Insuring the uninsurable – Scally, Ramshackle and others find an HIC policy that makes it easy.
‘Banger rallies’ have never been more popular, with two or three dozen UK-originating ones taking place this year. But they can be a nightmare to organise. The free-thinking entrants having a huge variety of vehicles with only one thing in common – their car is worth next to nothing. Typical banger rally rules don’t allow you to spend more than £100 on a car, and it will have to go across Europe on a route that takes in every type of driving – from autoroute to mountain hairpin – and tests all types of vehicle.
They also have one other thing in common – banger rally insurance has often been tricky to come by. This is one area where the insurance can cost more than the car – because the car itself is so cheap.
Until now. Insurance specialist HIC has introduced a banger rally insurance scheme that makes it a lot easier and cheaper for the ‘wacky racers’ to get cover. And it’s not only easier for the driver and passengers, but for race organisers too.
The two leading ‘banger rally’ organisers, Ramshackle Rally and Scally Rally, have found the new HIC policy gives them and their entrants huge benefits.
The Ramshackle Rally (www.ramshacklerally.com) has three routes in 2008, starting at the Channel ports, going to Spain, Croatia and Poland. And for each one, HIC’s Banger Rally scheme is the preferred insurance, says the Ramshackle Rally’s organiser Greg Powell-Rees.
“Insurance was our biggest headache in the early days of Ramshackle,” says Greg. “While we had no great problem with our own public liability insurance, a key condition was ensuring that every team had their own insurance. And that was the tricky part. With all the different companies they were using, it was difficult for entrants to arrange insurance just for the four days of the actual rally, and it was difficult for us to check that they had the right insurance. Almost every policy would have different terms and conditions.
“So we spoke to HIC about getting a special policy that suited the rally. It needed to be flexible to cover the different cars that were entering, and the different amounts of time that teams wanted to spend on the trip. The main rally was four days, but some teams wanted to sell the car at the end and fly home, or drive straight back, or make a leisurely fortnight out of it. HIC’s new policy covers all the entries, meets all the regulations, and doesn’t cost extra for time that the entrants won’t need.
“For us, checking all the different options and covers would have been a nightmare. But HIC has made it very easy. When teams insure through them, it’s not only very competitive, but we know the small print is consistent and covers everything we wanted. We now reckon that an HIC policy will speed registration threefold.”
Another banger rally relying on HIC is the Scally Rally (www.scallyrally.co.uk). Organisers Sue and Neil Thacker say that fund-raising was at the Scally Rally’s heart from the start, with over £75,000 raised last year for good causes by both organisers and entrants.
Scally has set its sights wide – because for the first time in 2008 there’s not only the ‘Across Europe’ version but also a ‘Round Ireland’ rally.
“We decided to work with HIC when we realised they could tailor insurance for our type of event,” says Sue. “It was obvious to us that HIC’s policy was ideal for Scally entrants and they understood our needs. HIC can insure for short periods, with a variety of options, but covering all the essential things we as organisers wanted.”