An American man who was caught topping 260 km/h on the Coquihalla Highway in a high-performance sports car has been ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and was cautioned by a judge to save the extreme speeds for the racetrack.
Santo Joseph Criscuolo, 55, pleaded guilty Thursday in Kamloops provincial court to one count of excessive speeding.
Court heard the Seattle man’s Alfa Romeo Giulia on a stretch of the Coquihalla south of Merritt on May 7 — more than double the 120 km/h speed limit.
Crown prosecutor Kaitlyn Lafontaine-Hait said a constable pulled Criscuolo over.
“Mr. Criscuolo’s vehicle was then impounded,” she said.
“The constable noted that although Mr. Criscuolo was apologetic, the speed was absurdly, absurdly above normal for the travelling public.”
Defence lawyer Dan McNamee said Criscuolo was headed to the Area 27 racetrack near Oliver, where he races the Alfa Romeo.
“His explanation, as I understand it, is that essentially he wasn’t really giving it thought,” McNamee said.
“He saw an open stretch of road and very quickly found himself at those speeds. Obviously, looking back, he recognizes that was far, far excessive.”
McNamee said Criscuolo has experience driving at extreme speeds.
“This wasn’t a maniac-type driving situation,” he said.
“He’s somebody who’s been at those speeds in a vehicle that is highly maintained for racetrack speed. I think that’s part of why we’re looking at not a criminal dangerous driving situation and just excessive speeding.”
In addition to racing it, McNamee said Criscuolo uses the high-end vehicle for volunteer work, offering rides to children in Washington state as part of a charity program.
Criscuolo apologized in court.
“I regret my actions,” he said. “As Mr. McNamee pointed out, it was just very thoughtless.”
Kamloops provincial court Judge Roy Dickey went along with a joint submission for a $1,000 fine.
“My only comment would be what happens on the racetrack should stay on the racetrack and not on the public highways,” the judge said.