A video emerged on Youtube in June this year, of 22-year-old Jack Cottle driving a full circuit of the famous Brands Hatch racetrack in Kent after he was ‘egged on’ by a friend.
Cottle’s friend, who was sat in the back seat at the time, filmed the video, which is shown below. Cottle and his friend can be heard laughing hysterically while Cottle’s girlfriend repeatedly screams at him to stop.
Opportunist
Cottle says he ‘saw an opportunity’ to get on the track after the trio paid to watch the four-hour endurance race that was taking place that day.
‘When do you think you get that opportunity?’ He later asked police.
Brands Hatch pays the price
As Cottle drove straight on to the track, one of the drivers set to be released from the pit lane had to wait until the Volkswagen Polo got ahead. Many drivers who had paid to race that day were upset that their day was ruined.
An on-site medical centre had to attend to Cottle’s girlfriend following the incident, who had suffered a panic attack as a result of the stress.
The race was resumed after a half-hour break, but organsiers and racers alike were annoyed at the situation, and the financial impact was around £4,200. The video was posted on YouTube, and gained more than 2,300,000 views, so Brands Hatch are now concerned about copycat cases springing up.
Guilty
Last month, Cottle pleaded guilty of ‘causing a nuisance to the public by driving on to the race track at Brands Hatch whilst an endurance race was in progress.’
The judge ruled that Cottle had put many lives in danger with the stunt, including his own, that of the passengers in the car and other racers on the track at the time.
Cottle has been jailed for eight months.