Shaun Schoefbaenker pleaded guilty to 54 charges via a video link at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

The 29-year-old's drug-fuelled offending started in October and even though he was charged and bailed on strict conditions in December, he continued his crime spree until January.

It included fuel drive-offs in stolen vehicles, criminal damage by fire, burglaries, motorbike theft, stealing a white Isuzu ute, dangerous driving, failing to stop after a car accident and driving while unlicensed, which occurred across the Ballarat region.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Jack Fletcher said Schoefbaenker's first lot of crimes occurred in October and November.

He said Schoefbaenker stole a $3000 motorbike from a car dealership in Learmonth Road, Wendouree; broke into a Park Street business in Wendouree; smashed car windows at Mitchell Park and a Wendouree bowling club car park; and stole fuel from service stations in Sebastopol and Maryborough.

In one incident, Schoefbaenker was driving a stolen Mazda sedan along Main Road, Golden Point, when he collided with another car at the York Street roundabout, causing extensive damage. He left the scene without stopping.

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The court was told Schoefbaenker made admissions to the offences to police and he was charged and bailed on December 6. He told police he sold the motorbike for drug money.

But two weeks later in January, he set fire to a red Nissan Pulsar on Frenchmans Lane using a match or cigarette lighter, which completely destroyed the car.

Senior Constable Fletcher said police identified Schoefbaenker after a witness took a photo of him and a co-accused driving from the scene in a stolen Ford Territory.

He said in a second car fire, Schoefbaenker poured petrol on the front seat of a stolen Jeep and set fire to it at parkland near Grevillea Road, Wendouree. The car fire caused about one acre of land to burn.

A third car fire occurred in January when Schoefbaenker poured petrol on the seat of a stolen black Pajero and set it alight at Miners Rest.

All three car fires occurred in high risk areas during the fire season, the prosecutor told the court.

Senior Constable Fletcher said police were patrolling the Warrenheip area on January 12 when they saw Schoefbaenker driving a stolen white Ford Territory at 1.15am.

He said officers activated their lights for him to pull over near the Western Freeway but he turned his headlights off and drove across the centre of the freeway, reaching speeds of 110km/h.

Schoebaenker drove for 300 metres to the north side of the freeway before reaching Black Swamp Road where he got out of the vehicle and fled. Police chased him and he was found in bushes and arrested.

Defence lawyer David Tamanika said his client had an intellectual disability, left school during year seven and started using cannabis at 15, developed a daily drug habit at 17 and was using methamphetamine four years later at age 21.

He said Schoebaenker had been very co-operative with police, providing them with most of the details around his offending.

Magistrate Ron Saines said he would take this into account when sentencing Schoebaenker but there was no sentence other than imprisonment.

Schoebaenker, who has been in custody for 193 days, will be sentenced on August 5.

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