POLICE say a motorbike rider told them he "got a big excited" when he was asked why he was travelling on the Mount Panorama circuit at more than twice the speed limit.
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In a written plea of guilt to Bathurst Local Court, the rider said he let his emotions take over when he was at the Mount and he took full responsibility for his actions.
Federico Tornabene, 28, of Fern Street, Waverley, was not in Bathurst Local Court on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 as he was sentenced for driving recklessly or furiously or at a speed or in a manner dangerous.
Police documents before the court said Tornabene was riding a Yamaha motorcycle north on Conrod Straight at about 2.15pm on January 19 when Bathurst Highway Patrol was conducting stationary speed enforcement.
The motorcycle was detected on police radar at a speed of 128 kilometres an hour in the 60km/hr zone before rapidly increasing to a speed of 165km/hr, according to the police documents.
Tornabene was stopped a short distance away, produced his licence and was given a roadside alcohol test, which was negative.
Asked why he was travelling at such a high speed, he said "I got a big excited", according to the police documents.
Police said they identified that Tornabene had filmed the incident on a camera attached to his helmet.
The SD card was seized by police.
In court
Magistrate Gemma Slack-Smith read in court from the written plea of guilt provided by Tornabene.
In the letter, he said he took full responsibility and said his offence occurred on a Sunday and there were no pedestrians or vehicles about.
He said in his letter that he let his emotions take over because it had been his dream, since he was a child, to be at Mount Panorama, a place that he first knew through playing racing video games.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Aaron Burgess said members of the public speeding at Mount Panorama was "a significant issue" in Bathurst.
"It's a racetrack for a very limited time," he said. "It's a public road at all other times."
He said many people walk the track, so the risk is high.
Ms Slack-Smith took into account Tornabene's early guilty plea as she convicted him, fined him $500 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months, from March 5, 2025 to March 4, 2026.
