Tuesday 21st July 2009

'Ring Insurance Could Save You £1000s

New policy aims to protect British drivers from liability claims for track damage at the Nurburgring

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Brits making the pilgrimage to drive the Nurburgring Circuit in Germany are being offered a new one-off insurance policy that could save thousands of Euros in the event of an accident.

Nurburgring accidents can be expensive

According to Ken Harris of Nurburgmotorsport, Brits are being faced with unexpected bills of 2-3,000 Euros on a weekly basis after coming unstuck on the tricky North Loop and damaging the Armco barriers.

'The track belongs to Nurburgring GmbH, and the tradition is that you're not allowed to leave after an accident until you've paid for any damage,' says Ken. 'That means we see people scrabbling around trying to borrow credit cards off friends or raise cash in other ways, and it can be a major problem.'

The policy Ken has negotiated with Allianz costs £99 for a day and eight laps, but you also have to have your car examined in advance - a half-hour inspection for which Ken's company charges another 35 Euros.

Time to reach for that credit card..?

'Insurance is not an issue for German drivers, because the North Loop is officially classified as a public road so German insurers will typically pay up to cover this type of accident damage,' Ken tells PH. 'However, if you phone up a British insurance company and say you're driving the Nurburgring they'll say it's excluded because they regard it as a race track.'

'Until there is a test case with a court judgement, the British insurers will simply keep refusing to pay up, which is why we have made this arrangement with Germany's largest insurer - the first of its kind that is available to UK drivers,' says Ken.

See www.nurburgmotorsport.com for more information.

Editor's Note. This insurance does not provide full 3rd party cover, or cover against general public liability claims at the Nurburgring - it is for costs of repairing damage to the track caused by the fault of the policy holder (subject to the policy T&Cs).

[souffwest]

YEHHH BABBBYYYYY

[uremaw]

Headline: Peugeot 205 GTI in lift-off oversteer shocker...

[Collaudatore]

£99 for 8 laps? Isn't that a little steep?
Is this insurance for ANY 3rd party liability you may cause (assuming you car passes the test)?
Is the car "tested" in the UK or Germany?

[fergus]

Collaudatore said:

£99 for 8 laps? Isn't that a little steep?
Is this insurance for ANY 3rd party liability you may cause (assuming you car passes the test)?
Is the car "tested" in the UK or Germany?

Having looked at the summary policy details on the link below, it ONLY covers damage to property belonging to Nurburging GmBH, NO OTHER 3RD PARTIES. I'm not sure how much use it is to the average non German insured driver in that case.....?

[havoc]

fergus said:

Collaudatore said:

£99 for 8 laps? Isn't that a little steep?
Is this insurance for ANY 3rd party liability you may cause (assuming you car passes the test)?
Is the car "tested" in the UK or Germany?

Having looked at the summary policy details on the link below, it ONLY covers damage to property belonging to Nurburging GmBH, NO OTHER 3RD PARTIES. I'm not sure how much use it is to the average non German insured driver in that case.....?

I initially cheered then reached for the small-print, and I agree with fergus...the big risk to any 'ringer is what happens if e.g. you lose it and collect a biker...or a Ferrari?!?

[Red Cabbage]

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

[Dave^]

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £134 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

EFA.....

[PPPPPP]

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

Even if it included TP risks (as it needs to absolutely), I think £99 + £30 odd for the inspection etc is steep. And then only for 8 laps...

Good concept, but steep pricing

[Sevenman]

I guess this will appeal to some people, but reading the small-print, it isn't really a winner.

On my ring trips it's not the risk of damaging Armco that worries me - a few thousand euros and destroying my not very valuable car would be a real pain, but it could be managed However 3rd party liability concern isn't addressed.

With the suspicion in accidents often being placed on Brits, being pursued for damages to an expensive car, and the driver's personal injury claim, that isn't something I could afford.

Until that's sorted, Ring trips have a worrying factor that things could be a lot worse than on a UK track.

