You want to take your Nissan Z to a “Drift Night” to slide around. You try to buy track insurance. Every major carrier denies you. Why? Because you are intentionally losing control of the car.
Key Takeaways
- Drifting is “Intentional Stunting”: Insurance covers accidents. Drifting is considered an intentional loss of traction.
- High Risk: The frequency of wall impacts in drifting is exponentially higher than grip driving.
- The “Drifting Exclusion”: Most policies explicitly list “Drifting” alongside “Racing” as an excluded activity.
- Specialty Markets Only: You generally cannot buy daily track insurance for drifting. You need a specialized commercial or team policy (very expensive).
The “Why” (The Trap): Intentional Acts
Insurance does not cover intentional acts. If you throw a brick through your own window, they don’t pay.
In drifting, you are intentionally breaking traction. If you hit the wall while doing so, the insurer argues the crash was a foreseeable result of your intentional act.
The Clause:
“We do not cover loss resulting from drifting, sliding, or power-sliding, whether participating in a contest or not.”
The Investigation: Can you insure a drift car?
I tried to quote a Formula Drift spec car for a practice day.
- Hagerty: “No.”
- Lockton: “No.”
- OpenTrack: “No.”
The Exception: Some policies cover the car in the paddock or in the trailer. But once you initiate the drift, coverage ceases.
The Loophole (Be Careful): Some “Car Control Clinics” (Skidpad events) are covered as “Education.” If you are on a wet skidpad learning oversteer correction with an instructor, that is HPDE. If you are linking Turn 3 and 4 in smoke, that is Drifting.
Comparison Table: Driving Styles
| Activity | Coverage |
| Grip Driving (HPDE) | Covered |
| Car Control Clinic (Skidpad) | Covered (Usually) |
| Drift Event / Jam Session | Excluded |
| Burnout Contest | Excluded |
[IMAGE: Photo of a drift car hitting a clipping point with smoke, overlay text “UNINSURABLE”]
Step-by-Step Action Plan
- Accept the Risk: If you drift, you are self-insuring. Build a cheaper car (a “missile”) that you can afford to crash.
- Buy “Storage/Transit” Insurance: Protect the car from fire or theft while it’s in the trailer or garage. Just don’t expect coverage on track.
- Don’t lie: If you crash drifting and tell the insurer “I spun during a grip lap,” and they find the video on YouTube (which they will), you will be prosecuted for fraud.
FAQ
What if I accidentally drift during an HPDE?
If you lose traction accidentally and recover (or crash), that is an accident. That is covered. The exclusion applies to organized drifting events or sustained intentional drifting.