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Having just spent the day at Santa Pod I noticed quite a few of the more expensive cars have their number plates taped over.
Is this due to not having insurance to do the 1/4 mile or other reasons ???

Probably due to not having track day insurance. Apparently a lot of insurance companies scour YouTube and the forums looking for evidence of racing etc if you make a claim.

I am guessing that it could also be to do with theft avoidance. Same as the guys on here that cover their number plates in images. Takes 2 seconds to find a registered keeps address with a number plate and car theft is at a bit of a high at the moment I believe. especially on the newer motors with keyless entry and other funky electronic systems!!

Similar to if you blow your engine, get it towed 2 miles down the road then get it RAC'd home etc.

Lots of track days and car events have amateur and professional photographers who just take loads of photos and publish them in the web (with watermarks) so it's easy to see if you've been out on track.

As Nobby said. I know if I was an insurance/warranty type person and I had a claim for an RS6 with a blown engine/GB etc only a few miles from a track I'd be searching owners clubs, trackside photography sites etc but then again I am very sneaky sir, very sneaky!

Is it not simply to protect re-sale value?

Would you rather buy a car represented as a garage queen or one you know had been thrashed to an inch of it's life once a month at Santa Pod?

I realise some of these cars need a good thrashing but I know which I would pay more for (even if it was a lie).

I mentioned this at work and a chap suggested it could be they are lease cars and this would breach their lease agreement?? That actually makes sense.

All the above a good valid reasons.

RSQ wrote:Is it not simply to protect re-sale value?

Would you rather buy a car represented as a garage queen or one you know had been thrashed to an inch of it's life once a month at Santa Pod?

I realise some of these cars need a good thrashing but I know which I would pay more for (even if it was a lie).

Personally, I absolutely would not buy a B7 RS4 that had been a garage queen.

There are so many known issues that are not catastrophic, so can be neglected if the car just potters around and then sits in a garage. However, to drive it hard on track, all those issues have to be attended to.

I'd have more confidence that one owned by an enthusiast but driven hard will have been maintained better.

Now there is a debate. With land rovers the phrase is use it or lose it.

But there is use and there is thrashing.

I had a friend who bought a nearly-new S6 from Audi 10 years ago, went home to watch fifth gear and there was Tiff thrashing his car round some circuit. He returned it. Don't know what I would have done!

I would have saved the clip and when I decided to sell advertise it as " Driven by tiff ". ( smiley face )