[Steve Gunnis]

This is totally amazing, I will be using this next time I go. I'm fine with 8 laps as I never seem to get time to do more than that. £130 is a small price to pay for the peace of mind for a whole day.

[Steve Gunnis]

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

Don't need third party guys, that's the beauty of the Ring, everyone is there at their own risk, if you collide with another car they will have to claim on their insurance (if they are covered), as will you if someone collides with you.

[Collaudatore]

PPPPPP said:

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

Even if it included TP risks (as it needs to absolutely), I think £99 + £30 odd for the inspection etc is steep. And then only for 8 laps...

Good concept, but steep pricing

Also, what happens if you manage 10 laps in a day, or more?

But yes, a step in the right direction....

[mybrainhurts]

£2-3000 for a bit of ARMCO...?

[pikey]

This isn't an article, it's an advert and a misleading one at that.

I would question what this gives a driver over their standard European third party liability. I would expect in the majority of cases, very little, but the detail is in an individual's specific cover.

[BigI]

Steve Gunnis said:

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

Don't need third party guys, that's the beauty of the Ring, everyone is there at their own risk, if you collide with another car they will have to claim on their insurance (if they are covered), as will you if someone collides with you.

You do need third party, because all the germans that are there are driving around as if its a normal road, so unless you are implying that you don't need any insurance for driving in Germany you are wrong.

[PPPPPP]

Steve Gunnis said:

Don't need third party guys, that's the beauty of the Ring, everyone is there at their own risk, if you collide with another car they will have to claim on their insurance (if they are covered), as will you if someone collides with you.

Not really - say you drop oil from your car, and there has been no warning provided to the car behind and he/she loses it and writes it off - according to German law, you are responsible.

Edited by PPPPPP on Tuesday 21st July 13:18

[Collaudatore]

Steve Gunnis said:

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

Don't need third party guys, that's the beauty of the Ring, everyone is there at their own risk, if you collide with another car they will have to claim on their insurance (if they are covered), as will you if someone collides with you.

Nope, not the case on TF days.

[andyspiers]

Steve Gunnis said:

Don't need third party guys, that's the beauty of the Ring, everyone is there at their own risk, if you collide with another car they will have to claim on their insurance (if they are covered), as will you if someone collides with you.

I think you're wrong there - if you cause an accident, you're liable for the consequences, which is why you need 3rd party insurance.

On tourist (public, pay per lap) days then it's operated as a one-way toll road with no speed limit. As such, german traffic rules apply. Accidents may well be investigated and penalties can be applied.

[andye30m3]

mybrainhurts said:

£2-3000 for a bit of ARMCO...?

Guy in our hotel had a quite large crash, £6k for the armco and recovery to the hotel. I got the impression they were charging for a much armco as possible (anything with any sign of a mark) rather than the bits which needed replacing.

Having said that I agree with others, It's the third party element which would interest me as could afford not to bring the car back, could afford a armco bill but can't afford to pay for damages to a GT3 RS and its driver.

I would much prefer the ring to run like a trackday were your there at your own risk but can understand why that could be a bad idea.

[fergus]

BigI said:

Steve Gunnis said:

Red Cabbage said:

Hmmm.

A step in the right direction.

IMO £99 is a sensible price considering the risk vs. cover.

Now let's have one that includes 3rd party risks as well.

Don't need third party guys, that's the beauty of the Ring, everyone is there at their own risk, if you collide with another car they will have to claim on their insurance (if they are covered), as will you if someone collides with you.

You do need third party, because all the germans that are there are driving around as if its a normal road, so unless you are implying that you don't need any insurance for driving in Germany you are wrong.

Correct. Due to the public nature of the TF days, 3rd party liability can be strictly enforced.

A recent case which went through the UK insurance ombudsman (which unfortuantely went against the UK driver) proved that 3rd party claims can happen, and on the basis of the recent case ruling, although may be paid out by your insurer, your insurer may not choose to insure you for those risks, then seek redress from the policy holder to the tune of their payout.