New VIC Speeding Record

[poita]

original story
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23593311-5003402,00.html


VICTORIA'S fastest recorded speeding driver has been jailed for at least three months after clocking 255 km/h in his high performance car as he led police on an interstate pursuit.

Twenty-year-old P-plater Justin Pickering was first spotted by police on August 2 last year in his new Subaru Impreza WRX STI sedan in Gundagai in NSW, but slipped away at 200 km/h when officers tried to stop him in nearby Holbrook.

Over the next 350 kilometres, he was clocked at 185km/h outside Albury and, after crossing the border, reached Victorian police's fastest illegal recorded speed of 255 km/h on the Hume Highway at Seymour.

The pursuit came to an end when Pickering was arrested after taking a wrong turn into a dead end street in the northern Melbourne suburb of Craigieburn.

Magistrate Robert Kumar today cancelled Pickering's driver's licence for five years, saying in his 22 years on the bench he had not seen anything like it.

"I'm amazed he didn't kill anybody. It was just luck rather than good management," he said.

Prosecutor Senior Constable Andrew Folley told Broadmeadows Magistrates Court that Pickering, of Malvern, failed to stop when police tried to pull him over in Gundagai.

Sen Const Folley said the Government spent millions of dollars trying to dissuade drivers from speeding in strategies such as its "wipe off five" campaign.

"Here we're talking about wiping off over 155 km/h," he said.

The court heard that at 255 km/h, the car would have taken 8.9 seconds, or 367 metres, to stop.
Sen Const Folley said police pulled back when Pickering hit about 200 km/h.

Witnesses described him weaving in and out of traffic and driving erratically with the driver of another car jerking his vehicle to avoid a crash.

Pickering pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless conduct endangering life, three of exceeding the speed limit and one of failing to display P-plates.

His car was seized for two days under anti-hoon laws but was later written off in a single-car accident, the court heard.

Defence lawyer Stan Waites said Pickering was immature and vulnerable.

He said he was developmentally delayed and his family had suffered much anguish over this.

Mr Waites said his client had no money but got a loan over the internet to pay for the $51,000 high performance car - one of only eight of its type in Australia.

He urged the magistrate not to send him immediately to jail.

However, Sen Const Folley disagreed, saying he had shown blatant disregard for other road users and could have killed someone.

The magistrate said he needed to send a strong message to the community that speeding drivers would be dealt with harshly.

Pickering was sentenced to nine months' jail, with six months suspended, and fined $2000.

[imay]

This is where the "anti-hoon laws" don't go anywhere near far enough (in these extreme circumstances). This 20 year old, inexperienced, yes guys, inexperienced! driver obviously thinks nothing of putting himself and every other road user, yourselves included, at risk. Get hit by this wanker at those speeds and you probably have a very limited chance of survival, or if you did survive would probably wish you hadn't.

Take his car away and crush it in front of his eyes (like they do in some US states for extreme mis-behavior) and see if that makes him hurt a bit. No compensation, no apologies, no regrets. A 2 day loos of his car as a means of suspension of his erratic driving, a fine, a suspension of licence (as if that would stop him driving anyway!) and a stern talking to by the magistrate. Huh! What a joke!

When I say inexperienced I am not just referring to his driving skills. Hell, he could well be a "better" car controller than anyone of us. But he doesn't have the life experience that some of us older bretheren have. Think of the impact an accident by an unremorseful 20YO could have on the lives of so many had he hit a family out for a pleasant drive. We see it so many times in the media that you know I am right. And this clown is probably sitting back now and bragging about his "new Vic. speed record."

Sorry, don't want to sound too much like an old fart, but boy, this sort of stuff really gets me going. And the rest of you wonder why (particularly you P plate holders) why the constabularly seem to single you out with your modified cars. Seems pretty obvious to me. They are sick of cleaning up your guts off the road and having to show the pictures to your loved ones.
I can only hope this type of moron (and many others like him) slides off a cliff and disappears into some void where there are no other victims, no messy bits, no explanation other than "he died doing what he loved.!" Only thing left behinds is his loved ones asking "why?"

[bornwild]

I think he should be charged with attempted murder, not just dangerous driving or whatever.

[Calibrated]

aah i miss south african roads.. travelling at 200km/h + for 4 hours straight..

anyway.. this guy was an idiot, evading police and all the rest.. deserves to feel the long arm of the law..

[Wraith]

Totally agree with Ian...

It's total f#*#*#g - f#*k heads like this that cause problems not only for themselves but for all the rest of us...

I truly believe that the attitude of police towards car enthusiasts in general becomes worse and fines are ever increasing and expanding for lesser offences, because of incidences like this.

I can't believe that for how extreme this morons actions were, he didn't lose his licence for at least 10 years...there was an incident in Vic about 8 years ago when a motorcycle was clocked at around 200km/h and that guy lost his licence for 10 years...serves him right :mad:

[xplosv57]

Saw this on tv a few weeks ago, supposedly this guy lost his license is NSW then somehow managed to get a license in VIC, not sure how!!! Glad he's got some jail time, didn't seem very remorseful on the news when they showed him!!!!

Funny how they charged him for not displaying P plates, but surely you can't drive an STi on your P's but didn't get nabbed for that!!!

[SKM_87]

about 2 yrs ago the same thing happened in vic with a m3 do 250ish up the hume to wodonga but car failed by wangaratta.

silly to see young people doing this, as said it needs a real sentence to it, the jail should do it? for him. only takes a few dickheads to screw everyone else over.

one little thing thou, sitting at 200+ he would of needed to stop for fuel somewhere you would think???

[KID_SRi]

The Bloke is a F' Wit, He was already banned from Driving in QLD & WA for pretty much the same stupid shit.

