Car Insurance
Sarah celebrates successful weekends in two Porsches
May 21st
It’s been a busy and successful couple of weekend for our favourite girl racer Sarah Bennett-Baggs in her Adrian Flux sponsored Porsches.
First she partnered experienced rally driver Adrian Kermode to take second overall in the two-day Tour Britannia 2013, in a Flux-sponsored, Rothmans liveried 911 SC, before taking a class win in the famous Pink Panther Porsche in her debut in the HSCC 70s Roadsports race at Silverstone.
Sarah and Kermode, paired for the first time, won 12 of the Tour Britannia’s 40 stages, finishing second in 21 others.
Sarah and Adrian with the Porsche (pic: Jeff Bloxham)
The pair finished just two-and-a-half minutes behind double Tour winner Phil Hindley in his Porsche 911 SC, and Sarah said: “I couldn’t be happier with the result. We knew Phil would be pretty impossible to beat. Adrian and I worked well together out the box, he is very cool, calm and a superb driver. His performance meant I had to up the game on the navigating side and the pressure was on to get round without getting lost! Our team did an amazing job to ensure we had the right tyres and fuel when we needed it, which was often with the mini rally tank. Adrian is already talking about other possible events and making the rally car go faster in races so watch this space we may be back!”
Then at the weekend Sarah picked up a class win in her Adrian Flux sponsored Porsche 911 SC in her debut in the HSCC 70s Roadsports championship on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.
Sarah in the Pink Panther at Silverstone.
In Saturday morning’s qualifying the 70s Roadsports joined another grid to qualify among 60 classic cars. Qualifying was red flagged after an incident involving the coming together of two Lotus Elans, but Sarah had secured enough laps to qualify 3rd in her class and 4th on the grid overall. Some controversy post qualifying over the flat wing on Sarah’s Porsche SC being legal caused her to be moved to the invitation class.
The race kicked off in dry conditions, and on the rolling start the two front-runners, father and son duo Julian and Charles Barter, took off from Luffield leaving the rest of the grid playing catch-up. Sarah chased the leader pack, fighting off challenges from the Porsche 968, Lotus Elan, and the Ford Capri of Nic Strong. At the chequered flag the Pink Panther crossed the line 3/100ths of a second ahead of fellow class contender Strong to finish 1st in class, and 5th overall in the race.
Richard Plant won the race outright in his Morgan Plus 8.
“That was a hard-fought class win on Saturday – Nic certainly made me work for it, but the circuit suits the car and I wasn’t going to let that Capri past at any cost! It is very easy to over-drive and lose it with a 911, so I had to stay calm under the increasing pressure of Nic breathing down my neck. I was very pleased to see the chequered flag. The HSCC have been very friendly and welcoming today, and I am sure we will be back.”
Sarah will be back out in the Pink Panther in the 70s Roadsports at the Oulton Park Gold Cup.
Are you called Ruby? We’ll give you £50
May 20th
If your name is Ruby, it’s time to thank your parents.
We’re giving away £50 to anyone in the UK named after the precious red gemstone as part of our Ruby anniversary celebrations.
Male or female, first name or surname, we’ll send a £50 voucher to be redeemed off any home or vehicle insurance to anyone called Ruby who gets in touch.
Gerry Bucke, general manager at Flux, said: “It’s been 40 years since we started off from a small office providing cover for kit cars, disabled motorists and modified motors, and we’ve come a long way since then.
“As it’s our Ruby anniversary, we thought it would be fun to see how many people called Ruby we could reach, and give them a little something so they could share in our celebrations.”
Since its birth in 1973, Adrian Flux has grown to employ about 600 people at its headquarters near King’s Lynn, Norfolk, and specialises in providing insurance for everything from classics to supercars, 4x4s to Japanese imports and everything in between.
There are special schemes for just about anything on four wheels, plus divisions for motorcycles, disabled drivers and a specialist home insurance department that can provide cover for most types of dwelling.
Called Ruby? Claim your £50 voucher now.
Ruby facts:
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Rubies have been mined for more than 5,000 years – a large, dark red ruby with no flaws is worth more than a diamond of similar size.
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Ancient cultures used to believe that if you dropped a ruby into water, the water would immediately boil. Presumably the person who put forward this theory didn’t have a ruby with which to test it.
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In the 13th century, Sanskrit medical literature claimed that an elixir of rubies could cure flatulence. Just don’t ask how they found this out.
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The largest known ruby in the world is the Edith Haggin de Long Star gem and is held in the American Museum of Natural History – it is more than 100 carats.
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Reasonably popular until the mid-1930s, the name Ruby dropped off the most popular names for baby girls until 2000 – by 2011, it was the most popular name for a baby girl.
