A desperately inexperienced P-plate driver caught in a midnight street race at Helensburgh told police he was in a hurry to get home to Sydney so he didn't get in trouble from his mum.
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Spiro Zafiropoulos, 18, was pulled over on the Princes Highway just before 12.30am on June 27 after he and another driver, Dimitrios Dimas, also 18, were clocked travelling at 186km/h.
When asked about his speed, Zafiropoulos told the highway patrol officers he thought he was driving about 115-120km/h, then said he was going fast because he "had to get home, as it was late and he was going to get in trouble from his parents".
Agreed facts tendered to Wollongong Local Court last week said police were conducting stationary speed checks when they saw the duo's cars travelling at high speed, side by side.
As they approached the stationary site, Dimas' Ford Focus appeared to pull away from Zafiropoulos' Holden Captiva and hit a top speed of 195km/h before both cars were pulled over.
Both drivers had passengers in their cars, who were put at great risk by the duo's actions, police said, noting the stretch of road was frequented by wild animals and Zafiropoulos had only had a driver's licence for four months.
"With the amount of wildlife that graze near the edge of the roadway, it would not have taken much for the wildlife to enter the roadway, causing the accused to lose control of their vehicles," officers wrote.
"If the accused did hit any wildlife or lose control of their vehicles, it would have been catastrophic."
Zafiropoulos pleaded guilty to street racing and dangerous driving, while Dimas pleaded guilty dangerous driving and exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/h.
The court heard Dimas told police his excessive speed was due to "wanting to get his friends home because it was late".
Both men will face Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court later this month for sentencing.