MIS · 01FALSE
„Road traffic rules apply — so I'm insured."
Reality
On the racetrack the conditions of the organiser and the insurers apply, not the logic of public road traffic.
Consequence
No automatic cover — even for a registered vehicle.
What almost everyone believes — and why it is dangerous.
Most risks on the racetrack do not arise from speed but from false assumptions.
Many myths persist because the system of liability, comprehensive cover and recourse is not understood.
„Road traffic rules apply — so I'm insured."
On the racetrack the conditions of the organiser and the insurers apply, not the logic of public road traffic.
No automatic cover — even for a registered vehicle.
„My risk is at most €5,000."
That is the deductible in the best case. If an exclusion applies, every limitation falls away.
The loss can reach the full vehicle value.
„As long as it isn't a race, everything is fine."
Exclusions are tied to the use of permanent racetracks, not to the term "race".
Trackdays and Touristenfahrten are regularly excluded.
„My car is registered, therefore insured."
Registration says nothing about cover at a specific location.
The policy decides — not the licence plate.
„The organiser takes care of it."
The organiser runs the event. They are not your insurer.
You carry the economic risk yourself.
„If something happens, the insurer will pay."
Externally, payment is often made. Internally, your contract applies — with all its exclusions.
Recourse claims against you are the rule, not the exception.
„A waiver of liability means nothing can happen."
A waiver removes claims between participants. It does not remove damage.
Everyone is left with their own loss.
„Under the new EU law everything is now insured."
EU law protects injured parties. It does not protect the driver and does not mandate any policy.
No obligation, no cover, no protection.
A particularly current misconception concerns the new EU liability law and § 5d PflVG.
How these misconceptions play out in a loss event is most clearly illustrated by the Nordschleife — see the internal briefing of the Scuderia Hanseat.
Speed is not the risk.
The mistaken assumption of being insured is.