Fellowship of the ring

I don’t often bother with news type posts, but this one may well strike a chord with anyone who’s tried to arrange insurance for their own car on the ‘ring, for one simple reason: it’s virtually impossible to do. Despite internet mumblings to the contrary, most ordinary insurers are wise to the fact that a certain public toll road near Nurburg is more than it seems and won't cough up even if there's nothing in the policy schedule to say otherwise.

Now Nurburgmotorsport, a British owned company based at the ring, together with Allianz, is offering insurance for both drivers and motorcyclists tackling the Green Hell. Cover includes €10,000 of personal liability, rescue costs of €10,000 and, er, death cover of €30,000. There is, however, no compensation for stacking your own pride and joy, and the cost for one day and up to eight laps is a not-inconsiderable £99. In true Teutonic style the vehicle also has to undergo and engineer’s inspection at an approved local garage at additional cost and there’s a €300 excess to think about.

So does this represent good value for money? Well, peel back the details and it looks debatable; if you write off someone’s brand new F430 Scuderia in your accident (and at the ‘ring that’s more than possible) €10,000 is going to provide little comfort. However, there’s no getting round the fact that few companies even offer anything similar. It’s a credible first attempt, but what’s really tantalising here is the possibility it could open up the market for lower prices and greater cover in the future.