Bill Warner (motorcyclist)

William Walter "Bill" Warner (February 11, 1969 – July 14, 2013) was an American motorcycle racer who set a land speed record on a conventional motorcycle in 2011.[1][2] He was killed in a motorcycle racing crash in 2013.[3]

Bill Warner
Warner on his 311.9 mph speed record motorcycle (2011)
Born(1969-02-11)February 11, 1969
Little Falls, New York
DiedJuly 14, 2013(2013-07-14) (aged 44)
Cause of deathMotorcycle accident
EducationMarine biology, chemistry. University of Tampa
OccupationTropical fish farmer
Known forMotorcycle land speed record

Warner was born in Little Falls, New York. He studied marine biology and chemistry at the University of Tampa. Warner was a tropical fish farmer in Wimauma, Florida.[3][4] On July 17, 2011, riding a highly modified turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa, Warner set a new world motorcycle land speed record of 311.945 mph (502.027 km/h) from a standing start to 1.5 mi (2.4 km) at the Loring Timing Association's Land Speed Race, at the Loring Commerce Centre (the former Loring Air Force Base) in Limestone, Maine.[3][5][6]

Bill Warner began land speed racing his unfaired normally-aspirated 1,650 cc (101 cu in) Yamaha V-max in March 2007, with a run in Maxton, North Carolina which placed him in the East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) Maxton 200 MPH Club.[7][8] He purchased an unfaired turbo Suzuki Hayabusa in 2008, and quickly set the fastest unfaired motorcycle records in land speed racing, eventually reaching 255 mph (410 km/h) in 2010 at the Texas Mile. That same year, Warner built, with the consultation of Bonneville motorcycle racer Larry Forstall, a set of Modified-class fiberglass fairings for his Hayabusa. With this bodywork, plus sponsorship and managerial support from Walt Kudron, he set the Maxton track record on the standing mile at the ECTA meet in May 2010, going 272.374 mph (438.343 km/h).[9] In addition to the Maxton track record, Warner also holds track records at the Texas Mile at Goliad (278 mph (447 km/h)), Loring (311 mph) and California's Mojave Air and Space Port (274.8 mph (442.2 km/h)) land speed sanctions.[10][11][8]

After going 278 mph in a mile on a Modified-class land speed motorcycle, Warner began building a new, Altered-class chassis, engine, and bodywork in order to attempt to break the 300 mph (480 km/h) barrier on a conventional (rider-exposed) motorcycle. This undertaking was supported by many industry and personal sponsors, and absorbed all of Warner's time and energy. After breaking 300 on his first attempt in 2011, running 311.945 miles per hour (502.027 km/h) on a 1.5 mile track, Warner sought to break 300 mph in a single mile, after which he planned to retire from ultimate land speed racing, auction his racing motorcycle, and manage his own standing-mile land speed event in Houston, Texas.

On July 14, 2013, while attempting to break 300 mph in a single mile at the Loring Timing Association land speed meet, Warner lost control of his motorcycle at 285 mph (459 km/h).[12] His motorcycle veered off the course and struck a 6" concrete landing light pedestal and he was thrown a great distance. Warner was conscious after the crash, but was pronounced dead at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine. He had achieved 296 mph (476 km/h) in a mile at the event, in less than optimal conditions.[13] The cause of the accident is unclear, though investigators suspect mechanical or tire failure.[14] He was survived by his parents, brother, and sister.[3][4]

References
  1. Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (2013-07-16). "Motorcycle Land Speed Record Holder Bill Warner Suffers Fatal Crash". Motor Authority. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  2. "Free Public Records: William Warner in Little Falls, NY". PublicRecords360.com. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  3. Slotnik, Daniel E. (July 17, 2013). "Bill Warner, Who Set Speed Record on Motorcycle, Dies at 44". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  4. Dupont, Kevin Paul (July 21, 2013). "Bill Warner's pursuit of speed ended in his death". Boston Sunday Globe. p. C2. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  5. Bowman, Zach (July 20, 2011). "Watch Bill Warner's record-setting 311-mph motorcycle run". Autoblog. Verizon Media. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  6. Ford, Dexter (July 22, 2011). "Riding Alfresco, Motorcyclist Sets Record With 311.94 M.P.H. Run". The New York Times. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  7. "Maxton 200 MPH Club". East Coast Timing Association. March 2007. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  8. "(section) 2. Maxton Modified Motorcycle Records". East Coast Timing Association. October 2011. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  9. "Maxton Track Records: Motorcycle". East Coast Timing Association. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  10. Mike, Keith and Marsha (2018). "The Mojave Mile and Magnum 2010-2018". MKM Racing Promotions. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  11. Whealon, David (2011-07-21). "311.94 MPH: World's Fastest Motorcycle Rolls on BST Carbon-Fiber Wheels". sportrider.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-21. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  12. "William Warner Obituary". Obits for Life.com. 2013-07-16. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  13. Swenson, Kyle (2013-09-19). "Bill Warner, King of Land Speed Racing, Was the Fastest Motorcycle Rider on Earth". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
  14. Wilcox, Lisa (2013-09-20). "Motorcyclist's fatal accident at Loring time trials linked to rear tire trouble". Bangor Daily News (from wire service). Aroostook Republican & News. Archived from the original on 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
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