Quote:
Originally Posted by mattybucks
If a club allows you to use non-brca legal cells then it's at there own discresion, however depending of the policy wording it may invalidate there insurance cover.
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There are only 2 sources of information worth reading - The Insurance Policy & The BRCA Handbook
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Many statements in this thread are simply wrong (and I do not specifically mean the quote from Matty above) particularly if taken out of context and/or it is unclear what type of event it refers to.
The 2011 Handbook says, By Jim Spencer:-
1)
Race Equipment (batteries, motors etc)
There is only ONE BRCA rule regarding equipment that is applicable to the insurance cover.
General Rule 13, Vehicle Scope –
The BRCA will not recognise a model vehicle as being suitable for radio control that is more
than any of these measurements; 1 meter long, 20kg in weight or a maximum of 30cc engine capacity.
That’s It.
All too often I get emails / phone calls – sometimes from quite experienced people - asking (for example) “will the use of XYZ non homologated batteries invalidate the insurance”?
Nope.
2)
Homologation lists are for Nationals and Sanctioned Events use.
A club can choose to run to them if it so wishes, but that’s up to them, but either way round they have no effect on the insurance cover what-so-ever at any level of event, including the nationals too – failing scruitineering wouldn’t invalidate your cover for example.
Anybody tells you different point them at this document or ask them to check.
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So ........ have the BRCA Officials got it wrong?
Or
Is the Underwriter banking on the Insured (the member) just caving in and giving up?
Remember, every Insurer (Home, Motor, Commercial or whatever) can just turn round at any time and say "We're not paying" and it is up to the Insured/Customer to kick up a stink.
IMHO - classing the member as also the importer means that he is being held liable as the importer, which he was, when he was, to the best of his knowledge, only acting as a BRCA Member. Therefore he should be able to invoke his BRCA Insurance to protect himself from his inadvertent negligence when unknowingly acting as an importer when importing the cells.
Bit of a catch 22 or never ending circular argument.
I hope the BRCA take up the case on behalf of the individual, not just to sort out the money in this case, but to establish the precedent re individually imported, or unknown sourced cells, or find a new insurer, or both.