Motorcyclist dies at 'The Maine Event' going over 285 mph

Speed racer Bill Warner died today after losing control of his motorcycle going over 285 mph at a speed trial event in Maine.

Warner, 44, was attempting to top his record of 300 mph when suddenly something went wrong and he flew off the paved runway of the former air base that the speed trials were held at, according to The Associated Press.

A Wimauma, Florida resident, the motorcyclist had previously broken this record with his turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa at 311 mph on the very same runway back in 2011. With this feat completed using only 1.5 miles of roadway, he was considered to hold the record for world land speed with a conventional motorcycle, according to Tim Kelly, the race director of the Loring Timing Association, which hosted “The Maine Event” on the runway at the Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine.

"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," Kelly said.

So what went wrong this time for Warner? Officials have not come to a conclusion yet as to what went wrong during Warner’s run. According to Bangor Daily News, when Warner lost control after riding about 4,000 feet, he crashed and slid for another 1,000 feet before coming to a stop.
Right after the crash, around 10 a.m. Sunday morning, Warner was reported to have been conscious and forming words, and was immediately taken to Cary Medical Center in Caribou. Only an hour and 15 minute later, however, Warner was pronounced dead.

As a result of Warner’s accident, the remainder of the “The Maine Event,” at the 14,200-foot-long runway along the closed Strategic Air Command, was canceled.

The Limestone Police Department and Maine State Police continued to investigate the scene and will continue to work with Warner’s pit team to investigate the accident. Though the The Loring Timing Association uses 2.5 miles of the air force base runway in its trials, and allows for an additional 2,000 feet of buffering, Warner’s bike seemed to have veer off the runway and slide all the way into the grass, provoking the need for further investigation.

Thoughts and prayers are with Warner’s family and friends tonight, after the terrible accident today cost him his life.