At Trackday Addicts we’ve done our homework when it comes to track day insurance. We've used our impressive sized Facebook community as a bargaining tool and teamed up with track insurance specialists TDA Services to create unique products or get exclusive discounts.
Here we explain the difference between the various types of track day insurance to help you decide which cover is right for you.
What is Track day Insurance?
The term Track Day Insurance means different things to different people:
- Some are looking to cover their bike (damage or theft)
- Some want cover for medical costs abroad
- Some want lump sum payments for their injuries
- Others want cover for damage to their riding gear
Scroll down for an overview of each product type, and use code TDA in your online quote (sometimes there's a discount).
Which insurance do I need?
Track Day Bike Damage Insurance
Damage to your motorbike on track: Track Day Bike Damage Insurance provides accidental damage cover for your motorbike in the event of an off while riding on a recognised UK or European circuit. It covers the costs for repairing your bike, or pays out the market value in the event of a total loss (subject to an excess of around 10-15%).
Track day damage policies do NOT cover third party liability, e.g. for damage to someone elses bike, property, the circuit or injury to other people - neither does it pay you for injuries to yourself - it's purely your road or track bike that is covered to get you back on track.
You can pay for optional extras to cover your riding gear and personal injury pay outs.
Track Day EU Repatriation Insurance
EU medical and repatriation costs: Track Day Repat Insurance provides cover for the cost of emergency medical treatment and repatriation in the event of an injury whilst riding on track. It's like a top up to normal travel insurance, providing the specialist cover needed to allow what most travel insurers consider to be 'hazardous activities' like trackdays and amateur racing.
Repat policies do NOT cover third party liability, e.g. for damage to someone elses bike, the circuit or injury to other people - it's purely your emergency medical and repatriation costs that are covered to help get you fit and home again.
You can pay for optional extras to cover your riding gear and also personal injury lump sums.
Track Day Injury Insurance
Fractures and Accidental Death: Personal Injury Cover is designed to give you a tax-free lump sum payment for listed injuries as a result of track incidents, e.g. certain fractures or more serious injuries, as well as accidental death. It's a one-off personal accident insurance policy for each single event (including discounts for multi-day Euro events), with no long term committments or complicated application processes.
Track day injury cover is a great idea for those one-off events like track days and amateur racing, particularly if you are self-employed (if you're not working, you're not earning), but if you're a regular track rider or racer, you're potentially better off with a regular monthly plan through Properly Protected (although nothing is stopping you having both, there's no such thing as too much protection).
Track Bike Theft Insurance
Fire and Theft Insurance: Track Bike Theft Insurance is designed to cover SORN bikes as well as unregistered track or race bikes that are not taxed or insured for road use (no V5 logbook required).
Just because your bike isn't used on the road and there is no legal requirement to insure them, your bikes are still at risk from fire, theft or malicious damage, including damaged caused by attempted theft... That's where our SORN Insurance comes in handy. Bike thieves can take extreme measures to steal motorbikes, even when they appear to be safely locked away, e.g. removing sections of a garage wall or roof to gain access, or dragging bikes over the roof of a car parked in front!
You can add any mix of bikes (up to 10 bikes per policy) and you can also pay extra to cover your bikes 'In Transit'.
Other Track Insurance
The following products are only available by phone from our partner BeMoto Insurance (9-6pm weekdays, 9-1pm Sat).
- Race Van Insurance for privately owned social use trucks and vans up to 17.5t
- Daytime MOT Bike Insurance for modified track or race bikes (as long as they are road-legal, e.g. tyres).
Quote ‘Trackday Addicts’
Do I need Bike Track Day Insurance?
You do not have to have Track Day Bike Damage insurance in order to take part in track day events. However, you will be unable to make accidental damage claims without it, which could mean you are left without a trusty stead until you build cash again to replace her. Without track day damage insurance, track days can make you a millionaire...IF you were a billionaire before getting into them. ;-)
Nobody wants to crash their bike and worrying about putting your bike on its side can be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome in deciding whether or not to do a trackday.
Remember your normal road bike insurance will NOT cover damage caused on track.
WHAT ABOUT OFF TRACK (WHEN STORED)?
If you have a track day or race bike that you want to keep covered against theft between days out, but which isn’t road-legal (so you can’t get it covered on a usual policy) then you’ll need cover for Fire, Theft & Malicious Damage Insurance most likely, or SORN Insurance as it is sometimes known.
On such policies, 'In Transit' cover is available in the event your bike is locked in the back of a van or secured on a trailer and is stolen or damaged in a vehicle fire.
We can cover track and race bikes even without a V5 as long as they have appropriate security.
SHOULD I USE A HIRE BIKE?
Hire bikes are a great idea if you are new to track days as they give you the 'valet' experience of being on track. The bike is well looked after, fuelled, with tyre warmers and comes fully insured. You still face an excess payment if you come off, plus there's the cost of the bike hire itself. Whereas you can ride your own bike with Track Day Bike Damage Insurance with the peace of mind that only insurance can provide.
When you get into the regular swing of track days, you can buy a dedicated track bike for the price of several hire bike sessions, so for most, getting your own ride becomes a no-brainer.