Speeding Lotus boss spared ban so he can test drive new cars
AS THE vast majority of motorists are well aware, the A11 was not designed to test drive sports cars at breakneck speed. Most would assume that those who repeatedly did so would lose their licence for quite a while.
Not so, it would seem, if you are the boss of Lotus sport cars.
Jean-marc Gales, 54, was clocked at 102mph in a 70mph zone as he test drove one of his company’s new models near its Norwich headquarters.
He had already notched up eight points on his licence, but managed to persuade a magistrate that it was imperative not to gain any more to ensure that he could continue to test drive new cars himself.
The court heard that although the worldrenowned firm has engineers to test its cars, Gales likes to do so personally.
Simon Nicholls, defending, told Norwich magistrates’ court that a short ban rather than more points would be a better option.
He pointed out that Gales would still have eight points, meaning he would have to watch his speed in future and he insisted that sentencing guidelines were “handrails not handcuffs”.
Mary Wyndham, chairman of the bench, imposed a 30-day ban rather than more points. She told Mr Nicholls that his client, who was not in court, should avoid using the A11 to test his cars in future and stick to the test track instead.
When Mr Gales was caught doing 96mph on the same road in 2014, he was given five points and fined almost £400. If the same penalty had been applied for this latest offence, which took place on Jan 5 last year, it would have taken him off the A11 for at least six months.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at Brake, a road safety charity, said: “Driving over the speed limit is selfish, reckless and endangers lives.
“There is no justification for travelling at the speeds demonstrated in this case and Mr Gales should count himself lucky that he did not receive six points.”
Sentencing guidelines suggest that those driving in excess of 100mph in a 70mph zone are given six points or disqualified from driving for seven to 56 days.
Gales was fined £666 and ordered to pay £100 costs and a £66 victim surcharge.