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Supercar Bugatti Chiron
Photo: Martyn Lucy/Getty Images
The Federal Ministry of Transport has criticized the high-speed drive of a Czech millionaire on the A2.
Businessman Radim Passer had sped across the left lane in his Bugatti Chiron at up to 417 kilometers per hour.
Passer filmed himself during the action and put the video online.
Speedometer and GPS data are also displayed.
Although there is apparently no speed limit on the affected part of the autobahn between Berlin and Hanover and Passer is therefore probably not acting illegally, the Ministry of Volker Wissing (FDP) criticized the action.
One rejects any behavior in road traffic that leads or could lead to a hazard to road users, it said.
Under the video, Passer wrote that last year's speed test of his sports car was filmed on a ten-kilometer straight stretch with three lanes, which is clearly visible throughout the route.
Safety was a priority, so circumstances should have been safe, it said.
But the clip also shows that Passer, father of four, and his passenger were not entirely alone on the Autobahn. Several vehicles are being overtaken and the light in the video indicates that it is already getting dark. It is doubtful whether a driver, even in the right lane, expects a car to overtake him on a public road at more than 400 kilometers per hour. No other vehicles could be seen in the left lane in the video.
The ministry's statement, reported by the AP news agency, also said that all road users must abide by the rules of the Road Traffic Act.
The Ministry of Wissing, which recently described the speed limit as very small, pointed out that the law also stipulates that drivers only drive so fast that the vehicle is constantly under control.
Passer, who is among the richest people in the Czech Republic with a fortune of CZK 6.6 billion ($308 million) according to Forbes, hinted under the video that he relied on more than just his driving skills to pull off the stunt.
"We thank God for the safety and the good circumstances in which we were able to reach the speed of 417 km/h," he wrote.
joe/AP