Wannabe Baruth Arrested in Australia
Up until yesterday, there were only two Ferrari Californias on Australia’s streets. The number is now down to one. Police have impounded the rare Ferrari California being driven by Financial Review motoring writer Rod Easdown. Baruthian car and driver were clocked by Australia’s finest at 231kmh, more than twice the legal limit.
If Wikipedia has it right, at the turn of the 20th century in Australia, the term “hoon” meant “one who lived off immoral earnings (i.e., the proceeds of prostitution—a pimp or procurer of prostitutes.)”
Today, we are told, hoon is “a derogatory term used in Australia and New Zealand to refer to a person who engages in loutish, anti-social behavior. In particular, it is used to refer to one who drives in a manner which is anti-social by the standards of contemporary society, that is, fast, noisily or dangerously. Hoon activities can include speeding, street racing, burnouts, doughnuts or screeching tires. Those commonly identified as being involved in “honing” or street racing are young, predominantly male although increasingly female drivers in the age range of 17 and 35 years.“
The 57-year-old scribe doesn’t fit the profile but was charged with reckless driving nonetheless.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
More by Bertel Schmitt
Comments
Join the conversation
@ BMWnut WTF? You're joking right?? Here's how I would do it; 1. Have the road closed for the test. 2. Inspect the road surface for the test. 3. Examine the owner's manual for high speed driving checks (Ferrari's used to come with such manuals/pages). 4. Triple check the tires before the run. 5. Have medical attention handy. In short CONTROLLED conditions. If any of those things annoy you or you can't live with them, take it to the track!!! Such people are ruining the roads for the rest of us who just want to go about our business without cameras or other such heavy handed "enforcement".
I've driven out there a few times, and ridden my mountain bike out there sometimes. It is very rural, with narrow roads in a hilly area. I don't recall if I have been on Julimar Road. Maybe.. but it is not the main road. Regarding roos. It depends on what time of day he was racing. They tend to sleep during the heat of the mid day. Early morning and late afternoon are the most dangerous time since they are moving around feeding. I suspect, given the vehicle and the road, he would have been fine. But rules are rules. He was busted and now he has to pay the price.