Blog: The world’s scariest motor insurance risk?

But never before have we insured such an eclectic range of high value vehicles within a single setting – if indeed Gumball 3000 can be described as a single setting, given it takes place over 3,000 miles and across ten countries within just seven days.

The total value of the vehicles being entered in the 2017 event is over a whopping £30m with captains of industry, oligarchs and princes among the elite groups of drivers behind the wheel.

Complex
Gumball 3000 is, put simply, one of the riskiest, most complex ventures in motor insurance.

In fact, most prestige vehicle insurance policies specifically exclude Gumball within their policy wordings!

So, what on earth were we thinking?

Well, we know for the customers who purchase our policies, that their vehicles represent far more than just a means of getting from A to B.

That’s why we’ve always specialised in providing insurance solutions for drivers with a passion for motoring.

Expert team
The insurance needs of these drivers can rarely be met through online insurers or comparison websites, most often because either their vehicle or their profession doesn’t fit into a standard ‘template’ profile of algorithm.

In contrast, our expert team of underwriters works with brokers to look at every driver’s individual circumstances to get a true sense of their profile.

We currently provide over 150,000 bespoke policies that have been created in this way.

Supersized
I don’t mind admitting that, even as an experienced specialist underwriter, I was a little anxious when first presented with the event and the different risk considerations by Gumball’s brokers, PK Partnership; different regional jurisdictions, damage claims for high spec supercars and hypercars, participants breaking down, high-profile drivers and some late nights - to the majority of insurers all this would present the world’s scariest motor risk.

However, as soon as we started to break it down, as we are well used to doing, it was clear to me that this was exactly within ERS’s heartland – albeit supersized.

On an individual basis, we’d already be comfortable writing every participating driver and vehicle in Gumball.

The key challenge was to extrapolate this to ensure all team members received the cover relevant to them to enjoy travelling through each country safely and securely.

We undertook a huge amount of research and performed extensive due diligence to make this happen, with particular emphasis on getting to grips with the statutory requirements of each country.

What we’ve ended up with is a truly comprehensive Gumball policy that works for all parties – the drivers, the organisers and of course, for ourselves.

Love
What we love about Gumball is how the event has created a family of eclectic participants and fans who share an automotive passion and a thirst for living life to the full.

As an insurer, we exist to help drivers realise their passions, rather than turning them away because who they are or the type of car they drive makes it too difficult.

As Gumball founder Max Cooper explains: “The best Gumball grids are always when the line-up includes larger-than-life personalities mixing together in a way you’d never expect, or getting along with each other outside of Gumball – from sheikhs hanging out with DJs to bankers hanging out with graffiti artists.”

This attitude reflects the ERS view of the world – treating each driver as an individual and helping brokers better understand how to give these drivers the cover they need to enjoy the road.

You can follow ERS at Gumball 3000 at gumball.ers.com or by following the team on Twitter @ERSmotor.

Alan Bradbury is senior underwriter for the ERS Bespoke Team, which provides insurance solutions for drivers with a broad range of specialist requirements that can make it difficult for them to obtain insurance by more typical means, such as online or via comparison sites.

Catch up on the rest of the series

• Join ERS on the Gumball rally 
• Gumball – A Grid’s Eye View 

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