Quote:
Originally Posted by jdl1pt
Thanks all for your thoughts and insite. Will I could afford to walk away from the car, I would be seriously sick for months to come. I'm sure I won't push the car near far enought this time to put myself at great risk, but you never know. Moreover, you can't control those around you even if a DS setting. Just got some $ back on my tax return so may use it on some piece of mind.
One other thought, even if my ins co would accept the claim, I'm sure they would stick it to me for years to come. Wouldn't think that filing through a track ins co would affect my insurance, but something to consider as well.
Thanks again for your comments and feel free to add more to this discussion. For future reference, I'll post info on the co's I've found when I get home this evening.
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Yes you can control those around you in the DS setting. Certain organizers are safer than others. We've known to kick students off track and give their full refund if they do not adhere to our very stringent rules. While that often creates the "BMW CCA is no fun" perception, it is an excellent environment to learn in. And there's a good reason why there has not been a single car to car incident on track in our region, like EVER, until last year (and that was a freak thing that happened that the offending party paid full in cash for). And I fully expect to never witness another car to car incident for as long as I live and attend these events.
On top of that, most driving schools have very controlled passing rules where only designated areas are open to passing for novices to intermediates (even to advanced students in our schools, although the rules have been relaxed for A+ students who wish to move onto a racing school) and the passee have 100% control over the execution of a pass. So in a way, you can control those around you by 1) selecting a choice event/organizer with great track-record for safety and 2) exercise your on-track awareness by managing traffic around you effectively, letting those that are faster by appropriately or pass only when given the signal to do so safely.
Plus, certain organizations that provide a qualified instructor (yes I'm plugging BMW CCA again) in your passenger seat will give you extra control over those that are around you by adding an extra pair of experienced eyes in the car.
HOWEVER.
There are always going to be a manageable amount of risk involved in this sport. There's no denying that. The amount of damage to be incurred increases as speed increases. Your risk of a potential mechanical failure increases as your speed increases, and the associated damages due to the mechanical failure increases as well. Again, these are circumstances or risks that CAN and should be managed if you don't want to wad up your car.
In the end, if you must purchase a DE insurance to give you the peace of mind to go out there and better your driving skills, and explore the capabilities of your vehicle, then by all means. It's a worthy investment for a peace of mind.