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Ruby is a unisex name and its old-English meaning was: “behold: a son, a gem”. The most famous male Ruby is jockey Ruby Walsh, although he’s officially Rupert Walsh.
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Theodore Maiman used a ruby to create the first laser in 1960.
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According to folklore, if you dream of rubies it signifies you will soon receive financial and emotional success. Dreaming about Ruby Wax doesn’t count.
Adrian Flux teams up with Mazda MX-5 Owners Club
May 20th
The Mazda MX-5 has been one of the most popular and best-loved sports car on UK roads for nearly 25 years.
And Adrian Flux is delighted to team up with the MX-5 Owners Club, and provide cover for the stunning Project Merlot rally car.
The Adrian Flux sponsored Project Merlot from the rear
Overhead view of Project Merlot
Whatever type of MX-5 you drive, old or new, we can provide big discounts for club members and, for every policy taken out, we’ll make a generous contribution to the club itself.
Whether your car is modified like Project Merlot, a standard motor, or a Eunos Roadster or Miata model, we have access to a wide range of underwriters specialising in sports and performance cars.
General manager Gerry Bucke said: “Unlike comparison websites, we don’t just run everything through a computer – we look at each risk individually and come up with a package to suit at the right price.
“We understand that owners of performance cars are more likely to look after them and often cherish them more than those who own standard motors.”
A range of other discounts are available, depending on the insurer, for:
- Limited mileage
- Security precautions
- Classic vehicles
- Experience of driving performance models and advanced driving qualifications
Among the benefits available are:
- Free legal cover
- Track day cover
- Protected NCB
- 90 days European Green Card cover
- Agreed value cover
- Increased limits for high-spec in-car entertainment systems
- Modified cars covered
CarKraft New Driver Training
Apr 29th
Boasting tutors from various backgrounds, including motor racing and advanced driving instruction, CarKraft has become an award-winning road safety initiative. The course was designed with a view to reducing the number of drivers killed or seriously injured (KSI) as a result of car accidents in the Northamptonshire and surrounding areas.
Since the driver improvement scheme was established in 2001, over 3,000 young drivers have benefited from the wealth of knowledge and experience at their disposal. Based in Northamptonshire, the county actually saw the lowest number of KSIs recorded, during the year of 2011.
In 2012, CarKraft noticed a niche in the market, with regard to providing additional training and education for already qualified or older drivers. Since branching out to older and licenced drivers, a further 200 have embarked upon the sessions.
Operating at the state of the art purpose built facilities at Silverstone, the course offers an enthralling mix of workshops taking in educational tutorial sessions, with hands-on experience on simulated, adverse road conditions.
Driving research expert, Dr Julie Gandolfi, carried out a full and independent evaluation of the courses, with her findings subsequently being published by the Department for Transport as part of a best practice study.
To summarise her conclusions:-
Participants displayed improved attitudes to unsafe behaviours including speeding, drink driving, close following, thrill seeking, mobile phone use, overconfidence and aggression. Female participants displayed a greater degree of attitude change than males. These findings indicate that catching young road users prior to full-scale independent driving brought about the greatest improvements in attitudes.
It is with these changes in driver awareness, education and attitude in mind that we, here at Adrian Flux are proud to have sponsored the CarKraft initiative for a number of years, providing insurance cover for all of the cars and users whilst under tuition at the test centre.
Statistically, 1 in 5 new drivers – regardless of age – will have an accident within 6 months of passing their test (Source; brake.org.uk). However, with the education and insight that it provides, Adrian Flux are happy to place a markedly increased confidence in the skills of new drivers who have completed this course.
In fact, so much so, that all drivers that complete the CarKraft initiative are entitled to a £50 voucher, that can be redeemed against any car insurance policy at Adrian Flux.
For more information on the exceptional courses on offer, please go to www.carkraft.info or call 01604 346606.
Adrian Flux offer great rates for new drivers insurance with discounts available for a range of advanced driving qualifications. We also offer special learner driver insurance for those who want a bit more practice before their test. Call 0800 369 8590 for a no-obligation quote.
Ashley Hewitt on Google+The Pink Panther returns
Apr 16th
Sarah Bennett-Baggs was back out campaigning her Adrian Flux-sponsored 1978 Porsche 911 SC at the weekend, sporting a brand new Adrian Flux livery on the eye-catching swirly pink Porsche.
The first event of the season was at Snetterton circuit in Norfolk, in the Future Classics on April 14, where Sarah joined a packed grid of 38 competitors for the Classic and Sports car Series race featuring Sports Cars from the 70s and 80s.
