Do you buy track day insurance?

[AR-Delta]

I have not in the past and likely won’t at the tracks I frequent, however, I will consider looking into it for new tracks this year. The only thing holding ,r back is the cost. I’ve heard the event coverage itself isn't cheap and the deductibles are still extremely high.

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[NapalmEnema]

With most street insurance companies having no coverage (or sketchy at best) for the track, do you buy track day insurance from the likes of Hagerty and OpenTrack? Do you pay for some, depending on the organizers and the tracks? Or do you just take the risk and don't buy any?

The prospect of the car getting totaled (can happen easily if you hit a wall or slide into the dirt and roll over) makes me very anxious without track coverage. Checking some quick quotes, you end up paying in the the range of $200 to $300 per event (depending on how much you assess the price of the car, after market mods, and deductible). Between the cost of insurance, track day organizer fees, and the ever increasing price of consumables these days, it can become a very expensive hobby.

if you roll a type R, the easiest car to drive hard ever, you shouldn’t drive fast for a hobby or ever.

 

[keller]

if you roll a type R, the easiest car to drive hard ever, you shouldn’t drive fast for a hobby or ever.

Unfortunately it doesn't need much to roll over in gravel traps or sausage kerbs. People that track in F1 tracks have seen things...

 

[Austin@Wunderladen Racing]

We have some customers who pay for it. A good friend had a brake failure a few years back and ended up nose diving into a berm. Bent frame, front end wiped out, cracked transmission, broken (expensive aftermarket) intake manifold, wadded up intercooler and radiator etc. Insurance covered the $15k+ repair bill without a fuss. He was an experienced driver but failures happen so it does make for a good safety net.

Personally, I've not used it but it has crossed my mind plenty of times.

 

[1sloazfk8]

I have paid for it, once for the Nurburgring and another time for a track I was not at all familiar with. Defintiely can be worth it especially if it helps clean up costs if you dump fluids or damage track surface.

 

[NapalmEnema]

Unfortunately it doesn't need much to roll over in gravel traps or sausage kerbs. People that track in F1 tracks have seen things...

Yeah but why would you be driving your car hard enough to make that mistake in the first place? You go to the track - you drive at YOUR LEVEL - F-everyone else - and obey track rules.

Get used to track.

Increase speed and comfort.

Repeat.

Until you're 'trying to beat a record' there is no reason any major inherent risk especially in this car, should be realized. I would feel 100% differently if we were on a Mustang board - as a RWD car with too much power can get away from you in an instant.

This car? Man it's almost impossible to F-up. I have had a buddy who I love to death but like one of the worst drivers on the planet. He had a mustang at the track - drove like a granny couldn't trust the car and I don't blame him. Got in my car with me as a passenger he was comfortably doing 2x the speed as his car and still had a ton of margin left he didn't even tap.

This car is special and very hard to put into a wall imo. Unless you are driving beyond your abilities, but that goes for any car.

Hard pass track insurance in the Type R

P.S. The ONE time I brought my M2 to the track, RWD 370hp - I have had for five years, so know well - one mistake - boom I'm doing a 360 in front of my buddies Audi and trailing other buddy in a Corvette. Last time I bring the M2 to the track - Type R and RS3 only going forward. M2 lot of fun but easy to lose the rear like any high power RWD car so you can't drive as hard as you can the R.

 

[kelvis]

It’s actually quite easy to get crossed up in our FK8; yes it’s FWD but most track enthusiasts have likely modified it to be more oversteer biased (a common track setup). Combine that with cold rear tires near the beginning of a run session and it really isn’t too difficult to induce oversteer on our cars. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the fact that it still takes quite a bit of skill to drive our car (or any car for that matter) quickly on a track.

Having said that I believe it all comes down to your comfort level on track. I tend to go with what most folks have mentioned here: if it’s a track (and a car) I am not familiar with I will probably get the track insurance. Lately, because I’ve been hitting up the same track (and car) repeatedly, I have opted not to.

Off topic somewhat: but IMO the track is not the best place to learn to drive at the limits. Autocross is one of the best (and least risky) events to learn how to develop solid car control skills. They say that fast track drivers are not necessarily fast autocrossers, but fast autocrossers are almost always fast track drivers.

 

[TheCanadian]

The reason I haven’t tracked my car is because track day insurance doesn’t exist up here in Canada. I’m not worried about my driving skills - but the people behind me

 

[Austin@Wunderladen Racing]

The reason I haven’t tracked my car is because track day insurance doesn’t exist up here in Canada. I’m not worried about my driving skills - but the people behind me

I'm sure there are well constructed track day organizations in Canada like we have here. Any good org runs novice groups with experienced instructors. In the 6-7 years I've been doing track days I've never seen car to car contact. I've seen it at competition events but that's an entirely different story than open track days.

 

[keller]

The reason I haven’t tracked my car is because track day insurance doesn’t exist up here in Canada. I’m not worried about my driving skills - but the people behind me

I can't have track insurance too, so instead I pay a premium in fees to get into emptier groups. Now it's quite rare for me to find another car on the track, so I have only myself to worry about. I have had my share of surprises though

 

[Vincent@27WON]

Personally have never bought track insurance. I understand my risk and take them in this case. knock on wood lol

 

[Dave B]

I haven't bought track insurance in the past. Brake failures can happen but in HPDE or Time-Attack competition, the chance of car to car contact is really low. I have a beater that I can live with and if I were to write off,(or even just damage seriously), my Type R, my wife wouldn't let me near the track again with an uncaged street car.

Alternatively, I race on a Lucky Dog team with a car that isn't worth anywhere near my Type R. Even though it is slower and is at much higher risk of serious damage, as a team, we are prepared to eat the cost of a write off if needed, no matter which one of us is driving.

I kinda like the "drive it like you own it" idea.

 

[1sloazfk8]

I haven't bought track insurance in the past. Brake failures can happen but in HPDE or Time-Attack competition, the chance of car to car contact is really low. I have a beater that I can live with and if I were to write off,(or even just damage seriously), my Type R, my wife wouldn't let me near the track again with an uncaged street car.

Alternatively, I race on a Lucky Dog team with a car that isn't worth anywhere near my Type R. Even though it is slower and is at much higher risk of serious damage, as a team, we are prepared to eat the cost of a write off if needed, no matter which one of us is driving.

I kinda like the "drive it like you own it" idea.

Also should add, track insurance is for more than just the cars, it can also help cover clean up and damage costs to track facilities. I know COTA last year for Super Lap someone dumped oil for about half the track and the organizer had to pay out of pocket since no driver that session admitted they caused the oil spill.

I have no issue writing off my older Civic track car or my Type-R (though it would suck) but I don't want to pay thousands if I dump fluids or hit a wall that needs repaired, which is why I bought it for the Nurburgring and COTA so I had that piece of mind.

 

[QuasarMotors]

Also should add, track insurance is for more than just the cars, it can also help cover clean up and damage costs to track facilities. I know COTA last year for Super Lap someone dumped oil for about half the track and the organizer had to pay out of pocket since no driver that session admitted they caused the oil spill.

I have no issue writing off my older Civic track car or my Type-R (though it would suck) but I don't want to pay thousands if I dump fluids or hit a wall that needs repaired, which is why I bought it for the Nurburgring and COTA so I had that piece of mind.

I thought track insurance didn't cover competition? Only HPDE?

 

[1sloazfk8]

I thought track insurance didn't cover competition? Only HPDE?

There are a couple that do cover time trials, really the best thing to do is reach out before an event and see what is all covered. Hagerty and Open Track are ones I know offer various options depending on what you are doing.

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