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A cocky driver caught at record-breaking speed on a Merseyside motorway laughed off a three-year road ban – telling a court: “I’m still going to drive – catch me if you can”.

Shiad Mahmoon clocked up 165mph on the M57 in a souped-up Audi R8 Spyder supercar fitted with £20,000 of carbon fibre accessories.

The 24-year-old matched the speed that a passenger jet takes off at and eclipsed the 120mph average speed with which F1 driver Lewis Hamilton clinched pole position at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Liverpool magistrates’ court was told the speed was the fastest ever recorded by police in Merseyside.

Video: Police in pursuit of Shiad Mahmoon on the M57

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Yet unemployed Mahmoon shrugged off the road ban after he was sentenced, boasting: “I’m still going to drive – catch me if you can.”

The court heard that the force’s helicopter spotted the car hurtling down the M57 towards the junction with the M62 at around 5am on June 26, 2011.

Sue Jones, prosecuting, told how a nearby patrol was radioed and a dramatic pursuit culminated with Mahmoon pulling over on the M62 near Burtonwood services, car keys in hand.

Officers later used footage from the helicopter to work out the average speed Mahmoon was travelling at in the lease car.

The final figure was put between 144mph and 165mph – though police suspect he could have gone even faster at one point.

Mahmoon, of Montgomery Street, Oldham, changed his not guilty plea before his trial was due to begin yesterday.

Defending himself, he told magistrates he had no recollection of the incident because of a brain injury.

The court heard that Mahmoon had previous for driving while disqualified and driving without due care and attention. He was previously convicted of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Chair of the bench, Christina Clarke, told him: “We recognise the serious risk of danger you put yourself in and other road users in and we are informed that this is the highest recorded speed by Merseyside Police.”

Magistrates also ordered him to take a driving test before he is allowed back on the road and demanded he pay £515 in costs and fines.

Asked if he could pay the full amount immediately, Mahmoon put his hand in his pocket and replied sarcastically: “I’m about £10 short.”

Sergeant Mike Clarey, who pulled over Mahmoon on the M62, said he was pleased with the court result. Prison sentences cannot be imposed for an offence of speeding.

He told the ECHO: “Travelling at such a high speed put Mahmoon in danger and also could have put other drivers in danger.

“Mahmoon showed a blatant disregard for the law even after he was sentenced.

“Our message to anyone who flouts the law to such a degree is that we will use all the technology we have available to bring you to justice.”

Speed facts

The cheetah can run 70 to 75mph in short bursts covering distances up to 1,600ft, and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 62mph in three seconds.

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt reached a top speed of 27mph during the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.

A hurricane moves on average at about 80mph.

The speed of sound is around 767mph.

The average speed of a human sneezing is around 100mph, just beating the cough which clocks in at 60mph.