Elba takes rally fines on the chin

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Actor Idris Elba has being caught speeding several times while driving in the Gumball 3000 motor rally, which takes place on public roads.

Elba, best known as gangster Stringer Bell in The Wire and who is now appearing in BBC police drama Luther, said he has paid out around 1,500 dollars (990 pounds) in fines for five speeding tickets in Europe.

Despite having an injured foot, the actor is helping to drive an Aston Martin DB9 in the rally, which sees 120 cars powering through roads from London to New York - how participants get insured for this type of driving is anyone's guess.

Speaking after the latest speeding ticket in Sweden, Elba said: "We were only going 130 miles an hour.

"But I'm not going to lie: we definitely came here wanting to win. It's not a race, it's a rally, but what we wanted to do was come in with impressive checking times."

The only place Elba did not get stopped by traffic police was London - "but I know my way around the streets and I know the hotspots", he said

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