Britons arrested for illegal car racing in France 04/10/2006 00:00

AGEN, France, Oct 3, 2006 (AFP) - Six Britons and a Polish driver were arrested Tuesday for taking part in an illegal high-speed race across southwestern France reserved for the millionaire owners of ultra-powerful sports cars, police said.

All were released after paying fines.

The drivers were participating in an unofficial contest called the Black Carbon Rally -- a cross-country competition in which Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys and other costly cars are pushed to their limits by their wealthy owners.

The race involved getting from Kent in England to Milan in Italy, via Bordeaux, Barcelona and Geneva in the shortest time.

The Polish driver arrested Tuesday was clocked driving at more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) per hour in a Bentley.

He had to cough up 1,500 euros (1,900 dollars) to police and promise to appear in court next January for reckless driving.

The six Britons -- driving a Porsche, a Ferrari and other exotic machines -- got off with 90-euro fines because rain prevented police from accurately recording their speeds, estimated in excess of 150 kilometres per hour.

The top limit on French tollways is 130 kilometres per hour.

Police said that on Monday they had registered speeds of over 200 kilometres an hour by a Porsche driven by a Swede and a Lamborghini with another Briton at the wheel. Their vehicles were confiscated and they, too, faced court.

According to officers, five or six of the dangerous rallies occur each year, with all of them starting in Britain.

Copyright AFP

Subject: French news