Re: Race car insurance?

[Alan Stamper <stamper@iwaynet.net>]

At 11:51 PM 5/7/97 -0600, you wrote:
>At 7:12 PM -0600 05/07/1997, Jay Docherty wrote:
>>When ever I go to races at a track or at autocrosses people bring
>>cars on trailers.  Sometimes these cars appear to be just daily
>>drivers on a trailer (licence plates, passenger seats, no wacky
>>stickers or anything).  But most of the time the cars in tow are full
>>blown race cars.  My question is, do these people pay insurance on
>>the car?  I know they have to register it but what about insurance?


I agree with Mannix that rollovers are pretty rare.  However we seem to be
having a streak of them in Cen-Div. (Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and
Wisconsin).  Last year we had a guy flip over his girlfriends stock Honda
Civic at a Kentucky event last year.  The guy was driving way over his head
at his first solo event, and just pushed the car way to hard.  To make
matters worse they later found out that the guy didn't even have a drivers
license because it had been revoked!  I don't know for sure but I think it
had street tires on it.

We also had a E-mod Yugo (owned by a very disturbed individual) flip over
here in Columbus last year.  The driver had about a year of experience.
The main culprit here was a car with an overly high center of gravity and a
off camber curve and the end of a very fast straight.  This car was also on
Goodyear race slicks.  He has since built another one, it has a Pro-Stock
hood scoop and flames.  Very sick!

Three weeks ago we had a guy come out in a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.  We
have let mini trucks run at our events for years without a problem.  This
truck was new with 138 miles on it and was owned by the guys girlfriend (of
course).  He got it crossed up coming out of a corner, and instead of
driving out of the slide he gave it full opposite lock and nailed the gas!
I guess he was trying to do donuts like the Vettes.  Anyway the thing
hopped in the air about a foot and the proceded to roll over.  It rolled
onto the drivers side, on it's top and stopped on the passenger side of the
truck.  It was a complete loss.  This truck was wearing its factory tires.
None of the people above were hurt.

Six years ago I flipped over my 89' Pontiac Lemans (I can hear the comments
now!) at a Auto-X.  This was purely my fault.  I did it by just pushing the
car way to hard after making a small mistake on course and trying to make
up the time on the rest.  I had been auto crossing for about 1year. 

 Four years ago I had my Scirocco way up on 2 wheels.  The direction I
turned the steering wheel dictated wich way the car came down.  This time I
got it right!! 

At the time I had a full DSP suspension set up with race springs, Koni
shocks, big sway bars and all the stress bars.  The car had a set of 15" x
8" wheels with 225/45 15 Hoosers on it.  It was a combination of the tall
tires, trail braking into a tigh corner from a fast straight, and an
expansion joint in the parking lot at the wrong place.  I went to lower 13"
wheels right after that.

I've heard that All State insurance covers cars while they are on an auto-x
course.  When I flipped my Pontiac over I had Liberty Mutual.  I was very
up front with them and explaned exactly what the circumstances were in the
demise of my car.  To my surprise they covered my car.  Then they dropped
me like a hot rock!

Any car can flip over with the right set of circumstances.  I know I could
go out flip over my Scirocco if I really tried.  The advent of really
sticky race tires has helped a lot of cars go over.  Don't get me wrong,
this is really still a very rare happening, but it still happens.  

Keep it right side up!!

Alan
87' 16V Scirocco (driver)
84' 8V Scirocco(racer)

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