Julian Larkings, 22, sent a signed written plea to the court after being caught on the morning of the Bathurst 1000 by a police patrol during Operation Mountaineer.

The young driver, a P2 provisional driver who had no prior record, had been observed by police driving a red Mitsubishi Verada westerly on Bathurst’s main street about 6.45am on Sunday, relieving police prosecutor Sergeant Mitchell Croyston said.

Sergeant Croyston said Larkings of McIntosh Street, Chatswood had been observed driving well in excess of the 60km/h speed limit in William Street. According to a statement of facts Sergeant Croyston tendered to the court Larkings accelerated away from a police patrol car as he

headed west.

Police had observed the Verada stop suddenly and swerve in its lane almost colliding with the rear of a motor vehicle in front. Police said they had switched lights on to signal to Larkings but he continued on. The police had lights and siren sounding when Larkings continued for another 200 metres before stopping.

Larkings had driven with a passenger beside him and two others under blankets in the back of his vehicle, neither of them with seatbelts buckled.

A roadside breath test Larkings took had registered positive with a very high 0.167 reading. Police had been told by Larkings he’d been drinking Tiger beer over 24 hours before. Police found him unsteady on his feet with slurred speech.

A breath analysis at 7.27am indicated Larkings had a mid range 0.125 level of alcohol at which time his licence was suspended on the spot.

Magistrate Thomas Hodgson took into account the early guilty plea, the fact Larkings had no prior driving offences, that he needed a licence for his job and also his remorse.

Mr Hodgson fined Larkings $873 on the drink-driving charge disqualifying him from driving or holding a licence for six months expiring on April 11, 2009, $273 on each of the charges of driving with unrestrained passengers and $173 for failure to display his P plates.