Ross Brawn facing 100mph driving ban!

FORMULA 1 boss Ross Brawn is to expected to appear in court in Plymouth accused of driving at 100mph on the A30 in Devon.

Brawn, in charge of two of the world's best drivers in Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello, could be banned from the road himself after allegedly clocking a ton in his Mercedes.

The team principal of the Brawn team was allegedly driving on the A30 at Sourton heading towards Cornwall at 100mph on May 30.

The speed limit on the dual carriageway is 70mph.

Mr Brawn, aged 54, of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, was listed to appear before Plymouth magistrates but his solicitors wrote to the court asking for an adjournment because he is out of the country.

His team is racing in Spain and Belgium in the next few weeks.

No plea has been entered.

Mr Brawn, before heading the team which bears his name, was previously team principal of the Honda Formula 1 team and was also technical director of the Ferrari and Benetton teams.

His career on the Grand Prix circuit dates back to 1976 when he was a machinist with the Williams team.

Mr Brawn, boss of championship leader Jensen Button and fourth-placed Rubens Barrichello, has seen his team reach the top of the constructors' standings after 10 races.

Magistrates agreed to adjourn the case until Friday September 4, when Mr Brawn will be expected to appear.

Luckily for Mr Brawn there is no race that weekend.

The court has the power to disqualify him from driving.


http://www.thisisply...il/article.html

jimjimjeroo, on Aug 4 2009, 10:04, said:

FORMULA 1 boss Ross Brawn is to expected to appear in court in Plymouth accused of driving at 100mph on the A30 in Devon.

Brawn, in charge of two of the world's best drivers in Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello, could be banned from the road himself after allegedly clocking a ton in his Mercedes.

The team principal of the Brawn team was allegedly driving on the A30 at Sourton heading towards Cornwall at 100mph on May 30.

The speed limit on the dual carriageway is 70mph.

Mr Brawn, aged 54, of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, was listed to appear before Plymouth magistrates but his solicitors wrote to the court asking for an adjournment because he is out of the country.

His team is racing in Spain and Belgium in the next few weeks.

No plea has been entered.

Mr Brawn, before heading the team which bears his name, was previously team principal of the Honda Formula 1 team and was also technical director of the Ferrari and Benetton teams.

His career on the Grand Prix circuit dates back to 1976 when he was a machinist with the Williams team.

Mr Brawn, boss of championship leader Jensen Button and fourth-placed Rubens Barrichello, has seen his team reach the top of the constructors' standings after 10 races.

Magistrates agreed to adjourn the case until Friday September 4, when Mr Brawn will be expected to appear.

Luckily for Mr Brawn there is no race that weekend.

The court has the power to disqualify him from driving.


http://www.thisisply...il/article.html

That's a bit unlucky. I was caught doing 98 and all they did was illuminate a slow down sign in the back window of the police car, then once I'd slowed down to 70 they drove off and put the wind up the next guy .

Fever!

He was showing Button how to get heat into his tyres

mountford, on Aug 4 2009, 09:30, said:

He was showing Button how to get heat into his tyres

undersquare, on Aug 4 2009, 10:20, said:

That's a bit unlucky. I was caught doing 98 and all they did was illuminate a slow down sign in the back window of the police car, then once I'd slowed down to 70 they drove off and put the wind up the next guy .

That's a shame, I would do 240Kph and more on the high way in Germany without issues, 200 in Belgium (the limit is 120!) but the cops don't worry you much unless you go above 140 Kph, do 160Kph and the cops fine you 150 Euros - if caught of course, you get the bill at home and have a couple of weeks to pay unless you contest it, in which case the court will settle it and usually you lose, pay more and may even get a driving ban so most people usually pay up.

In France, the cop wll give you an on the spot fine which you must pay right there and then - they even accept credit card payment!

I think most people in mainland Europe do an average of 140Kph, well in Belgium at least without hassles.

jimjimjeroo, on Aug 4 2009, 10:04, said:

No plea has been entered.

