Speedy 100-pound tortoise captured in Virginia road

June 14 (UPI) -- Animal rescuers in Virginia said a 100-pound tortoise was nicknamed "Mario Andretti" after being found racing down a residential street.

Animal Control officers in Portsmouth told the Virginian-Pilot the tortoise was found in a city street Sunday by a driver who stopped traffic and contacted police.

"I had no hesitation, I didn't care what it was," the driver, Wendy Ford, told WAVY-TV. "It wasn't supposed to be there and it was a living and breathing creature."

It took four people to hoist the tortoise into a truck, which took it to a grassy area.

James McLaughlin of the Humane Society said the tortoise spent hours running around the facility's grassy area at a high speed -- by tortoise standards. He said the animal, believed to be a sulcata tortoise, was nicknamed "Mario Andretti" after the famous Italian race car driver.

Officials were able to locate the owner of the tortoise, who identified their pet as 22-year-old Samson.

Animal Control Officer Brenda Quintana said Samson can look forward to a lifespan of more than 100 years.

The real Mario Andretti expressed amusement at the tortoise's adventures.

"100-pound tortoise named Mario Andretti. Should I be proud?" he wrote on Facebook.