- Victoria Police broke up an illegal street race in Melbourne’s southeastern suburb.
- A VW Golf R was caught doing 200 km/h (124 mph), in an 80 km/h (50 mph) zone.
- Officers found that the 18-year-old driver had a learner’s permit and was unaccompanied.
Getting a driver’s license is a milestone, equal parts freedom, responsibility, and, if you’re under 18 and unsupervised in a tuned Golf R, apparently an opportunity to test your Fast & Furious audition tape on public roads. One young man in Australia took that thrill a bit too far. He was recently caught street racing while still on his learner’s permit.
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According to Victoria Police, officers from the Casey Highway Patrol spotted two cars racing through the southeastern suburb of Cranbourne North in the early hours of Sunday, March 30.
Clocked at 200 km/h with the headlights off
A police report states that a blue Volkswagen Golf R was seen traveling at 200 km/h (124 mph) in an 80 km/h (50 mph) zone. The driver then allegedly switched off the headlights and attempted to flee the scene. Officers later found the car parked on a nearby street as the driver was exiting the vehicle. As if speeding and fleeing weren’t enough, the 18-year-old was also driving alone, another violation for someone on a learner’s permit.
In the state of Victoria, learner permits can be issued to individuals aged 16 or older. However, learner drivers must be supervised at all times by an individual with a full and current driver’s license. Obviously, this wasn’t the case with the wannabe street racer who got himself into big trouble.
The VW Golf R MK7, which police say appears to have aftermarket modifications,, was promptly impounded for 30 days. That alone will cost the young driver AU$1,138.10 (around US$717). But that’s just the beginning. He’s now facing multiple charges, including excessive speeding, taking part in an illegal street race, driving unaccompanied on a learner’s permit, and operating a vehicle at night without headlights.
Legal to learn in, not to keep
As noted by CarExpert, learner drivers in Victoria are legally permitted to drive high-performance vehicles like the Golf R, so long as they’re supervised. Once they graduate to a probationary license, however, vehicles in that category are off-limits for four years. So even if this driver had been following the rules, he’d still have had to part ways with the hot hatch soon enough.
Police say investigations are ongoing to identify the second driver involved in the street race.
