'Our roads should not be used as a racetrack' - horrifying pictures show crash involving Ferrari and Porsche in Yorkshire
Officers from South Yorkshire Police were called to the scene of the crash involving a grey Ferrari 458 and a red Porsche at the Tinsley roundabout on the border of Rotherham and Sheffield.
The driver of the Porsche, 27-year-old Henry Hibbs, from Middlefield, Nottinghamshire suffered minor injuries.
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Hide AdCarl Hartley, 32, from Swadlincote in Derbyshire was the driver of the Ferrari, but he had fled the scene before police arrived, following the crash on May 20, 2018.
Hartley, who later handed himself in to the police, said that his brakes on the vehicle had failed and caused him to collide with the Porsche.
An extensive investigation by officers into the circumstances surrounding the crash began.
The airbag unit from the Ferrari was shipped overseas where a professional was able to confirm at what speed the airbags in the vehicle were deployed - 68mph. The road that the cars collided on has a 50mph speed limit.
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Hide AdA collision investigator carried out extensive tests on the car to check for damage to the braking system- no damage was found.
Within the investigation, officers appealed to the public for information and witnesses who had seen the cars earlier in the evening.
Numerous witnesses came forward, all highlighting the ‘dangerous’, ‘unsafe’ and ‘racing style’ behaviour that the drivers had been showcasing across South Yorkshire.
Both vehicles were captured on numerous CCTV footage at various locations exceeding the speed limits of the road they were on.
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Hide AdHartley pleaded guilty at the start of the trial at Sheffield Crown Court last week to dangerous driving.
Hibbs, the driver of the Porsche, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving and a week long trial started.
The trial ended yesterday, and the jury found Hibbs guilty of dangerous driving.
South Yorkshire Police Sergeant Rod McEnery, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who came forward and assisted us with this investigation.
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Hide Ad“Your help and commitment to making South Yorkshire a safer place does not go unnoticed.”
Sgt McEnery also warned that roads should not be used as racetracks and have speed limits for safety reasons.
He said: “Vehicles racing and travelling at speed are a dangerous combination, both drivers were extremely lucky that neither were seriously injured or caused injury to an innocent road user.”
Both men will appear before Sheffield Crown Court later this year to be sentenced.