The driver “waited six months to request a record tour of the UK so as not to rush law enforcement”

A young racing driver who completed the 837-mile journey between Land’s End and John O’Groats in a record nine hours at an average speed of 89 mph was tried three years later for dangerous driving and corruption of justice.

Driving from one end of the UK to the other by “extremely dangerous” means, 29-year-old Thomas Davies waited six months before announcing he had made the trip to avoid speedy prosecution.

Davies, from Corwen in North Wales, drove his 4.2-liter Audi S5 with an extra fuel tank in the trunk through 15 police areas and at least 50 speed cameras without receiving a single ticket in September 2017.

Only one FG1 Phantom fighter plane reportedly completed the trip faster, and Google Maps estimates the trip time to be nearly 15 hours, which means Davies shaved nearly six hours in that time.

Three years after the end of the trip, he appeared at Truro Crown Court on charges of two dangerous drives over the average speed at which he traveled through Scotland and England.

He is also accused of tampering with the Path of Justice for using false license plates, displaying false license plates to avoid speed traps and equipping his Audi with speed trap detectors discovered during a police operation.

Davies reportedly set his record six months later so as not to be prosecuted for speeding. In the UK, legal proceedings for over speeding must be initiated within six months of the incident.

Prosecutor Ryan Murray told Truro Crown Court: “This is a case about two tips from the UK – John O’Groats in north Scotland and Land’s End here in Cornwall and the defendant’s ambition to travel from one of those spots to the other. ” in a motor vehicle faster than ever before. It’s also about illegal methods by which he achieved his ambition. ‘

Davies from Corwen in North Wales is currently on trial for two dangerous journeys in a specially adapted Audi S5 with a 4.2 liter VA engine. He is also accused of tampering with the process of justice for displaying false license plates

They built a fuel tank in the trunk that extended the car’s range from 250 miles to over 400 miles, which meant they only had to stop once

A map shows the route Davies took from John O’Groats to Land’s End in September 2017

He stopped only once to refuel on the strategically designed route and made sure to break Neal Champion’s 1984 record of 11 hours and 14 minutes.

Mr Murray said that holding a record is “worth very little if you can’t tell the world about it,” adding, “Why did he wait until April 2018? It seems that this was a conscious choice.”

“Speeding in this country must be prosecuted within six months of their entry. It is clear that the defendant knew this and thought that if he waited more than six months, he could not be prosecuted. “

Mr Murray said it would normally take about 15 hours to get to John O’Groats from Land’s End, but Davies made it in nine hours and 36 minutes.

He claimed Davies’ average speed was 89 mph, which he called “an extremely dangerous way to drive”.

The prosecutor told the court, “To travel 841 miles during this time, the drive must be fast, very fast indeed. You may think this is obvious. After all, speed records are not easily broken by vehicles that drive slowly.

“How fast the vehicle went is a question of simple physics. Speed ​​corresponds to the distance over time. You take the distance traveled, divide it by the time it takes, and get the speed. If you do the math in this case, you will get this – an average speed of 87.6 km / h.

“If you take a refueling stop into account, you will reach an average speed of more than 100 km / h. Prosecutors say this is an extremely dangerous way to drive for some reason. ‘

They installed detectors to record speed cameras and police radio signals so they could track their movements

The specially adapted Audi S5 with a 4.2 liter VA engine

The start of the drive at John O’Groats at 8pm, timed so that they drive through the most populated areas at night

The petrol heads stopped once to refuel and met two friends with 150 gallons of petrol in a van at an intersection near Lancaster at 1:18 p.m. before arriving at Land’s End at 5:36 a.m.

Police searched Davies’ house in August 2018 and found a silver Audi A5 S5 car that he said broke the record, and an additional 80-liter fuel tank in the trunk that rattled freely in the trunk and didn’t seal was.

The officers also found four transponders known as jammers – two under the front license plate and two under the rear license plate – that are used to detect a speed laser. Mr. Murray claimed Davies used these devices to “avoid detection”.

He also claimed that Davies used fake license plates to get away with the speed.

The fake signs are said to be linked to someone who also owns an Audi A5, but that the vehicle has never left Ireland and that he has no knowledge of the accused. Mr Murray claimed the plates had been cloned.

He told the court: “The benefit of using fake signs is obvious to someone who wants to commit crimes on the street – this avoids detection.

Usually the license plate is associated with a car and then with the registered owner. When it is watched by a camera doing something it shouldn’t be, the letters are sent to the person who is registered as the owner of the vehicle.

“That cannot happen with counterfeit plates. The police would pursue information that simply doesn’t exist. ‘

Davies denies the charges and his trial continues.

Young racing drivers? Speeding drivers are now more likely to be middle-aged, as studies show Audi owners are the worst culprits

A survey of 6,000 UK motorists aged 17 to 80 found that those aged 41 to 60 who do so for 6.6 percent of their total time at the wheel are most likely to exceed the speed limit.

It also found that Audi drivers are the worst culprits, crossing the line 8.7 percent of the time, followed by BMW drivers at 8.3 percent.

A new study shows that those who accelerate the most are actually middle-aged – and the worst of them all drive upscale Audis. (File photo). In fact, three of the five brands driven by the die-hard speeders are German

In fact, three of the five brands that are driven by the die-hard speeders are German, with Mercedes in fifth place with 7.7 percent. Jaguar and Land Rover, both now owned by Tata Motors of India, come in third and fourth.

The slowest drivers drive Suzuki and only drive 4.2 percent of their kilometers.

In terms of age, the over 65s are the second fastest group, crossing the line 6.5 percent of the time, followed by young drivers aged 17 to 25 (6.2 percent) and the group of 26 to 40 Years (6.1 percent). Regionally, drivers in Scotland have the worst record and exceed the limit in 7.6 percent of the cases.

Gareth Boyes, 42, of Edinburgh, says he sees a lot of fast moving drivers on his way to Glasgow, and most of them are middle-aged hatchbacks.

“You don’t see that many young racers anymore – but maybe they are not out of bed yet!” He added.

The new numbers come as the government considers introducing tiered licenses with restrictions on new drivers – such as not driving at night, carrying multiple passengers, or driving the most powerful cars.

The speed research was carried out by the Smartdriver Club, which monitors speed and mileage and rewards more cautious drivers with cheaper insurance.

Boss Penny Searles said the company would welcome a graduate driver’s license but added, “Our analysis shows that experience doesn’t always mean safer driving.

“Drivers in their forties have that classic combination of hard work and pressure at home that can make them sluggish when they get behind the wheel.

“Our customers like the fact that they receive a gentle reminder from us when they have exceeded the speed limit or have frequently braked heavily.”