. But, if a yellow flag goes up, you or another driver might panic and jam on the brakes and get tagged or tag someone from behind. I tracked my Focus ST for the first time on Monday. An STi in my group nearly came to a complete stop on the racing line when a yellow flag went up in the last sesh. I had plenty of time to stop and even some run off area if things got too close. But, it was a good lesson to expect anything!

You'll want some better brake pads and racing brake fluid if you want to get the most out of the day. Check out focusst.org racing forums for advice on tire pressure and other things to consider — like turning your headrest around for better helmet clearance. I wasted two of my 4 sessions with too much tire pressure.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 10:34

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Most groups will allow you to buy insurance through Lockton Affinity (They also have Racers' Insurance). It's an Agreed Value Policy (i.e. you declare the car worth $X, and they will pay out up to $X in repairs or $X if it is totalled). However, if you do crash, do note that if you have two claims in a rolling three year period, they will not write a policy for you under any circumstances.

Chances are, if you are doing it with a name group (Not just a bunch of guys pooling money to rent a track), they already are listed by Lockton.

Nothing > roflcopter 06/04/2014 at 10:37

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Kinda my thoughts as well. While I'd be bummed if I wadded up the Miata, I could walk away from it and not worry about the financial hit. Of course, I say that not having yet tracked my Miata, as it's still in the build phase.

Driver_41 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 06/04/2014 at 10:40

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Also note that if you total the car you'll probably be looking at a 10% deductible. I've used Lockton several times over the last few years and definitely recommend it to anyone tracking a car they couldn't afford to lose. Fortunately, I have yet to need to file a claim to see how smooth that process is.

Driver_41 > William Byrd 06/04/2014 at 10:41

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Insurance

multiple wheels for each day of the week > FrederickLawOlmsteez 06/04/2014 at 11:02

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so what pressure were you running

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Driver_41 06/04/2014 at 11:03

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Fortunately, since it's an AVP, you can build the 10% deductible into the value of the car.

multiple wheels for each day of the week > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 11:03

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ok so no instructor this is a road course 2.4 miles I think 300ft of elevation change and just a open lap day

William Byrd > Driver_41 06/04/2014 at 11:17

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eh?

BoulderZ > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 11:33

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I lap at HPR fairly frequently, usually about 4 or 5 times per season for the last 6 (?) years. I asked my insurance provider (AVP through Grundy) about it, and basically I'm covered driving to/from, but no insurance on track. I have heard some insurers are not as flexible, though, that some will drop the policy if you go to a track/race at all. I've never bothered with on-track insurance because I rebuilt the car to begin with and have a good understanding of what I'd be in for if I messed it up. There is nothing to hit at HPR. Seriously, the closest tree is probably 5 miles away. I know of only one person who has touched any of the barriers there (and he was being a serious dumbass). I've gone 4 tires off a couple of times, never any damage except ego (your friends will rightfully make fun of you and your impromptu farming), and 2 off probably 5 times over the years. The other commenters are right that you will want to worry more about the others out there than any off-induced damage. Just stay in the slow run group and don't push too hard. Besides, it's still way, way more hazardous going to/from the track than anything you'll do there. Something about I-70 near Denver just seems to remove about 10 IQ points from a lot of drivers. Even though I've never used track insurance, and don't feel it's necessary (frankly, I'm just not that fast), I'm going to look in to the Lockton Affinity policy that Kusabi mentioned. If the coverage is decent (no harsh limits or conditions, reasonable deductible) and the price is right, maybe it's a smart move.

Devlin Munion > FrederickLawOlmsteez 06/04/2014 at 11:57

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Thanks kinda what I figured but since im new to this I thought some investigation might be good. So far we have only ran on old runways so its just pavment and grass, but in October we will be running the kart track at daytona so I may get it for there.

Driver_41 > William Byrd 06/04/2014 at 12:20

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Sorry, I was trying to respond to something else. With a complete thought

FrederickLawOlmsteez > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 13:39

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I found that if I started with 30.5, I would end the sesh at 36.5. Ambient was 80F. Most of the track was 3rd gear with the exception of two straights were I could get into 5th. Top speed was about 115MPH. The tires worked really well once I dialed in the pressure. The first two sessions I ended with 46PSI. The tires fell off dramatically at those pressures. I strongly suggest turning off ESC (use sport mode) and then turning everything off if you feel comfortable in sport mode. ESC did some really strange things with quick instances of over and then understeer. It created a "wiggle" at a couple of points on the track. Very manageable, but not a comforting feeling at the top of 4th gear!

See if you can "add" an instructor to your track day. You will be REALLY, and I mean REALLY glad you did. There are lines on the track that you will never find if you are a novice. It is incredibly helpful to have someone with you keeping you on the racing line the whole time. And it will be much safer. They will be checking your mirrors and keeping you out of the dirty parts of the track (think low grip areas). There can be dramatic grip level differences by just moving over 1 foot! If they can't set you up with an instructor, I would try to get them to credit your fee toward a HPDE day with an instructor — seriously. It's that worthwhile.

FrederickLawOlmsteez > multiple wheels for each day of the week 06/04/2014 at 13:52

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Unless you have an good amount of simulator time on this exact course, I would not do an open track day solo. On top of that, I would feel really uncomfortable putting hot lapping knowing that there are novices on track WITHOUT AN INSTRUCTOR! On top of THAT, you might have super well-experienced drivers in track-tuned cars coming up on you faster than you can imagine.