The speed of the cars was reportedly restricted on the Autobahn, which the German police did not like.
The Eurorally auto event, which lasted for a week, began in Oslo, Norway on May 1. Prague, Czech Republic was the final destination. German police were not pleased with rally participants who were seen scooting down country’s roads in large numbers and corralling over 100 cars for illegal racing. German news source is the source, but it’s still ongoing so there are many questions about what exactly is happening.
In simple terms, 107 cars were stopped near Wismar and their occupants were arrested on suspicion of illegal racing. Concerned motorists notified police about a large number of sports cars travelling at speeds exceeding 250 km/h (155 MPH). Police arrived at the scene and stopped the cars. This is a common occurrence in cross-country events like this.
This is where things get a little more complicated. It seems that many areas of the A20 Autobahn are open to all, so speed shouldn’t be an issue. It is unclear whether participants were racing actively, which can be difficult to prove. According to the faz.net report, police believe that the Eurorally in its entirety could have been an illegal car race. This basically means that any car sporting a Eurorally sticker is a target for German authorities, regardless if it’s speed or other actions. Eurorally has an Instagram hashtag that includes photos and posts discussing the situation from both sides, as well as a few references to abuse of authority.
According to the latest posts, almost all Eurorally participants were captured by German police. However, authorities now allow cars to go at four per hour according to what we can gather. This should reduce the chance of illegal races.
Participants in the Eurorally, much like the famous Gumball events pay a large sum to participate. Participants will stop in certain cities each night to enjoy extravagant parties. There is no route. Eurorally organizers explicitly state that it is not a contest on its website. Officially, it is almost a given that when you put together a group high-powered, high-end cars, there are often some shenanigans. This is true whether you are on a cross-country European trip or just a Saturday night car meeting in a U.S. suburb.