Richard Hammond fined $2300 for speeding twice in three weeks

<p>Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has been fined £999 (NZ$2297) after being caught speeding twice in the space of three weeks while driving two of his luxury cars, UK media reported.</p> <p>It took weeks for police to deliver the fines as Hammond owned several luxury homes which returned the tickets, saying he had "gone away".</p> <p>The 56-year-old was caught driving his Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo at 68mph (109km/h) in a 50mph zone (80km/h) on December 2, and later clocked at 82mph (131km/h) in a 70mph (110km/h) zone in his Bentley Continental GT on December 22, according to court documents cited by the BBC.</p> <p>Hammond pleaded guilty to two speeding charges through his solicitor. Two further charges that he had ignored the police letters and failed to identify himself as the guilty driver were withdrawn by police.</p> <p>He was also given seven penalty points for his licence at the hearing last week, the BBC reported.</p> <p>West Mercia Police sent speeding tickets to a Grade II listed Herefordshire castle bought by Hammond in 2012 and a £1m (NZ$2.3 million) farm estate near Hereford, but the letters were returned marked as "addressee gone away".</p> <p>He was eventually tracked down to his £2m (NZ$4.6 million) home near Abergavenny in Wales where more than 30 vehicles were currently registered, the court heard.</p> <p>It's not the first time Hammond has run afoul of the speed limit.</p> <p>Hammond, who hosted the BBC's Top Gear show with Jeremy Clarkson and James May between 2002 and 2015, received a three-month driving ban in France in 2013 after he and Clarkson were caught speeding while making an episode of the show.</p>