POLICE officers were astonished when a motorcyclist raced past them on a busy motorway and performed a wheelie at more than 80mph between Hythe and Ashford, a court heard.

Glyn Johnson, of Grimston Avenue, Folkestone, described as a keen motocyclist, managed to keep the front wheel of his machine in the air for a staggering 200 metres and even overtook a lorry in the process.

The crazy stunt occurred on the M20 at about 1pm on September 28 last year.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the police officers were travelling in a police van at about 70mph when 34-year-old Johnson overtook them at 100mph in the outside lane.

Bridget Todd, prosecuting, said having sped past the police van Johnson suddenly braked and moved into the middle lane.

“He then pulled a wheelie for 200m in excess of 80mph and passing a heavy goods vehicle at the time,” she added.

Sentencing Johnson to a 200-hour community order, Judge Michael Lawson QC branded his behaviour “pathetic”.

“It was extremely fortunate no one was hurt,” he added, “the potential was there.”

The court heard that when the front wheel eventually touched the road surface it left a skid mark.

Johnson then slowed to 50mph and the police van, once it had caught up with him, activated its blue lights.

However, Johnson did not pull over but again braked until he was riding behind the police van.

He then took the slip road off the motorway at Ashford, performed another wheelie for about 80m and jumped a red light, before doing a U-turn and “accelerating hard” back onto the M20, said Miss Todd.

“Another patrol car was alerted but again he would not stop. He eventually had to be forced into a coned area.”

Johnson admitted dangerous driving. The court heard the police originally charged him with careless driving but the Crown Prosecution Service decided the charge was not serious enough.

Fiona Moore-Graham, defending, told the court that 'this big man’ had been reduced to tears by his 'gross act of stupidity’.

“He has regretted that action every day since,” she continued. “He has shown both remorse and deep concern. He has learnt his lesson.”

Miss Moore-Graham said Johnson did not realise it was a police van and the second wheelie was not a “deliberate fingers up” to the police.

“With a bike of this potential had he really wanted to get away from the police he could have done,” she said.

The court heard that Johnson was considered a low risk of re-offending.

As well as the community order Johnson was banned from driving for three years, ordered to take an advanced driving test before he can regain his licence, and to pay prosecution costs of £583.