- Notices bounced off a castle and a farm before police finally reached him.
- The presenter walked away with seven points and a bill near £1,771.
- More than 30 vehicles are reportedly registered at Hammond’s Welsh home.
Sometimes celebrities seem to just play a role. Others seem to be exactly the same person whether the cameras are rolling or not. Richard Hammond, of Top Gear and The Grand Tour fame, appears to fall firmly into the latter camp. Admitting to two speeding offenses in two different vehicles over the span of three weeks isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement of road safety, but it does reinforce the image he’s cultivated for decades. Specifically that of a dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiast who occasionally struggles to keep his right foot in check.
According to a report from Worcester News, the 56-year-old presenter pleaded guilty to two speeding offenses committed in Herefordshire late last year. One involved a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, the other a Bentley Continental GT, with both violations occurring less than three weeks apart.
Read: Richard Hammond Talks Deleted Scenes From His Top Gear Days
The first incident happened on December 2, when Hammond was clocked at 68 mph (109 km/h) in a 50 mph (80 km/h) zone on the A40 near Pencraig while driving the electric Porsche. Twenty days later, authorities recorded his Bentley Continental GT traveling at 82 mph (132 km/h) in a 70 mph (113 km/h) limit on Rudhall Overbridge.
West Mercia Police prosecuted Hammond for both offenses, though the case became slightly more complicated when notices sent to multiple addresses were returned unopened. Court documents say officers initially mailed paperwork to Hammond’s Herefordshire castle and a nearby farm before eventually reaching him at his home in Wales, where more than 30 vehicles are reportedly registered.
Prosecutors also accused Hammond of failing to identify the driver, but those charges were dropped after his solicitor maintained that Hammond had responded by first-class mail identifying himself behind the wheel. At Telford Magistrates’ Court, Hammond received seven penalty points on his license. He was fined £999 for the speeding offenses, and once court costs and victim surcharges were added, the total bill came to £1,771 (about $2,380).
