Overseas Dirt Bike Holidays
Riding dirt bikes is incredible fun, even more so when it’s part of a biking holiday. Whether that’s riding enduro on closed tracks, competing in trials competitions or throwing yourself over a massive bomb hole at a motocross event… however, even the most experienced riders can have an accident.
We’ve all got a story to share over a beer of how things went wrong this one-time. You’ve possibly even got the scars to prove it in a game of top trumps, but none of us want to be talking about that time it cost us thousands of pounds because we didn’t have the right insurance.
So, if you’re going on an Euro dirt bike event (on a closed track or private land), then you will most definitely need what’s known as Repatriation Insurance (or ‘Repat’ Insurance) – in case you end up in hospital or unable to get home after an accident.
So what is Dirt Bike Repatriation Insurance?
Medical & Repatriation Insurance
The majority of ‘normal’ Travel Insurance policies exclude things like Motocross, Enduro and Trials events, considering them to be ‘Hazardous Activities’. It’s also possible that your EHIC card (or the GHIC card that replaces it) might not be accepted by foreign hospitals if you’ve hurt yourself doing something they consider to be dangerous, i.e. putting yourself deliberately in harms way.
If you don’t have the right cover and you get hurt riding on track, e.g. riding for fun, or competing in a dirt bike event, you may get stuck with some pretty horrible hospital bills… Or worse, unable to come back to the UK on a standard flight without expensive medical evacuation.
Useful things to know about our Dirt Bike Repat Insurance:
- Repat Insurance is a ‘top up’ in addition to your general travel insurance, which provides cover whilst your on track but nothing else (the bit your normal travel policy likely excludes) – It enables you to ride on dirt tracks / events with cover up to £250,000 towards emergency medical costs and up to £100,000 for emergency repatriation costs in the event of an accident.
- You can upgrade Repat to include amateur racing for an additional premium (you will need this if there is ANY timed or competitive element to your dirt event). Sorry no professional racing.
- It’s also a good idea to purchase your ‘normal’ travel insurance As Soon As You Book (ASAB), in the words of Martin Lewis, as it’s likely to include cancellation benefits if you need to call off your trip, plus you cannot buy proper Travel Insurance once you’ve left the UK – it must cover the whole duration of your trip and be set up before you travel.
Important conditions to be aware of (read the full policy for complete T&Cs):
- You must be a UK resident
- You need to select the appropriate activity, e.g. is it a non-competitive event (just for fun) or does it include any amateur racing (no pro racing allowed)?
- You need to wear the right safety gear (the approved types of ‘motorcycle apparel’)
- You need to call the emergency assistance line at the earliest opportunity to notify the insurer and get support if you end up in hospital
There are some notable exclusions as well:
- Medical costs incurred at private hospitals are subject to the insurers prior approval (if you wake up in a private hospital call the emergency assistance line ASAP).
- There is NO cover for lump sum pay outs to you for accidental injury or death on track.
- There is NO cover for third party liability when riding on track – In other words it won’t pay someone else for any injury or damage to their property that you might cause (everyone signs a disclaimer to say they are doing the event at their own risk anyway).
- There is NO cover any damage to your bike.
Always check the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office website for travel advice on the country you are travelling to. You will not be covered for claims arising from non-essential trips like riding off-road if you travel against their advice.
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