Well, it would just be a load of "blah blah blah" anyway.

Snap Matt, on Aug 4 2009, 10:38, said:

Well, it would just be a load of "blah blah blah" anyway.

*waves*

Autosport has him doing 161mph apparently?!! http://www.autosport...ne.php/id/77546

Quote

Ross Brawn is facing a driving ban after being caught speeding on a public road in southwest England, British media reported on Tuesday.

The team boss was reportedly driving a Mercedes-Benz at 161mph on a road in Okehampton, Devon where the limit was 70.

What the...

For some reason, this kind of story just makes me laugh.

jimjimjeroo, on Aug 4 2009, 10:04, said:

Brawn, in charge of two of the world's best drivers in Jensen Button and Rubens Barrichello, could be banned from the road himself after allegedly clocking a ton in his Mercedes. http://www.thisisply...il/article.html

Edited by mountford, 04 August 2009 - 10:47.

If the 161 figure is correct then that's absolutely appalling, quite frankly. Someone could easily pull out into the road quite legitimately seeing it as clear and suddenly find a Merc bearing down on them that had been half a mile away when the manoeuvre started.

wj_gibson, on Aug 4 2009, 13:48, said:

If the 161 figure is correct then that's absolutely appalling, quite frankly. Someone could easily pull out into the road quite legitimately seeing it as clear and suddenly find a Merc bearing down on them that had been half a mile away when the manoeuvre started.

Maybe it's 161kph, not mph. Consistent with the 100mph reports.

Edited by Victor_RO, 04 August 2009 - 10:49.

Victor_RO, on Aug 4 2009, 11:49, said:

Maybe it's 161kph, not mph. Consistent with the 100mph reports.

Guessing you're correct. Which begs the question: why are Autosport using kph as opposed to mph in the first place? Very strange.

Victor_RO, on Aug 4 2009, 11:49, said:

Maybe it's 161kph, not mph. Consistent with the 100mph reports.

I would hope so, because 161mph puts you squarely into 'Go Directly To Jail - Do Not Pass GO' territory.

perhaps the testing ban made Brawn fit some components (upgrade of diffuser etc) on this merc and test them on the road... maybe there is much more to this story..... i think the FIA should get involved.... inspect his merc...

Wow, 100 mph? I do that every time I take my Ford Fiesta to the highway. And I'm constantly being overtaken by minivans in the process.

I am pretty sure it is 100mph and not 161 mph (a simple google search reveals the truth )

mountford, on Aug 4 2009, 10:30, said:

He was showing Button how to get heat into his tyres

Hippo, on Aug 4 2009, 11:54, said:

Wow, 100 mph? I do that every time I take my Ford Fiesta to the highway. And I'm constantly being overtaken by minivans in the process.

There are quite a lot of accidents on the stretch of the A30 where he was supposedly caught, so my guess is that the police are being vigilant in that area.

Sigh... I wish we were able to do even 70mph legally here in Australia...

Oh well - guess I have to go to Phillip Island for another track day next weekend and do double that...





Pssst... Someone tell Ross to do it on the track and not the street...

Edited by krapmeister, 04 August 2009 - 11:08.

Victor_RO, on Aug 4 2009, 10:49, said:

Maybe it's 161kph, not mph. Consistent with the 100mph reports.

161mph = 257kph.

That is very quick indeed...

Seems it's been changed on Autosport now to 100mph.

I'm a bit miffed about this to be honest. Ross was down in my neck of the woods and he didn't even pop in for a cup of tea. I think that is the height of rudeness.

Reminds me of this thread

lokiman, on Aug 4 2009, 12:58, said:

There are quite a lot of accidents on the stretch of the A30 where he was supposedly caught, so my guess is that the police are being vigilant in that area.

Yeah, was just saying, that 100mph isn't exactly an outrageous speed as some seem to think. I remember giving some American friends of mine a ride from the airport to their hotel once. I was cruising the highway in my Rover at about 130mph. When I looked in the mirror I saw my pals daughter's face and she was terrified. That was hilarious.

