The next few posts will be about the logistics of the trip. This was my first overseas journey so there is a lot I will do different next time. First, insurance.
The Auto Cycle Union (ACU) was the sponsoring organization. They issued me a clubman's license for the event so I could run for records. It was upgraded at the event to a national license so I was eligible for British National records. Otherwise, I would be in the run-watcha-brung class with no records.
An insurance policy was needed so I could get the ACU license. As per the ACU, it had to have no deductible and cover the expenses of repatriation of my injured or dead body and include basic British medical coverage. The claims had to be paid by the insurance company. The ACU did not want to be billed by the doctors or mortician and have to apply for reimbursement by the insurer. The ACU was extremely fussy about this coverage. So picky, that the only folks that could write a policy they were happy with was Lockton, their insurers. I bought their policy so I could race for records.
The ACU/Lockton policy was real porous. There were all sorts of things it would not pay for like dislocations, long term care, etc. I needed a second and robust policy to cover Rose and my family from serious losses if I crashed and got hurt or killed. The policy had to be from an American insurer. I wanted to keep things simple for Rose and to be covered by our domestic insurance laws. The policy I bought was written by Peterson Underwriters and I got a lot of valuable help from one of our American insurance agents. The deductible was sorta high, $2,500. Ouch. All included, the cost of insurance for the event was over $2,000 USD.
The ACU was awful to deal with. What they wanted was reasonable. They seem OK, personality wise. Their business skills were non existent. The event is also sanctioned by the UK Timing Association. The British racers say they are much easier to work with. Next time I will use them for insurance. Also, I set aside about five weeks to figure out the insurance. Next time, it will be ten weeks before the event, so I can shop around and find a better price.