Mystery Formula 1 driver from D4 motorway apprehended after 6 years of cat-and-mouse
He was the phantom of the D4 motorway: every summer social media filled with video footage of a red Formula 1-type car ripping down the D4, zigzagging from lane to lane regardless of the safety of others. And he eluded the police every time. On Sunday, after six years, they finally caught up with him.
The Formula 1-type car first appeared on the D4 motorway in 2019, racing between Voznice, Dobříš, and Příbram in central and southern Bohemia. Although the driver repeated the joyrides every summer, moreover along the same highway, he managed to get away every time. The police repeatedly appealed for witnesses to share their camera footage, and at one point even managed to trace the suspected driver, but the man denied the charge and because he wore a helmet the police could not prove that he had been at the wheel of his red Formula1-type car.
At the end of August, the very same car hit the highway once again and once again got away with it. When it reappeared on Sunday morning, police were ready for him. Police spoke woman Michaela Richterova says officers were alerted to his whereabouts by several drivers.
“This morning, shortly after 8 a.m., motorists reported a red GP2 single-seater with no license plate at a petrol station near Dobris and minutes later it was sighted speeding down the D4 motorway.”
This time, police moved quickly. The driver ignored orders to stop and several patrol cars and a helicopter pursued him to his own backyard in the village of Buk some 60 km from Prague. On driving through the gates, the man refused to remove his helmet or get out to the car insisting that officers had no right to request his ID on private property. That argument didn’t hold: he was arrested and taken into custody, still dressed in Ferrari gear.
After six years of cat-and-mouse, police finally identified the 51-year-old driver. The police have not revealed his identity, but it was disclosed that a breathalyzer test had revealed no alcohol or drugs. During questioning the man refused to comment. He now faces a fine of at least ten thousand crowns and a one-year driving ban. According to CNN Prima news the driver is a former police officer.
He will be charged with several offences from being a threat to public safety to driving a vehicle not proved for public roads, the absence of liability insurance and a motorway vignette, among others.
Formula-style cars are not street legal in the Czech Republic. They lack essential features such as license plates, turn signals, and roadworthiness approval.
The driver’s last joyride has once again made social media networks but judging by the evidence against him it may be his last for a long while.
