Velodrome in Encino Closes After Failure to Get Insurance

The Encino Velodrome, a bicycle racing track, has closed because the U. S. Cycling Federation has not renewed its liability insurance for 1986.

The USCF’s liability coverage, which was scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 1985, has been extended until Jan. 15. But track director Paul Shecter said Thursday that the velodrome shut down after the original deadline and will remain closed until an insurance policy is obtained.

The cycling federation has had difficulty renewing its liability insurance.

“Our problem is no one will insure us,” said USCF official Alex Baum. “We’ve been trying to get insurance, but the companies have been unwilling to budge. There have been some encouraging signs, but no commitments have been made.”

Bob Ross, president of the North Hollywood Wheelmen, a racing club that uses the Encino Velodrome, said: “Everybody in the business is just waiting to see what will happen. It’s a ridiculous situation.”

Said David Prouty, executive director of the USCF: “We sent a letter out telling all of our clubs that they’ll have to get their own insurance. But most of the clubs can’t afford insurance. It is possible for the clubs to get single-event coverage. That’s more definable.”

Single-event coverage, however, does not solve the Encino track’s problem. No racing events are scheduled for the velodrome until April, and because the velodrome is on land leased from the Army Corp of Engineers, no training can take place at the track. The racing season at Encino runs through October.

According to USCF officials, insurance companies are reluctant to insure the federation because of the sport’s danger. In September, racer Rod Ballard of Brentwood suffered fatal head injuries in an accident at the Encino Velodrome.

Although the Ballard family, according to Shecter, has not sued the track or the USCF, claims from incidents at other tracks have reached into the millions of dollars in recent years.

“It’s impossible to say what the exact amounts are,” Prouty said. “The claims have gone up in recent years. There have been more claims and more exposure.

“If we don’t have a solution, it will shut down the representation of the sport.”

In addition to the velodrome, other Valley-area facilities are having trouble obtaining liability insurance. Recently, the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center stopped renting horses to the public, even though the hourly rentals were the most lucrative service at the facility.

“I’m just going to keep operating without the rentals,” Charles Walls, who operates the center, told The Times recently. It’s going to cut business in half, but the premiums were getting so high it almost wasn’t worth it anyway.”

The equestrian center will remain open for horse shows, hay rides and boarding, Walls said.

The Los Angeles Equestrian Center at Griffith Park has also faced increased premiums since 1983. “Everything has gone wacky,” said Al Garcia, LAEC president. “Our premiums have tripled in the last year. Obviously the increase is a burden, but we’ve maintained our coverage.”

The Pickwick ice arena in Burbank has been operating without liability insurance since December, according to employee Ken Kulpa. “For a month and a half, everyone who comes here must sign a waiver releasing the facility from any liability,” Kulpa said. “Anyone under 18 must have a parent sign for him. We’ve had to turn a lot of people away because of it.”