But 255 Km/h isn't the quickest ever Recorded Speed in Vic, In 1982 or '83 John Harvey of HDT Fame got caught just out of Benella doing just under 280 Km/h coming back from Bathurst in his & Brock's Bathurst Winning VH.
It never made Huge publicity as VicPol, especially the Benalla Highway Patrol were embarrassed as they couldn't catch him. He handed him self into Russell St Cop shop a few weeks after. As it wasn't hard to narrow the car down, there weren't many VH Commodores with side pipes & HDT War Paint around in them days.

[95' GSI]

they're saying its the quickest speed recorded on the Hume Highway at Seymour.
Not Victoria in general.
And yeah that guy is a wanker :)

[Dave]

He was moveing for a road car...........in aus that is.

[Ice]

I think that guy is a twat and he is lucky to be alive !

and then he's sorry if he kills someone......

Peter <<< >>> shakes his head in disgust !

[Keep'emRunning]

Really hate all the excuses being thought up for crimes these days, stress,brainsnap,drug affected, developmentally impaired.. obviously anything to take the focus off the lack of personal responsibility.

Unfortunately like most other braindead giblets banned from driving for years, he'll probably get into another car and drive whilst unlicenced, again and again, and just keep racking up the fines and court appearances.

[SaInT]

not sure how the rules apply to interstate licenses but my ladies father got booked twice for driving without one in NSW and banned for 5 years from getting it back. and went to cairns to work and got a qld one over the counter.

[astrauturbo]

Its funny how the media works.. I mean when you watch on youtube a dude
on a motorbike doing over 300km an hour ppl are like whoa that is insane...
and watch it as entertainment, yet when some idiot does it in a car its Like
what a Dick...
Don't get me wrong i think he should be banned from driving for the rest of his life. just find it funny how the world spins.

[Wraith]

Its funny how the media works.. I mean when you watch on youtube a dude
on a motorbike doing over 300km an hour ppl are like whoa that is insane...
and watch it as entertainment, yet when some idiot does it in a car its Like
what a Dick...
Don't get me wrong i think he should be banned from driving for the rest of his life. just find it funny how the world spins.


Speaking for myself, I see it as wrong whether it's on the news or utube or private video or whatever...

I only enjoy similar viewing on utube, if it's on a track or other safe/controlled conditions/locations...

As I've said before anyone who committs such acts on public road ways should be dealt with in a very severe manner, it's just not on, especially when endangering other innocent people :mad:

[Ice]

Speaking for myself, I see it as wrong whether it's on the news or utube or private video or whatever...

I only enjoy similar viewing on utube, if it's on a track or other safe/controlled conditions/locations...

As I've said before anyone who committs such acts on public road ways should be dealt with in a very severe manner, it's just not on, especially when endangering other innocent people :mad:


Agreed, but comon we are all guilty of it doing it at some stage or another ..... maybe not 300 though.

if its a dark deserted road and no traffic. ahh who am I to be judging ?!

[Wraith]

Agreed, but comon we are all guilty of it doing it at some stage or another ..... maybe not 300 though.

if its a dark deserted road and no traffic. ahh who am I to be judging ?!

True, but again speaking for myself, never at anywhere near those ballistic speeds and definitely not on trafficated roads and definitely wouldn't instigate or take part in a car chase, especially against law enforcement...that's just plain braindead behaviour !!!

[oneightoo]

i never speed anymore than about 10&#37; over the limit.. well not since i got off my suspension anyway ;)

[Tfer]

Do the crime.... do the time.

I am truly grateful that someone was watching over the others on the road around him....and kept them safe.

[Ice]

True, but again speaking for myself, never at anywhere near those ballistic speeds and definitely not on trafficated roads and definitely wouldn't instigate or take part in a car chase, especially against law enforcement...that's just plain braindead behaviour !!!


Agreed 300 is for formula one cars or the Drag strip !

[btm]

whilst we're on the topic...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/held-together-cars-263kmh-dash/2008/05/22/1211182965195.html

'Held together' car's 263kmh dash

A 21-year-old driver booked for doing 263 kmh in a 13-year-old car held together with cable ties.

Police stopped the 1995 Nissan 200sx turbo on the Hume Highway near Mittagong at 7.50pm yesterday.

Police allege the car's body kit was held on by cable ties, its dashboard was not secured, it had no back seats and its battery was held in place by a rag and a bracket. Highway patrol officers say there was a strong smell of fuel inside the car.

A red defect notice was issued to prevent the car from being driven until it is repaired.

It will be alleged the driver told police he had spent the day at a race track.

The 21-year-old Rouse Hill man was granted conditional bail and he is expected to appear in Moss Vale Local Court on June 16 charged with driving at a speed dangerous to the public.

[Wraith]

There simply are too many of these young wankers around !!!

Whenever the arguement for justification for insurance premium amounts for young drivers comes up - well here's their justification, unfortunately all have to suffer because of these f*#*#*g retards out there :mad:

[poita]

drift pig FTW!!!

fukin idiots!

in qld ther eis a spate of new idiots, how drive to or from court for driving without a licence.
one guy on the gold coast drove to court, police met him outside wen he got there. impounded his car, arrested him, and added it to his next court appearance. genius.....

[xplosv57]

Would love to know how he got a 200SX to 260+, must've had some damn tall gearing in it!!!

Deuchebag nonetheless!!!

[Orion_996]

Thats plenty ****ing stupid... morons, give all the youth a bad name.

Even though I'm almost out of that bracket (turn 25 in couple of months) I feel sorry for all the new drivers and the hard arse regulations these days, just because of pricks like these, makes my blood boil :mad: