Land Speed Record Holder Bill Warner Dies Chasing 300 MPH Record

Land speed motorcycle racer Bill Warner succumbed to injuries suffered in a 285 mph crash at Loring Air Force Base in Maine. The 44-year-old from Wimauma, Fla., reportedly lost control of his modified turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa while attempting to reach a speed of 300 mph.

Warner reportedly began veering to his right during one high-speed run on the base’s runway after clocking 285 mph. Warner remained upright until running off the edge of the runway and crashing.

According to a report in the Huffington Post, Warner was conscious and communicative after the crash at about 10 am local time on July 14. Warner was transported to a hospital in nearby Caribou, Maine, where he died about an hour and 15 minutes later.

In 2011, Warner reached a speed of 311.945 mph at Loring Air Force Base, establishing a world record for a conventional motorcycle. That record however was set over a 1.5-mile stretch of road, and Warner was trying to reach the 300 mph mark in just a mile this weekend at the Loring Timing Association’s “The Maine Event”.

“No one will touch Bill’s achievements or be the type of racer he was. He was a personal friend and the land-racing community is less for his loss,” Loring Timing Association Race Director Tim Kelly told the Huffington Post.

[Source: Huffington Post]

By Dennis Chung