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UK racers wear out their welcome on Spain's roads

Powerful luxury cars involved in the British ``Cannonball Run'' sit confiscated in the custody of Catalonian regional police in Spain yesterday. PHOTO: EPA

They were promised an "unforgettable adventure" but on Monday the mainly British owners of 70 high performance cars who entered a Cannonball Run competition across Europe were desperately trying to get their vehicles back from the Spanish police.

Police in Girona, northeast Spain, said they had impounded Ferraris, Porsches and Rolls-Royces, hauling in the drivers for taking part in what they claimed was an illegal race on public roads.

"We caught two of the cars doing more than 200kph along the motorway," a police spokeswoman said Monday night.

Patrol units across the northeastern region of Catalonia had been warned to keep an eye out for a further 50 cars, all carrying race numbers, which were thought to be taking part in the event, she said.

The spokeswoman said that only the two speeding drivers had been arrested. The others had their cars impounded when they reached a motorway toll gate near Girona, and may be obliged to pay traffic fines to get them back.

Tim Porter, organizer of the Cannonball Run Europe, said on Monday night that his clients were not racing and were simply on a holiday drive from London to Benidorm.
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