He wasn’t officially part of the annual “supercar” rally, but a 25-year-old driver of a 2016 Lamborghini picked the wrong time and place to step on the gas along the Sea to Sky Highway Saturday.
The Richmond driver hadn’t signed up to officially be part of the annual Hublot Diamond Rally – in which drivers of “supercars” like Ferraris and McLarens, strut their metallic stuff in a charity car rally that runs along the Upper Levels and up through the Sea to Sky Highway to Squamish and Whistler.
But the sports car driver comfortably fell into the fleet of shiny luxury cars as they drove the route Saturday morning.
That’s where West Vancouver police officers – out to monitor the annual car rally – noticed the Lamborghini speeding near Lions Bay. When police pulled over the white 2016 Huracan – which sells for about $320,000 - they found the Richmond man was driving without a valid driver’s licence – for the second time. That promptly resulted in a seven-day vehicle impound as well as a $276 fine plus a speeding ticket..
The driver was not the registered owner of the Lambo, Const. Jeff Palmer of the West Vancouver police added.
Palmer said none of the official participants in the fundraising rally – whose cars sported identifying decals - were ticketed by West Vancouver police for excessive speeding - defined as going more than 40 km/hr over the speed limit - although anecdotally word did filter back to officers “there were a few people stepping on it a little more heavily” once they got farther up the Sea to Sky Highway. Seven regular speeding tickets were also handed out to drivers as the rally passed through West Vancouver.
Last year, two cars officially taking part in the event were impounded for excessive speeding along the route, despite warnings from organizers that speed limits remain in effect for the supercar drivers.
Organizers of the rally had been in contact with West Vancouver police before the event this weekend, so traffic enforcement officers were keeping tabs on participants and “they were aware that we were aware,” said Palmer.
Two other Saturday drivers didn’t get the memo. One, a 20-year-old West Vancouver driver of a 2007 motorcycle, was clocked heading east at about 150 kilometres an hour by police in an 80 km/h zone on the highway before the Capilano Road exit at 9:30 a.m. The other, a 33-year-old Vancouver man, was busted driving 153 km/h heading west on the highway near the Cypress Bowl exit at 11 a.m, driving a 2013 Honda Civic.
“Last time I checked, that does not qualify as a supercar,” said Palmer.
Both drivers had their vehicles impounded for excessive speed.
