Robby Gordon is one of the most talented drivers actively racing today. He’s made a mark in NASCAR, IndyCar, Baja, and lately, his own Stadium Super Trucks series. Whatever he’s driving, Gordon is known for his aggressive style and showmanship. Which an Australian judge, apparently, had no sense of humor about at all.
Gordon was fined “nearly $4,000 (Australian)” after authorities found out he’d taken his race truck onto Mitchell Street in downtown Darwin and ripped a few smokey donuts, according to ABC Australia.
For those of you who haven’t been there, Darwin is a small city but one of the few settlements of significance in Australia’s vast Northern Territory. Mitchell Street is the town’s central strip, lined with restaurants and bars.
Advertisement
Gordon, having won $5,000 for taking second place in the area’s Stadium Super Trucks event that went down on Friday, made no attempt to obfuscate the issue, explaining to the 9 News camera:
“We had a truck on display, I asked the two security guards, ‘Hey, you think I could flip a couple of doughies?’ They said, ‘I don’t care’,” he said, reported ABC.
But apparently, the club bouncers at Lizard’s Bar did not have the authority to authorize an impromptu tire-slaying sesh on Darwin’s main drag, as Gordon was hit with “a range of offenses, including driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle, driving in a dangerous manner, and driving a vehicle causing loss of traction.”
Advertisement
According to ABC, local Judge Richard Coats said:
“It’s one of the busiest streets in Darwin, I don’t believe the professional driving skills are an excuse,” telling Gordon: “I wish I could take away your professional licence, but unfortunately I don’t have the power to do that” and added he “would have considered sentencing Gordon to jail time for the stunt if he had been in trouble before.”
Which, come on man, did he not hear that the Lizard’s Bar guys were totally cool with it?
Advertisement
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport was not happy to hear about this silliness either, calling Gordon’s stunt “simply inexcusable.” CAMS isn’t kidding around at all- as the organization reports that its “Chief Executive Officer Eugene Arocca has now opted to indefinitely deny Mr. Gordon from applying for a Competition Visa on health and safety grounds.”
Dude. Straight up banned from racing in Australia? That’s, uh, I would have thought, a harder stunt to pull off than a couple donuts.
Gordon reportedly responded: “If that’s what [Judge Coats] feels is fair, then I’m good with that,” regarding his fine and the twelve-month local driving license suspension he got hit with, but we have not heard him comment on the racing banishment yet.
Advertisement
“It is what it is, and if we come back next year, obviously no donuts on Mitchell Street,” ABC quoted Gordon. Indeed, sounds like he might have some groveling to do to the Aussie authorities if that’s going to happen.
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
