SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013, VOLUME 39 / NO 1

O Carolina

    Sunrise through the evergreens.
    Another day is born.
    The hills take on a golden glow.
    A Carolina morn.

Vince Gill got it right when singing about the site of GT-38. Not only were the mornings beautiful, but so were the afternoons and evenings, the town of Asheville, and all of the MGs! A big THANK YOU goes out to Jim Ferguson and the entire GT staff, who pulled together an unforgettable Get-Together. I was sorry to have to leave early, due to the passing of my father. And so, for the second time this year, I thank everyone for the prayers and support while my family and I faced difficult times.

As Chairman, one of my duties is to maintain our Club’s insurance policy. This includes overseeing the liability coverage, as well as a Directors & Officers Policy for NAMGAR and our U.S. Chapters.

I’ve devoted my life to trying to decipher the wacky language used in British automobile service manuals, and have finally gotten pretty good at understanding what they are trying to say. But when it comes to making my way through an insurance document, it doesn’t take long for the Where to’s and the Wherefore art thou’s to make my head spin. I have to say though, Hagerty Insurance has been very patient, and I have learned a lot since becoming Chairman. Our agent now recognizes my voice when I call … which has been pretty often. Not because we have ever turned in a claim, but rather to answer any number of questions, or to assist with our Additional Insured requests.

I know I am about to lose many of you with the following information, but it is important, especially if you are a Chapter Coordinator, Chapter Officer, or active in a local club. It is very important that ALL chapters understand the following overview of our policies, as explained by a Hagerty representative.

“Hagerty’s club program offers general liability coverage for car clubs that have static car shows and cruise-ins. For example, a club that meets for a cruise-in a Sonic parking lot would have coverage for any general liability claims while they are in the parking lot.

Sometimes a venue might request a certificate showing the liability coverage and requests to be added as an additional insured. Hagerty can provide that certificate for no extra charge. A Chapter simply makes a request to the NAMGAR Chairman.

The second type of coverage that NAMGAR provides is Directors & Officers Coverage. This insurance is protection against a breach of “duty” by the directors and officers. D&O pays for actual or alleged wrong decisions, what the policy calls “wrongful acts.”

D&O insurance generally includes: “any actual or alleged act or omission, error, misstatement, misleading statement, neglect, or breach of duty by an Insured Person in the discharge of his/her duties.” D&O does not pay for bodily injury or property damage. You buy auto insurance, workers’ compensation, and general liability for such claims.”

It is my goal to work with Hagerty to provide our Chapters with an Insurance Guideline, which provides this, and much more information in a simple format. Watch for this to come from our Chapter Coordinators in the coming months.

Coverage is automatic for all active U.S. Chapters. The only time your Chapter needs to request anything special is if the property owner of your event requires a “certificate of additional insured.” To make this happen, your Chapter representative simply sends a note to the NAMGAR Chairman (me) and I will help you fill out the simple request form. The request should be done 4-6 weeks prior to your event, and incurs no additional expense.

If you’ve noticed, I have prefaced Chapter with U.S. for all of this discussion. That is because our Canadian Chapters have been excluded from coverage, as Hagerty does not cover the Northern provinces. This has concerned me the entire time that I have been Chairman. After years of bugging Hagerty, I am proud to announce that as of this fall, Hagerty has agreed to cover all U.S. and Canadian Chapters!

With this increase in coverage, comes an increase in our need to submit accurate information about each Chapter. Thus, I need each of you to ensure that your Chapter Contact stays in touch with our Chapter Coordinators (Bill and Karen Marshall). If your Chapter does not submit the necessary information in a timely manner, your Chapter status (and insurance coverage) will be dropped.

Our new complete coverage comes at an ideal time, as 2014 will offer a great opportunity to travel with NAMGAR to Canada for GT-39. The Tilburys are coordinating a trans Can/Am journey with “Cruise to the Capital.” Andy Bounsall and team have a great Get- Together in the planning stages for our destination of Ottawa, Ontario. Both the journey and the GT should be every bit as amazing as Carolina, and will undoubtedly persuade us to change our tune to O Canada!

Safety Fast!