Bad publicity (and that's not the worst)

[Paul Franssen]

First thing I heard on the radio news this morning was that Sunday morning, 2 Porsches had been in a race on the Brussels to Germany autobahn (speed limit 120 kph), one of the cars hit the steel impact barrier and somehow dragged a lighting pole along for over 100 meters before coming to a stop and bursting into flames. Both occupants deceased. Police state the speedometer was blocked at 250 kph.
Today, a major Belgian newspaper blockletters "PORSCHES RACE TO DEATH". The other Porsche was stopped near Spa, the driver and owners of the car appears to be a Belgian inhabitant of Monaco, and on the radio it was said he was a professional racing pilot due to participate at the 1000 km of Spa... He has been arrested and charged with driving at excessive speed as well as manslaughter.
Kinda sobers me up, be it said ... at the expense of others.

[k9handler]

damn...at least you made it back with no incident, was this on the same autobahn you came on?

[jluetjen]

Any comments from our street racing compadres???

[Paul Franssen]

Yes, Smitty, it was on there very same E40 Brussels-Ličge (Lüttich) i took to drive (past Spa...) to Kaiserslautern. I didn't see them, though (and pleased about that).
I admit to having done 225 on the German autobahn yesterday, for a very short period - I feel much more comfortable at 160 (k). In Germany, it's legal (but I would not go beyond that statement, in truth...). So, in Germany, those kind of speeds, yes, they exist, and drivers drive in consequence: very disciplined "stay to the right" as against "be fast at the left, and check before you go".

But in Belgium, it's different. It's less "systematic", drivers are relying on that 120 kph legal limit, and here 250 kph on a normal "autobahn" are a guaranteed danger to man and animal: no one expects that kind of stuff and, you know, ...with others doing that kind of speeds, slower traffice would have to keep checking their rear view mirros .. about every second out of two???

Bad publicity, and the way the word PORSCHE stands out....there's a general witch-hunt going on against "speed devils"...

[Paul Franssen]

Turns out BOTH Porsches were owned by the same (surviving) owner, Monaco license plates... The jet set at work!