Topic: "I wasn’t even passing a lot of cars." Charge at 243 k/hr

[Ex-airbalancer]

DO you think he will win his fight
http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1180314
OPP say Mark Volante didn’t set a record for the fastest driver ever on Highway 401 — but he came close.

On Sunday afternoon, the OPP Aircraft Enforcement Program was monitoring aggressive drivers on Highway 401, west of Port Hope.

Spotter in the aircraft, Sgt. Norm Shaw of the Highway Safety Division, noticed a motorcycle traveling at a very excessive speed.

"It simply, literally appeared like a streak."

Police pulled the vehicle over and charged the driver under the Stunt Racing law for traveling at 243 kph.

"It was rapidly passing everything it came upon," said Sgt. Shaw.

Although there have been other vehicles traveling faster, Sgt. Shaw stated, it was "one of the highest clocked, stopped and processed" vehicles police had ever scene.

Mark Volante, 28, was coming from his home in Toronto to a friend's barbeque in Picton riding his 2007 600-cc motorcycle.

Mr. Volante spoke to Northumberland Publishers while waiting for his fiancée to pick him up at Tim Horton’s in Port Hope.

Mr. Volante sat outside with his motorcycle helmet and gloves. He was holding his ticket in one hand, using a Blackberry in the other.

"I was going with the speed limit," Mr. Volante adamantly admits. "I don’t think I was going 150 kph because I wasn’t even passing a lot of cars."

He admits he’s got a speeding ticket previously, but none in the last three years.

Mr. Volante says he drives cautiously because he’s "scared" of his motorcycle he bought in April.

After being his Sunday speeding ticket, Mr. Volante said he was "shocked."

"Who wouldn’t be pissed off? " he asks. "It’s my word against the officer."

He said he plans fighting the ticket.

"To decide right on the spot, to be judge, jury and executioner, I think that’s way too much power,"

OPP Commiss Mr. Volante says.

OPP Commisioner Julian Fantino described a motorcycle traveling at that speed would be a "rocket."

"I don’t know what his take on the world, " Com. Fantino says. "It borders on people wanting to commit suicide."

Commissioner Fantino said since Friday there have been 113 people charged with traveling over 50 kph above the posted speed limit.

"These people push it to the limit and people think their invincible and their not."

Mr. Volante’s motorcycle was impounded for seven days. He said the tow truck driver told him it would cost $275 for the tow, and $50 a day for the impound fee. When told the minimum fine is $2,000, Mr. Volante commented, "that’s a nice bite in the ass."

"It’s a nice sunny day and you can’t go out there and ride you’re bike."

[Achtung]

When you burn yourself..you have to deal with the blisters.. But his statement is funny indeed. Might try that one out soon..

[tenpenny]

'I was going the speed limit'....of what, his bike?

Suck it up, princess.  You were speeding, stop being a wussy, and accept the consequences.  Nobody wants to accept the consequences of their actions.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

'I was going the speed limit'....of what, his bike?

Suck it up, princess.  You were speeding, stop being a wussy, and accept the consequences.  Nobody wants to accept the consequences of their actions.

This is true. Tough as tough can be blowing through traffic, but get caught, then they squeal like little girls.

Man up Nancy. Pay the fine and smarten the fark up next time.

[gottarondo]

"These people push it to the limit and people think their invincible and their not."

"It’s a nice sunny day and you can’t go out there and ride you’re bike."

The newspaper printed it like this???  They should get a ticket.

[dr_spock]

Maybe he'll get a sympathic judge or no-show cop. 

[PJungnitsch]

That's the trouble with the high-powered sport bikes, without a handy autobahn around you can't use a quarter of their abilities legally. Riding them has to be a big exercise in frustration.

[quadzilla]

Hope they throw the book at him. No pitty here.

I've had bikes fly by me at 200+kph (them) and it scares the out of you. Plus, it is really hard to see them coming up that fast when they weave in/out of traffic. Just a statistic waiting to happen.

[Rupert]

Why is it not a $12,000 fine like the guy out west.

[Angry Chicken]

"These people push it to the limit and people think their invincible and their not."

"It’s a nice sunny day and you can’t go out there and ride you’re bike."

The newspaper printed it like this???  They should get a ticket.

Amen.  Your/You're (pick one) kidding, right/write (pick one)?  Three grammar errors over the legal limit and there/their/they're (pick one) word processor application should be impounded!

/Eric

[dr_spock]

Their copy editor should be fined $10K and have his computer keyboard impounded for seven days. 

[dorin]

I still don't see what the big deal is.  200+ km/h is fast but not particularly bad if you have good enough visibility.  Part of the problem is that people get hysterical when anyone is faster than they're used to going.  The other part is that Canadian drivers are pussies about speed in general.

[prufrock]

I still don't see what the big deal is.  200+ km/h is fast but not particularly bad if you have good enough visibility.  Part of the problem is that people get hysterical when anyone is faster than they're used to going.  The other part is that Canadian drivers are pussies about speed in general.

.

Take it to the track.

It's simply taking others' lives into your own stupid hands when going that fast.

[vdk]

 

Most drivers are not mentally capable of 200kph speeds.

[Snowman]

The crotch rocket gang drive 275 in the canyon of speed here at the west end of the creator. The OPP don’t even try to catch them. It is amazing to see them pass you like you are standing still while driving 235.

[montrealvue]

I just travelled the same route from Toronto to Montreal today.  I set the cruise at 111 km/h and got home in one piece (and got 6.9 L/100km in a V6 SUV).  Why should this idiot have the right to endanger my family when I am driving at a reasonable speed?  Losing his bike for a week is a slap on the wrist.  If he hit the back of my truck at that speed my kids would be dead.  Jailtime and a 5 year licence suspension might make this moron realize his actions are reprehensible.

[johngenx]

Those who have never ridden a performance bike cannot fathom how fast they can accelerate, even at over 200km/h.  It is NOTHING like being in a car.

The problem with riding such a machine is not the absolute speed.  If you crash at 300km/h, well, you're dead.  You made the choice to ride that fast, and you paid the price.  The problem is that we have people with little experience (many high performance bikes are sold to new riders) riding at a speed much higher than the surrounding traffic.  It is that difference in speed that causes problems.  Big problems.

I once drove across Montana in a high-performance Mercedes, and I was often near the 250km/h speed limiter.  This was during the period of no limits on some Montana highways.  Traffic was very light, flowing at about 140-150, and I would always back down to 160 or so passing to keep that difference low, even on the divided highway.  Don't trust people not to change lanes, or whatever.

I don't drive nearly as fast as I used to.  Congested highways are useless for traveling fast, and the numbers of poor drivers seem to have increased right along with the numbers of cars on the roads.  Personally, I would never ride 250 on a motorcycle on a North American highway unless it was early on a Sunday morning on a deserted highway.  Just too many morons out there now...

[TopGun]

Volante in Italian is "flying"...yup...he sure was!

[tenpenny]

What some people don't grasp is that, at those speeds, the other traffic won't even see you coming up behind them.  Somebody doing say 120 will pull out to pass a truck, because the passing lane is clear.  Except buddy doing 250 km/h suddenly appears in the back seat.  At those speeds, by the time the existing traffic is aware of your approach, you're already there. 

I really don't care if he kills himself, that's no matter to me.  It's what happens to the innocent people around him that is the issue.  He's endangering other lives, and that's the issue.

[Tbirder97]

Mr. Volante commented,"That's a nice bite out of my ass."......

I wonder if his head was there,as well.He'll have a hell of a time getting insurance...after he gets his licence back. When he does, it will cost him a fortune.
My bet is that he'll end up driving with no insurance,judging from his attitude.