Hacker News Reader

You ever see the first episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets (great show, and largely based on actual incidents, at least for the first two seasons) where a guy confesses he accidentally shot some guy, but it's OK because he meant to kill someone else? I think you and he want to live in the same country.

It could discourage the next team from attempting it, and make "going public" less appealing. "If you break the record and go public, you'll be arrested"

"And here I stand accused of a crime I didn't even commit! I mean 'Attempted murder'... Do they give nobel prizes for attempted Chemistry?!" - Sideshow Bob

You might want to reflect on the concept of legality. I know, thinking hurts sometimes, but it's totally worth it!

So it's fine to behave this way because they didn't kill anyone?

That's the Non Aggression Principle at work, or at least a pretty common and equally stupid interpretation thereof:

They clearly did not initiate violence against anyone, therefore, any intervention limiting their freedom to recklessly drive at insane speeds for nearly 29 hours with basically no sleep would be immoral.