--- title: "Robby Gordon Loses License, Banned From Racing In Australia Over Public Street Donuts" description: "For the country that invented the word \"hoon,\" they sure don't take kindly to it." date: "2017-06-20" modified: "2017-06-20" authors: - name: "Kyle Cheromcha" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/11703/robby-gordon-loses-license-banned-from-racing-in-australia-over-public-street-donuts" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "People" - "Racing" tags: - "Australia" - "court" - "donut" - "hooning" - "Robby Gordon" - "stadium super trucks" --- # Robby Gordon Loses License, Banned From Racing In Australia Over Public Street Donuts ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* Renaissance man of racing [Robby Gordon]() has always been known to [flout a local traffic rule or two]() in putting on a good show. Unfortunately, that penchant for pushing the limits has finally come back to haunt the Stadium Super Truck series owner after an Australian judge threw the book at him and the country's motorsport governing body handed down an indefinite racing ban over a particularly public display of hooning this weekend. We hope those donuts were tasty, Robby. Gordon, who's raced in everything from NASCAR to Baja to IndyCar to Dakar, was apparently in a fine mood on Saturday night after taking second place in the weekend's Stadium Super Truck race and decided to celebrate in downtown Darwin, Australia. The competition took place at nearby Hidden Valley Raceway, but with one of Gordon's trucks parked outside a bar on Darwin's main drag as part of a promotional appearance, the veteran off-roader couldn't resist climbing behind the wheel for a [few quick, smokey spins.]() "We had a truck on display, I asked the two security guards, 'Hey, you think I could flip a couple of doughies?' They said, 'I don't care'," Gordon said, [according to *ABC*.]() "I think I did two doughnuts, maybe at speed—not to make excuses, but maybe less than 5 kilometres an hour. Obviously the wheels were faster than that, but I did two doughnuts and put it back on the trailer." None of those excuses flew with Judge Richard Coats, who [reprimanded Gordon in court yesterday]() after police reviewed videos of the stunt, impounded the truck, and charged him with a whole slew of offenses from "driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle" to "driving a vehicle causing loss of traction." Australia invented the phrase *hooning,* but in recent years authorities have really cracked down on vehicular shenanigans in the country—Ken Block was forced to abandon plans to shoot *Gymkhana 9* in Sydney last year after officials refused to grant necessary permits. Following in that unfortunate new tradition, the judge suspended Gordon's local driver license, fined him over $4,000 AUD, and threatened him with jail for any future repeat offenses. More importantly, he expressed hope that motorsport officials would step in and revoke Gordon's racing license, laying the groundwork for what came next: [an indefinite ban from the Confederation of Australian Motorsport]() on "competition visas," meaning the American effectively can't race professionally in the country until the decision is reversed. ![message-editor%2F1497990173668-gettyimages-694684970.jpg]() **Getty Images** That's an extremely harsh punishment, but Gordon's been testing officials at CAMS for months now. [*Speedcafe.com* reports]() that CAMS had previously fined him $1,800 AUD earlier this year over other unspecified "breaches" of safety regulations, and Gordon was allegedly forced to apologize after publicly burning the paperwork in a show of defiance. [Stadium Super Trucks]()—now called Speed Energy Formula Off-Road—is incredibly popular in Australia, and as both the series' owner and one its most well-known drivers, it's not clear what impact Gordon's ban will have on future races in the country. For his part, like always, Gordon seems to be taking it all in stride. When asked about the punishment, [Gordon told *ABC*]() he's "good with that" if that's what the judge believes is fair, and noted that he's not worried about the incident affecting either him or any other [Stadium Super Truck races]() outside Australia because "I own the series, \[and\] we make the rules." "I've done stuff like this probably 200 or 300 times over my career," Gordon told reporters outside the courthouse "Heck; some cities promote it... It is what it is, and if we come back next year, obviously no donuts on Mitchell Street." ## Author Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()