Jay Mitchell wrote:
>
> Nor is it correct for a car owner to do that, IMO. This thread
> has come up before, and it has been established that State Farm's
> coverage includes "gymkhanas," so it appears that a Solo II
> incident would be covered by them. This is a far cry from a
> driving school held at a racing facility, however.
I have confirmed it with my State Farm agent, more than once, that
anything I do under the guidelines of a SoloII event or similar is
indeed covered by my regular auto insurance policy. I have also
confirmed with my agent, again more than once, that anything I do at a
race track, including Driver's Ed. is not covered. I know where the
limit is, and I am prepared to accept it.
> If you're counting on your insurance company to cover damage your
> car might suffer at racing speeds on a race track, I'd say you're
> already in line to have your fun ruined. This sort of
> expectation - that damage suffered in high-speed events should be
> covered by normal collision coverage - only serves to make
> insurance adjusters more suspicious and all of our premiums
> higher.
>
> It never ceases to amaze me that people will take their street
> driver to an event like this, wad it up into a ball, and expect
> people to pity them when the insurer won't pony up.
I agree completely here. Driving at speed on a race track is inherently
risky, even in a driver's ed program. More risky in some programs, less
risky in others. However, I am a firm believer that you should not
attempt to take your car, whatever the marque, on a race track to drive
at speed unless you are prepared to walk away from it. Some people just
don't get it. And this looser in the article is the worst possible
example. This guy deliberately attempted to defraud the insurance
company. This is NOT the type of person or incident we want bringing
attention to our activity.
I autox, and I run at tracks (not RR mind you). And when I'm at an
autox, I feel good about the fact that as unlikely as it is, my
insurance company will cover me. And when I'm on the track, I am
prepared and able to walk away from my car. It's as simple as that.
-Josh2
--
Joshua Hadler '74 914 2.0 CSP/Bi - Hooligan Racing #29 - CONIVOR
'87 Quantum Syncro - aka stealth quattro
jhadler@rmi.net
http://rainbow.rmi.net/~jhadler/
|