Eddie Van Halen is revealing that he got out of his latest speeding ticket with the help of an unknown police captain.
The guitarist shares the story about the incident in a new interview with Car And Driver.
“Since I bought the [Audi] V-8 R8, Audi contacted me and offered for us to go up to Infineon [Sonoma Raceway] to test-drive the V-10 on the track,” he explains. “You know, just go crazy. So [my wife] Janie and I drove up in her Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. It’s a long drive and we’re doing about 90, 95 in a 65, and I get pulled over and the guy writes me up for a ticket. I’m going, ‘The last thing I need is a speeding ticket for that much over the speed limit.’
“We get home and I get a letter from my office; the patrol guy who gave me the ticket, his captain voided it. He said, ‘You don’t give Eddie Van Halen a ticket,’ and I had a letter to prove it. The letter came straight from the captain.”
No specific details regarding the police division involved or the location of the traffic violation were presented in the original story as posted by Car And Driver.
Van Halen has long had a passion for high-performance vehicles, and his current collection includes a Lamborghini Miura, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and two Audi R8s, a V-8 and a V-10. Both R8s are supercharged and fitted with custom exhaust systems. And then there’s a 1947 Dodge flatbed for slow rides.
Asked if there are any similarities between the stage and track, Van Halen says, “Practice, obviously. The adrenaline rush is similar. You’re always pushing the edge, on stage live and driving on a track. But improvising at the drop of a hat is the biggest thing.
“There are no do-overs. If you spin out, you spin out. If you mess up live, you smile your way through it or improvise quick, just like if there’s an accident in front of you or somebody’s trying to pass you.”
Van Halen has been off the road since his band wrapped up their 2015 tour in support of “Tokyo Dome Live In Concert” with a pair of shows at the Hollywood Bowl in early October.
See also:
David Lee Roth discusses 2015 Van Halen tour on The Roth Show
David Lee Roth discusses Van Halen future on The Roth Show
David Lee Roth shares vintage Van Halen tour stories on The Roth Show
AUDIO: David Lee Roth covers Van Morrison on The Roth Show
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
