Insurance for autocross?

[MiketheSpike]

Hey folks, this will be my first season ever of autocross, and I'll be using an almost new vehicle to do so. I understand that your typical car insurance will not cover you if something happens to your car while you autocross, so what is everyone doing for insurance? Just rolling the dice? Just curious. I'd think the chances of getting into a collision is very very low while autocrossing, so I assume most people just don't bother, and are prepared to cover their own damages if something occurs...?? Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[MiketheSpike]

Oh I see that there was a thread on this a few years ago...I suppose I'll be looking for a friendly insurer...

[94boosted]

There is no insurer that would ever provide you with coverage for anything that happens at one of these events. To my knowledge there is no insurance products that would cover any type of timed event. Historically there's been a very small handful of insurance products for HPDE/Lapping (non-timed) events, but even those seem to have of disappeared in Canada. 

[MiketheSpike]

Yes - I've lowered my expectations to simply trying to find an insurer that will not void or terminate my regular coverage if they were to find out about autocrossing. I'd like everything to be on the up and up --  I just can't understand why insurance companies care if you autocross if they aren't going to cover it anyways...it is not a criminal act or anything like it.

[MiketheSpike]

Hey folks, this will be my first season ever of autocross, and I'll be using an almost new vehicle to do so. I understand that your typical car insurance will not cover you if something happens to your car while you autocross, so what is everyone doing for insurance? Just rolling the dice? Just curious. I'd think the chances of getting into a collision is very very low while autocrossing, so I assume most people just don't bother, and are prepared to cover their own damages if something occurs...?? Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

An update: I'd recommend anyone worrying about insurance while autocrossing and while NOT autocrossing (which was a newer concern for me) and how insurance companies think, have a discussion with someone like Bill Eckhart at Touchstone Insurance. He was very helpful with clearing it all up.

[Reijo]

There is no insurer that would ever provide you with coverage for anything that happens at one of these events. To my knowledge there is no insurance products that would cover any type of timed event. Historically there's been a very small handful of insurance products for HPDE/Lapping (non-timed) events, but even those seem to have of disappeared in Canada.

There are a few that have covered schools on tracks but that is about it.  In over 40 years of this, the only damage I have had has been mechanical failure of some sort - e.g. wheel studs breaking, front sway bar breaking, wheel bearings (peculiar to my car - S2k) etc.  However I have seen roll-overs (caused by a FSB breaking), and other incidents mainly due to gross driver error or even hitting a light at Fort Macleod airport (we try to design tracks so you are not spinning at one but it can happen albeit infrequently).  Take a school or a few and you can avoid most if not all of the carnage.

Cheers,

Reijo

[Cagare]

There is no insurer that would ever provide you with coverage for anything that happens at one of these events. To my knowledge there is no insurance products that would cover any type of timed event. Historically there's been a very small handful of insurance products for HPDE/Lapping (non-timed) events, but even those seem to have of disappeared in Canada.

There are a few that have covered schools on tracks but that is about it.  In over 40 years of this, the only damage I have had has been mechanical failure of some sort - e.g. wheel studs breaking, front sway bar breaking, wheel bearings (peculiar to my car - S2k) etc.  However I have seen roll-overs (caused by a FSB breaking), and other incidents mainly due to gross driver error or even hitting a light at Fort Macleod airport (we try to design tracks so you are not spinning at one but it can happen albeit infrequently).  Take a school or a few and you can avoid most if not all of the carnage.

Cheers,

Reijo

While rare, incidents can happen. I have personally witnessed some pretty severe damage to a few vehicles, never at an SASC event as you noted though. The safety culture with SASC is quite strong and events are managed well. Still, things can happen, and at least for me, if I am driving a car that I am worried about damaging I am not pushing myself as hard than in a car I care less about.

[jopete]

We changed from a non-friendly to a friendly (don't know if I should name names) insurance company for this reason.  Costs a fair amount more, but less than double.