Quote:
Originally Posted by Porschefile
I think you're right about the insurance. Regarding liability, there is only so much a waiver can do. It is a dick move to sue other drivers, because we all go out there knowing that a small mistake at speed could cause tragedy. That being said, various state courts have held that the waivers are ineffective as to willful/wanton/grossly negligent conduct etc., and damages have been awarded in civil litigation for HPDE drivers.
I bought insurance for one day total, and net is (~$400) in the hole. Oh well.
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Just joined the forum after purchasing an E90 M3 and spotted this thread. My name is Ryan Staub, and I manage our motorsports team at Lockton. We started offering our HPDE Insurance Program in 2008...a couple years after (unfortunately) I totaled my E36 M3 that I had done 100+ HPDE days in. I built this program because this hobby is my passion in life - I've been doing DEs for 11 years, I'm the Chief Instructor for the Kansas City Chapter of BMW CCA, and I've club raced with SCCA and BMW CCA for years. If you ever have questions, suggestions, or need help, feel free to contact me. I'm happy to help, even if you're not doing business with my company.
"Porschefile" is spot on with his comment. Over the years I've seen a few situations where waivers didn't hold up and individuals took on liability for claims related to motorsport incidents. We're working on developing a policy to provide liability coverage for individuals, but I don't have a timeline at this point.
The other liability item most people don't think about is damage to the track. When you sign waivers, everyone is waiving their rights against everyone except the track doesn't waive their rights against you. Barber is notorious for billing drivers for damage to their barriers and I've even heard of bills for sod/landscaping. I'll be club racing with BMW CCA at COTA next month and they've made it abundantly clear that drivers are responsible for any damage they do to the track.
Have fun out there and keep the shiny side up!