Drag Racing Risks?

[daveglessner]

I am new to the whole "competitive" engines, and was wondering the risks of racing at a track. If you pop a tire and run into a wall, besides the death and dismemberment, would insurance cover it because you weren't doing anything illegal? Would your insurance drop you for doing it period? Anyways, like I said I'm still new to anything speed related, so go easy on me. I was talking it over with my parents while out to eat and they about reached over the table just for thinking about it.... something about "If you want to know how fast your car goes in the 1/4 mile open up Car and Driver" oh yeah and my personal favorite "If you want to take into consideration the driver, I'll take you down to the arcade and let you play a video game of it to see how fast you'd go"

IONTOP

[Sp00ner]

No, insurance does not cover you. My ex's husband wrapped his TransAm around a tree at one of the road courses a few years back, and was responsible for the full price of the car. Insurance is USUALLY very specific about racing, if you call your insurance agent, I know you probably don't want to tell him that you want to race, but he can answer it for certain. Remember, he can't raise your rates just for asking!

[elohdaeh78]

Originally Posted by Sp00ner

No, insurance does not cover you. My ex's husband wrapped his TransAm around a tree at one of the road courses a few years back, and was responsible for the full price of the car. Insurance is USUALLY very specific about racing, if you call your insurance agent, I know you probably don't want to tell him that you want to race, but he can answer it for certain. Remember, he can't raise your rates just for asking!

Yes he is right your insurance will not cover you if you are racing even if its a legal event. If insurance covered every car that did street racing our insurance would be a fortune cause cars crash all the time on street courses. As for drag racing, the chances of you crashing on a dragstrip with a car that isn't insanely fast is very very low. You have more of a chance of crashing on your way to the track, or someone on the track with an insane car crashing into you, but in most cases if they are driving some sickly fast car they are way ahead of you by the time they lose it. I wouldn't worry about crashing your redline at the track unless you do something really stupid or you make it soo fast thats its running 10s or something, plus a front wheel drive car is less likely to loose it in a straight line then a rear wheel driver car.

[Sp00ner]

The best route that you can go with them, is to explain that it's a much safer, controlled environment, than the streets are. Make sure they know that you want to race, and you don't want to do it on the streets like other idiots. Myself included. If you're going to do it, and do it hard, then take it to the track, or they could have alot more than your car to worry about!