TWO men taking part in a madcap motor rally which crosses Kent were arrested in France and convicted of speeding offences.

The pair, both estate agents from outside the county, were competing in the Cannonball Run - an adrenaline-filled event for thrill-seeking luxury sports cars enthusiasts who paid £4,500 each to drive across Europe in homage to a film of the same name.

The first leg began on Sunday, July 9 in Weybridge, Surrey, saw a fleet of luxury cars rolling round the M25, via the M26 onto the M20 and down to Dover, and was due to finish in Rimini, Italy the same day.

But Kent Police warned French Gendarmerie that the motorists were heading across the channel and a speed trap was set up 25 miles outside Calais.

Marc Sharifi, a 37-year-old estate agent from Ongar, London and Gerald Harrison, a 25-year-old estate agent from Glasgow, were caught speeding near Bethune, in Pas de Calais, France, at about 9.30pm.

Both appeared in court on July 11, and received a three-month suspended prison sentence, a 1,000 Euro fine - about £750 - and had both their sports cars, a Ferrari 360 worth about £100,000 and a Porsche 911 worth around £70,000 confiscated.

Sharifi was clocked doing 159 mph and Harrison 155 mph.

The organisers of the Cannonball Run said they do not condone speeding.

About 80 drivers were aiming to get from Weybridge to Rimini, then to Rome, Lyon and finally Brussels over several days, staying at top-class hotels along the way.

The aim is to maintain an average of 61 mph over the 3,000 miles covered.

Jan Dechamps, one of the event’s managing directors, said: "We’re not encouraging people to speed. We’ve never ever had an accident on the run, and we’ve never had any other arrests.

"The majority of the drivers are very responsible. We had two who were a little bit over-enthusiastic but you can’t tar everybody with the same brush."

She said Kent Police and the Gendarmerie had "just been doing their job", but added that Cannonballers were "easy targets".

"We were the only ones targeted and other people were driving a lot faster," said Ms Dechamps.