Heavy-footed V8 speedster hits 170kmh:

A driver who sped along one of New Zealand’s newest stretches of highway at 170kmh has been told by a judge to buy a Lotto ticket, after managing to keep his licence and dodge a big fine.

Joseph Waru, 32, pleaded guilty in the Palmerston North District Court on Thursday to driving in excess of 100kmh, which can only be punished by a fine of up to $1000.

But Judge Jim Large said Waru’s driving on February 25 could easily have left him charged with reckless or dangerous driving, which could have led to disqualification or jail.

Waru was clocked going 170kmh at 11.40am on the Ka¯ piti Expressway, near Paraparaumu, and was pulled over soon after.

According to court documents, Waru told police there was a domestic incident at his home and he wanted to check on his children.

He also spoke about the Holden he was driving, which duty lawyer Mike Andrews said was a new buy.

‘‘It’s a V8, bro. You put your foot down and you don’t even know it,’’ Waru told police.

Andrews said it was Waru’s first time driving the car, and he had already made adjustments to his driving style.

‘‘He is going to slow down, for a start, and use cruise control.’’

Waru had no previous convictions, had worked as a supervisor for 10 years and spent time taking care of his father, Andrews said.

The judge was shocked at both the level of the charge and to hear Waru’s car was not impounded.

‘‘You’ve gotta buy a Lotto ticket,’’ he told Waru.

The driving was poor, especially for that time of day, the judge said.

‘‘There would have been all sorts of people on the expressway.

‘‘Some could argue [the expressway] is like the autobahn in Germany, but it’s not the autobahn and we are not in Germany.

‘‘At 170kmh, your reaction time, if someone pulls out to overtake another vehicle, would have been such that you could well have collected them.’’

Waru was fined $950 and ordered to pay it at $50 a week.