Gendarme flashes Panis at 212 km/hr

The Autoroute Blanche A40/E25 between Geneva and Chamonix - Mont Blanc
Originally uploaded by Arve Johnsen

Formula French Formula 1 driver, Olivier Panis, has been caught driving his Ferrari through my neighbourhood at 212 km/hr (exceeding just slightly the legal limit of 130 km/hr), later explaining to the not-very-star-struck travel cops that he had simply 'got lost' on the Autoroute Blanche.

But Mr Panis, 42, who had his career curtailed by a terrible accident in 1997, has evidently not managed to get all of that fast track adrenaline out of his system. As a regular to the slow lane on this quiet section of motorway, I can confidently say that Mr Panis is not alone.

The police, however, take a dim view of this kind of caper, and his permit was withdrawn on the spot. Stranded in Haute Savoie with no driving licence, he was forced to phone his family and beg for a lift back to his home in nearby Grenoble.