If Brawn inflicted some speed limit he deserves a penalty for it though.

smartie_f1, on Aug 4 2009, 12:03, said:

I'm a bit miffed about this to be honest. Ross was down in my neck of the woods and he didn't even pop in for a cup of tea. I think that is the height of rudeness.

Reminds me of this thread

He told me he'd called you but there was no answer. So he took the A30 route to Cornwall rather than the A38 ....

maybe he could get off the hook, allowing to put his name on a childrens book about traffic saffety - thats what Fisichella did...

smartie_f1, on Aug 4 2009, 12:03, said:

I'm a bit miffed about this to be honest. Ross was down in my neck of the woods and he didn't even pop in for a cup of tea. I think that is the height of rudeness.

Reminds me of this thread

Just reading that for the first time. Entertaining read

He shouldn't be driving his F1 cars on the road, ok one way to get around the testing ban, use your own car for transport....

Look at his jolly face!


Butter wouldn't melt in his mouth

Me? Make a driver take his penalty in the pit lane after he's crossed the line? Me? Design a DDD that breaks that spirit of the ruels? Never!

Just another case to highlight how outdated and archaic the speeding laws are.

When Barbara Castle brought in this law, there was a need for it because at that time 70mph was about the max that the cars of that time could attain safely. Nowadays, with the advancement of brakes, tyres and not least, the MPG (at the time, it was more to do with petrol consumption than safety) that even the most modest of modern cars can achieve, the speeding laws need to be updated. IMHO it would be far better to harass the middle lane morons and treat speeding on a time and circumstance criteria.

Edited by ForeverF1, 04 August 2009 - 11:36.

Police: "Who do you think you are, Jenson Button?"

100mph in a 70 will not result in a ban. Only a fine, it seems unlikley he will face a ban.

Seeing the way people drive at 70 mph, while I would love the speed limit to be higher, I don't think if you average out the talent of most drivers if it would be a smart idea.

ForeverF1, on Aug 4 2009, 06:35, said:

Just another case to highlight how outdated and archaic the speeding laws are.

When Barbara Castle brought in this law, there was a need for it because at that time 70mph was about the max that the cars of that time could attain safely. Nowadays, with the advancement of brakes, tyres and not least, the MPG (at the time, it was more to do with petrol consumption than safety) that even the most modest of modern cars can achieve, the speeding laws need to be updated. IMHO it would be far better to harass the middle lane morons and treat speeding on a time and circumstance criteria.

QFT.

Ross was clearly circumnavigating the testing ban!

dank, on Aug 4 2009, 11:01, said:

Seems it's been changed on Autosport now to 100mph.

With another front page correction...

I know it is a small team but does Autosport.com employ subs?

PNSD, on Aug 4 2009, 12:39, said:

Police: "Who do you think you are, Jenson Button?"

100mph in a 70 will not result in a ban. Only a fine, it seems unlikley he will face a ban.

isn't 30mph over the limit an instant loss of licence?

ForeverF1, on Aug 4 2009, 12:35, said:

Just another case to highlight how outdated and archaic the speeding laws are.

When Barbara Castle brought in this law, there was a need for it because at that time 70mph was about the max that the cars of that time could attain safely. Nowadays, with the advancement of brakes, tyres and not least, the MPG (at the time, it was more to do with petrol consumption than safety) that even the most modest of modern cars can achieve, the speeding laws need to be updated. IMHO it would be far better to harass the middle lane morons and treat speeding on a time and circumstance criteria.

The technology has changed but people's ability to react, concentrate and their perception of risk hasn't (if anything the last has gone the wrong way because cars are much safer)

That said I would like to see the limit on motorways increased - limits in towns are by and large correct just wish people didn't ignore them

PNSD, on Aug 4 2009, 12:39, said:

Police: "Who do you think you are, Jenson Button?"

100mph in a 70 will not result in a ban. Only a fine, it seems unlikley he will face a ban.

100 on a dual-carrigeway, NOT a motorway, will probably result in a ban.

