Former F1 driver David Coulthard may head up road safety campaigns in Scotland, but he is often criticized by British tabloids for its disregard for road safety. The latest goof-up happened during the Gumball 3000 rally, when Coulthard was caught speeding by the French gendarmerie.
David is no stranger to driving fast and doing the sideways stuff for the amusement of others, but then again, the racing circuit is one thing and the public road is another. The police flashed him at 178 km/h (110 miles per hour), 48 clicks over the motorway speed limit (130 km/h).
If he were to push his Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series to 180 km/h (111 mph), Coulthard would’ve suffered a bigger consequence than paying a fine of €135, or about $155 at current exchange rates. According to the Code de la Route, drivers who are caught speeding at more than 50 km/h over the limit are fined €1,500 ($1,710). To boot, offending drivers also have to submit their driving licenses.
This isn’t the first time the French police has fined British racing drivers for speeding in the country of liberté, égalité, and fraternité. In 2000, F1 driver Jenson Button and his BMW 330 were clocked at 232 km/h (144 mph) near the town of Montpellier. In December 2007, Lewis Hamilton has had his driving license suspended for a month after his Mercedes-Benz CLK was clocked at 196 km/h (121 mph) in Laon. I’m not the type to make generalizations, but that’s how Formula 1 racecar drivers are.
Other than David Coulthard, the French police have caught 14 other Gumball 3000 participants speeding in the same place on the same highway. Local media reports that all drivers were spoken to and fined for their misbehavior. Beware of the French rozzers. Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond were also caught speeding in 2013 when both presenters received a three-month driving ban in France. Sacré bleu!
P.S.: Skip to the 30-second mark in the following video for the sauce.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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