Hunt for 240km/h YouTube biker
The motor cyclist posted a YouTube video of his drive on the narrow road, which has a single white line over much of it to prevent traffic crossing.
The 6.44-minute video, which went online on October 7, boasts that the driver is speeding at 240km/h on an R6 Yamaha on the Pettigo road in Donegal.
Gardaí who know the road leading from Laghey to Pettigo — a village on the border with Co Fermanagh — have spotted from the video that the biker drove several kilometres towards Pettigo and then, riding across a gravel siding, did a U-turn to go back some distance in the other direction.
South Donegal Traffic Corps chief Sgt Iggy Larkin said: “This is absolutely crazy driving.
“It’s not a national road. It’s only a regional road with an 80 km/h limit and there are a lot of very dangerous bends.”
The video was uploaded by “Ballinakillew”, which is the name of a townland and mountain just off the Pettigo Road.
Gardaí do not know whether the “Ballina-killew” page is owned by the biker or a friend but hope to progress their inquiries through other pictures on the page.
They are unsure whether the biker lives locally. The reference to miles per hour on YouTube instead of kilometres per hour could suggest a link with the North.
The biker crossed the unbroken white line twice on the speed journey. He passed six cars on the road and met 22 others travelling in the opposite direction.
Sgt Larkin said: “Anything could have gone wrong and none of the vehicles would have had time to avoid a collision.
“If there was a crash it would have certainly led to serious injury and possibly death.”
He said gardaí are determined to find the culprit and prepare a danger driving file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
