Ring Insurance

[Sammo123]

Evening Everyone

Some friends and I are planning a trip to the ring later on this year. Now I understand that most standard insurance wont cover you driving round the Nurburgring. What companies will?

I have done a search and cant come up with a huge amount.

Cheers

Sammo

[davepoth]

It's best not to crash.

[PKLD]

I'm thinking about doing this as well this year. rumours about the place closing down would mean I would have a massive regret not driving it

options I can see are:

1. http://www.rent4ring.de/en/info/rentals-for-the-no... - rent a wee swift but still be liable for £2k excess

2. Use my own car for 2 laps and somehow find insurance for a couple of laps and then go way too slowly as I'll be panicking about any damage/near misses!

3. Buy an old one-hit-wonder car (i.e. less than £1000) just for the trip and then try and sell it on when I'm back

any suggestions for my birthday this summer are welcome!

[TEKNOPUG]

It's not the damage to your car you need to worry about, it's the trail of carnage you leave in your wake and the potentially limitless 3rd party claims you should be concerned about.

[Rich_W]

Basically. No UK based Insurance firm will specifically cover you at the ring. 99% of them have a specific exclusion for coverage there. Now of course we know this to be illegal as the EU states that all member countries insurance must offer a minimum of 3rd party on the EUs roads. Of which the Ring is classed, as you know. Nobody in that 1% of insurance companies will tell YOU who they are with as they don't want that small loophole closed. Sorry.

TBH, most "chance it" and see what happens. So long as you don't go chasing lap times and use discretion you will lessen the risks.

HOWEVER. The first UK insurance company to actually honour this. Even if that's "stand alone" at a charge of £1-200 for a long weekend. WILL make a killing in premiums as EVERY ring fan will take it.

Alternatively, register your car in Germany (on their plates, TUV etc) and insure it via their Insurance companies.
OR
Go when it's a normal trackday and not a Tourist day. Then no one has insurance and it's all legal.

[PKLD]

TEKNOPUG said:

It's not the damage to your car you need to worry about, it's the trail of carnage you leave in your wake and the potentially limitless 3rd party claims you should be concerned about.

yes this is the only thing that is stopping me booking! I'm struggling though to see the point in going all the way over there just to be flung about in a passenger seat down/round what will feel like a bumpy country road? which is my option 4 btw

[TEKNOPUG]

PKLD said:

TEKNOPUG said:

It's not the damage to your car you need to worry about, it's the trail of carnage you leave in your wake and the potentially limitless 3rd party claims you should be concerned about.

yes this is the only thing that is stopping me booking! I'm struggling though to see the point in going all the way over there just to be flung about in a passenger seat down/round what will feel like a bumpy country road? which is my option 4 btw

fk it, life's too short. You won't crash.











Probably

[TOENHEEL]

My experience with the ring's TF days is avoid them at all costs. If you want to enjoy the place book a trackday like destination nurburgring that I was at in April makes much more sense in a controlled and marshalled environment and you can get insurance cover for the day. Or if you dont fancy that try and go to the ring on a weekday when its quieter.

Top Gear has made people treat the place like Disney world..first visits to the track and trying to beat 10mins like Clarkson is crazy and it terrifies me to think on a TF day I could be sharing the track with people like that. The trackday was full of nice cars and a very high standard of driving..no brainer now for me.

For a petrolhead it really takes some beating a great place and some great people. Be careful

Edited by TOENHEEL on Monday 17th January 23:55

[anonymous-user]

I went during the week, and took my battered old Mondeo round on a TF evening, then again the next day. In the wet. As long as you know the circuit reasonably well (See Gran Turismo for a few hundred laps!), and your car isn't going to lose a wheel, then I'd say you'll be OK. I was on the track with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, a Ford GT, and more Porkers than I've ever seen in my life (along with campers, an Allegro, baby Pugs etc), and it was fine. I had one squeaky bum moment when the back twitched under heavy braking, but it was fine other than that. The supercars "seemed" perfectly happy to wait for me to get out of the way after a corner before they came screaming past at full toe - in other words, I got no hand signals, horns etc.

As said above, don't go stupid and you'll (probably) be OK. Don't necessarily buy in to all the paranoia about insurances etc. For peace of mind, fine, but it's not like you're at a 99% risk of flaming death rolls.

I would go again, and I don't think I'll bother with insurance.

[Flame suit on]

[andye30m3]

PKLD said:

1. http://www.rent4ring.de/en/info/rentals-for-the-no... - rent a wee swift but still be liable for £2k excess

This is what I did on my last trip and they are a great laugh, well set up and nice guys to deal with, I actually enjoyed driving the swift more than my own car I'd taken in the year

PKLD said:

3. Buy an old one-hit-wonder car (i.e. less than £1000) just for the trip and then try and sell it on when I'm back

Wouldn't be doing this, There's too many silly little things to go wrong and cause an insurance claim and adding the unknown quantity of £1000 wonder to it isn't a great idea. The insurance issue at the ring for me isn't my car, it's the other cars I'll end up being billed for and to an even larger degree the limitless injury claims.

A lot of people just go out there and hope if there's a problem their insurance will sort it out and there is the argument that they have to pay the third party claim. However as I understand it they can then pursue you for the sum they've paid out. I sure as hell don't need the stress of my insurance suing me.