William Walter "Bill" Warner (February 11, 1969 – July 14, 2013) was an American

motorcycle racer Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...

who set a

land speed record The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...

on a conventional

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

in 2011. He was killed in a motorcycle racing crash in 2013. 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. On July 17, 2011, riding a highly modified turbocharged

Suzuki Hayabusa The Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa is a sports motorcycle made by Suzuki since 1999. It immediately won acclaim as the world's List of fastest production motorcycles, fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of . In 1999, fears of a European re ...

, Warner set a new world motorcycle land speed record of from a standing start to at the Loring Timing Associations Land Speed Race, at the

Loring Commerce Centre The Loring Commerce Centre is an industrial and aviation park in northeastern Maine, located in Aroostook County near Limestone. Developed from the former Loring Air Force Base which closed in 1994, it is home to over 20 employers with more th ...

(the former

Loring Air Force Base Loring Air Force Base was a United States Air Force installation in northeastern Maine, near Limestone and Caribou in Aroostook County. It was one of the largest bases of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command during its existence, and was t ...

) in Limestone, Maine. Bill Warner began land speed racing his unfaired, normally aspirated

Yamaha V-max The Yamaha V-Max, (or VMAX) cruiser motorcycle was produced by Yamaha from 1985. Known for its 70° V4 engine, shaft drive, and distinctive styling, the V-Max was discontinued following the 2020 model year. History The V-Max was designed by At ...

in March 2007, with a run in Maxton, North Carolina, which placed him in the East Coast Timing Association (ECTA) Maxton 200 MPH Club. He purchased an unfaired turbo

in 2008, and quickly set the fastest unfaired motorcycle records in land speed racing, eventually reaching in 2010 at

the Texas Mile The Texas Mile is a land speed auto racing event in Beeville, Texas, at the Chase Field Industrial Complex. Participants, amateur and professional alike, from across the globe test their fastest standing 1-mile speeds in a wide range of vehicles. T ...

. The 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 . In addition to the Maxton track record, Warner holds track records at the Texas Mile at Goliad, Texas (), Loring (311 mph) and California's

Mojave Air and Space Port The Mojave Air and Space Port at Rutan Field is in Mojave, California, United States, at an elevation of . It is the first facility to be licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft, being certified as a sp ...

() land speed sanctions. 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 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 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 . 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 he was pronounced dead at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine. He had achieved in a mile at the event in less than optimal conditions. The cause of the accident is unclear, but investigators suspected mechanical or tire failure. He was survived by his parents, brother, and sister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warner, Bill 1969 births 2013 deaths Motorcycle land speed record people Motorcycle racers who died while racing People from Little Falls, New York Sportspeople from Hillsborough County, Florida Sports deaths in Maine Sportspeople from Florida Sportspeople from New York (state) University of Tampa alumni