Edited by Youichi, 04 August 2009 - 12:20.

I wonder how many F1 team personal drive like absolute madmen when on the roads?

I saw that excellent documentary on the McLaren team's 1993 season recently.

One team mechanic driving a van full of engineers to Magny Cours circuit said almost everyone in pitlane was a frustrated racing driver.

I also remember reading Frank Williams had considered entering himself as a driver in a low-level racing series because friend's felt his driving on the road was getting a little out of hand.

Quote

WESTCOUNTRY motorists were issued with a fine every five minutes – raking in an estimated £5.7 million for the Government – according to latest figures released by the Home Office, writes WMN chief reporter Andy Greenwood.

Devon and Cornwall Police issued a total of 119,000 tickets for motoring offences in 2007, second only to London's Metropolitan Police. It was also second in the table after dishing out 62,549 speeding tickets.

The Met, which has 31,000 police officers, serves a population of around 7.4 million people. Devon and Cornwall Police, which has 3,500 officers, serves an estimated 1.5 million people.

Meanwhile, the Devon and Cornwall force was in the bottom 10 forces for the number of written warnings it issued to motorists.

It issued 138 warnings, all for unauthorised taking of theft of vehicles. None was given to those caught exceeding the speed limit.

Source

There are several speed cameras along that part of the A30, and a number of unmarked police cars.

Ross should have used the back roads. Only single carriageway, but police there are as common as flat-chested Page 3 girls.

Andy Davies, on Aug 4 2009, 13:19, said:

The technology has changed but people's ability to react, concentrate and their perception of risk hasn't (if anything the last has gone the wrong way because cars are much safer)

That said I would like to see the limit on motorways increased - limits in towns are by and large correct just wish people didn't ignore them

I totally agree with your statement about towns, but, I would ask you to rethink the perception of risk. Admittedly, there are some who should never be allowed behind the steering wheel of a car but there are far fewer multiple car pile ups than there used to be, even though the volume of traffic has increased tremendously. IMO, this is due to a more awareness of the risks when driving, probably championed by the road safety campaigns.

To be honest I'm happy with the speedlimits mostly. Maybe 80mp/h on motorways.

Tell you what though, wish they'd fix the M4 into London. 40 mp/h and a vacant 'buslane' whoever came up with that needs to be shot.

kar, on Aug 4 2009, 13:45, said:

To be honest I'm happy with the speedlimits mostly. Maybe 80mp/h on motorways.

Tell you what though, wish they'd fix the M4 into London. 40 mp/h and a vacant 'buslane' whoever came up with that needs to be shot.

I think that was John Prescott's handiwork. There's a waiting list to join the firing squad.

When in London I get around by cycle.

Most motorists should be chained up a beaten to death in my experience, especially the fast and blind ones!

Hippo, on Aug 4 2009, 11:08, said:

When I looked in the mirror I saw my pals daughter's face and she was terrified. That was hilarious.

Hysterical

There's a word for blokes who like to terrify young women.

potmotr, on Aug 4 2009, 14:35, said:

When in London I get around by cycle.

Most motorists should be chained up a beaten to death in my experience, especially the fast and blind ones!

I would guess that a lot of motorists feel exactly the same way about cyclists too.

smartie_f1, on Aug 4 2009, 13:19, said:

isn't 30mph over the limit an instant loss of licence?

30mph over the limit = mandatory magistrates appearence, at which one of their powers is the loss of licence, but not mandatory loss of licence.

Gareth, on Aug 4 2009, 15:31, said:

30mph over the limit = mandatory magistrates appearence, at which one of their powers is the loss of licence, but not mandatory loss of licence.

Ah thanks!

Gareth, on Aug 4 2009, 15:31, said:

30mph over the limit = mandatory magistrates appearence, at which one of their powers is the loss of licence, but not mandatory loss of licence.

Yes, exactly 100 is the worst possible speed, all pain and no gain. 80's = never get stopped, 90's = risk of 3 points, 100+ = trouble.