Amateur-Racing Driver in $231K Car Accused of Reckless Driving, Leaving Police Stop

Correction: The car was not a P1 worth $1.35 million, just a McLaren 12C which was priced at $231,400. Somewhere between the original New Canaan police report and New Canaan Patch’s report, a mistake was made in identifying the exact model.

Here’s the article as it originally ran:

Unless someone’s coming from the opposite lane, a McLaren P1 race car would normally have no problem crossing the double-yellow lines and passing a Chevrolet Tahoe on Wahackme Road, then speeding off into the night.

Except when the Tahoe is an unmarked New Canaan police vehicle driven by an officer.

Who gets the license plate number of the car.

That’s what happened at about 9 p.m. last Thursday, according to New Canaan police. Police gave this account (accusations not proven in court, to which New Canaan Patch has added background information on the car and the driver):

The yellow P1 tailgated the SUV, which was traveling east on Wahackme Road. Then the P1 passed it, crossing over the double yellow lines. The McLaren is capable of going 217 mph, but the officer put on his vehicle’s police flashing lights, which (physics dictates) will travel at 186,000 miles per second. No contest: The P1 stopped on Wahackme Road near its intersection with Bayberry Road.

The officer took down the license plate number and called it in to police headquarters. That was helpful, because the McLaren suddenly sped off from the traffic stop. (A McLaren P1 can go from 0 to 62 mph in 2.8 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 6.8 seconds, and 0 to 186 mph in 16.5 seconds. It isn’t known how fast it was going when it left the police stop.)

With the license plate number, the officer didn’t have to try to catch up with the race car, although even without the license plate information, if the officer recognized the make and model, it wouldn’t have been too hard to find — only 375 units were ever sold in the manufacturer’s limited run.

With the license plate information, police went to the home of the owner, Paul Orwicz, 46, of 1483 Ponus Ridge Rd. Orwicz “has been fascinated with cars since childhood” according to a ZoomInfo.com quote of a Web page on the Monticello Motor Club website (the Web page itself has been taken off-line).

“Highlights ofhis racing career include competing in the 2005 24Hours of Daytona and a 4th place overall finish in the 2005 IMSA Challenge by Michelin race series,” according to ZoomInfo.

Orwicz seems to be able to afford the $1.35 million McLaren P1 to indulge in his hobby. Hedge Fund Intelligence website has called him a “hotshot” hedge fund portfolio manager with Stephen Cohen’s SAC Capital (now named “Point72 Asset Management).

When police arrived at Orwicz’ home, he told them he was the driver of the car that was stopped. He said driving off from the police stop was a “stupid thing to do” according to the police report, but he didn’t understand why police were at his house, because he didn’t kill anybody or damage any property.

New Canaan police arrested Orwicz, put him in handcuffs and took him to police headquarters to process the arrest. He was charged with reckless driving, improper passing and disregarding an officer’s signal. Orwicz was released on $1,500 and is scheduled to appear Sept. 8 in state Superior Court in Norwalk.

Photo: The McLaren 12C. Credit: User M 94 on Wikimedia Commons.