Fun times and not so times at DE

[MikenOH]

My wife and I had the pleasure of doing a 2 day DE at the Mid_Ohio race track in Lexington, OH. The weather was terrible but our '06' was a joy to drive and because of the wet conditions, I gained a healthy respect for the PS2 tires on the car. Despite a lot of water on the track, the car handled like a dream, only getting out of hand when I started to be a bit too aggressive.

We bailed out midway through the second day when the rain was coming down in torrents, but the club decided to hold one last session after lunch during which the runs groups were combined.

I would think the 1 & 2 groups wouldn't have a problem with each other but mixing novices with more aggressive drivers suprised me. One fellow in my group--pic attached-- learned the hard way that despite all the advances in the new cars (997), you can't get around physics when traction is lost. He spun on the backstrech at the kink and did major damage. Hate to see that, but I'm not sure what people expect when there is standing water on the track and it's coming down in buckets.

I posted this on pete's board and asked the question--when does a club make the call that the conditions are too dangerous to allow the event to continue? Or do they leave that to the track managers and individual driver comfort levels?

[Marc Gelefsky]

Ouch! that sucks.
I admit I always bail when the track gets wet, Im a wimp

[drburton]

This may be a stupid question, but do you have to get special insurance on the car if you run it at a track? Does your regular insurance cover a track accident?

If you do need supplemental insurance how expensive is it?

[jangobox]

Heartbreaking pictures.

[Chris C Atlanta]

The Chief Driving Instructor for the chapter should make that call. Generally a wet track is fine to drive...you learn smoothness and car control, and Porsches with good street tires are amazingly capable in the rain.

Standing water in the corners should mean red flag.

You did well to leave the event early.

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by Chris C Atlanta

The Chief Driving Instructor for the chapter should make that call. Generally a wet track is fine to drive...you learn smoothness and car control, and Porsches with good street tires are amazingly capable in the rain.

Standing water in the corners should mean red flag.

You did well to leave the event early.

Hi,

The CDI may well determine when the Track is closed, but every individual driver needs to assess the track condition against their own abilities. You are the one responsible if you make the decision to take your car out in conditions which are unfavorable, no one else. If the conditions scare you, that's a fair indication that you shouldn't leave Pit Lane until the conditions improve.

I've seen lots of bent sheetmetal at the Track over the years because people didn't have the skill, experience, Brakes, or Tires equal to the conditions at hand. One of the things Track experience should give one is a better developed ability to assess risk and to know when conditions dictate sitting it out, even if others choose not to...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by drburton

This may be a stupid question, but do you have to get special insurance on the car if you run it at a track? Does your regular insurance cover a track accident?

If you do need supplemental insurance how expensive is it?

Hi,

Most General Auto Coverage excludes coverage for any Track, DE, Gymkhana, or Timed Events. It depends more on your Policy than the Company, because a Carrier will generally write any Insurance, but reflect the Risk in the Premiums charged.

That said, many people forego any supplemental insurance either because of the added cost, they Feel Lucky Today, or they don't press the point because their individual Policy doesn't expressly prohibit it in writing (even though a Company can well go sideways on a Claim and wear you out in court). But, IMHO, this is not too wise. I mean think about it, you are intentionally pushing the Car to it's limits and perhaps beyond your own.

There are a number of Companies which write Timed or Competition Event Coverage and a good estimate would be about $100-$300 for a day's coverage. I use American Collectors Insurance for my Track coverage and it's about as reasonable as you can get. See them at: americancollectorsins dot com
Hope this helps...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99