Sarah qualified 21st out of the 38 runners and, in the 40-minute endurance race, she made her way up the grid to finish 14th overall and 7th in a huge class of 15.
Of the weekend, she said: “We have been running in a new engine this weekend, and the car feels like a rocket in comparison to last year. I am pleased the weekend has gone well, the car ran perfectly and I had some great battles out there with the 944s. I managed to nick a few places thanks to a quick pit stop but with the huge variety of cars in this class I can never match up to the Ferrari 355s or Lotus Esprit! But it was great fun.”
Sarah plans to campaign the pink Porsche 911 in selected rounds of the HSCC 70s Road Sports Series, which visits Silverstone Classic and the Oulton Park Gold Cup events. The next outing will be on Saturday, May 18 at Silverstone.
Wheeler dealing in Sweden
Apr 16th
Expert wheeler dealer Mike Brewer is continuing his quest on Discovery tonight to trade up from a banger to a supercar.
In the third episode of Wheeler Dealers Trading Up, which airs at 9pm, Mike is in Sweden to look for – what else – Saabs and Volvos.
See how he gets on in his aim to trade up to a $30,000 sportscar and have a sneak preview on us.
Mike gets his hands on a classic Saab 96:
And goes banger racing:
Is this the lamest attempted car insurance fraud ever?
Apr 5th
This may well be the worst example ever seen of an attempt to defraud motor insurers. Purely in terms of execution it would be hard to surpass the poor quality of this Russian pedestrian’s attempt to extort money.
Equipped, we presume, with a skinful of vodka and with all the acting skills of a Crossroads extra, he meanders along the middle of the road, waiting for his attempted victim to ‘hit’ him. Unfortunately this kind of thing is so common in Russia that dashcams are pretty much standard issue for the honest motorist, so the entire escapade is caught on camera. Once the bemused driver has let the ‘victim’ know he’s on camera, he trudges off dejectedly.
Criminal fraudsters here in the UK aren’t always so obvious, but dashcams can help insurers detect dodgy behaviour and save you from the costs of a fraudulent claim. That’s why Adrian Flux can offer great discounts of up to 15% to drivers who fit an approved dashcam, such as a ChilliBongo.
If you’ve seen a more egregious dive than this (that doesn’t involve Luis Suarez), let us know in the comments.
Can you turn a Rubbish Car into a Supercar?
Apr 2nd
I love a bargain banger. In fact the last two cars I bought each cost me less than £800 and, touch wood, they have cost me considerably less to run than the ‘sensible’ purchase I have run alongside them for the last three years. They have also been a lot more enjoyable, and the patina of age has given them personality.
But am I doing this wrong? Perhaps so. What if you could get a bargain banger, clean it up, maybe do a bit of work on it and swap it for something nicer? And what if you repeated the process with the car you got in return? If you rinse and repeat a few times, could you end up with something really nice, like, say, a supercar?
Well, wonder no more, because Mike Brewer, off of Wheeler Dealers, is putting all of his car trading nous to the test in Trading Up, a new series on the Discovery Channel this evening. Starting in India with $3,000, Mike will be travelling the world over the next six weeks as he attempts to turn that initial investment into a genuine supercar. Along the way he promises to show us some used car dealer tips and tricks that can make a car worth more.
Here’s a sneak preview, but you can catch the whole series on Discovery HD tonight at 9pm. Set your Sky+
Edit: The video says 10pm. The Discovery website says 9pm, so does the Sky guide. 9pm is the correct time, so make sure you don’t miss it!
What it’s like to drive an F1 car – and three sports car bargains for summer
Mar 4th
Friend of Flux Jonny Smith finds out just how tough it is to drive an F1 car when he gets to grips with a high tech driving simulator that top teams use to train their drivers in tonight’s episode of Fifth Gear on Discovery (8pm). Here’s how he got on:
And with summer just around the corner (no, really) do you fancy driving some of the best sports cars around for under £5,000? Have a look at these three bargains:
Wheeler Dealers back with a DB7
Feb 15th
Wheeler Dealers returns to our screens on Tuesday, February 19, looking for a deal on the most successful Aston Martin ever made – the legendary DB7.
Throughout the series, which starts at 9pm on Discovery, Mike Brewer and Edd China buy, restore and sell a range of iconic motors from across the UK, USA and Poland.
They kick off with the glorious DB7, the cheapest of which normally sell for around £16,000. But Mike is looking for the best possible deal and finds a tired trade-in with interior water leaks and external oil leaks at a large main dealer, and successfully beats the price down to below £13,500.
We’ve got a sneak peak as Mike takes the Aston for a spin:
