This Sucks Beyond Measure

[DanStokes]

I just read Boxer's link to an article on Bill Warner's passing at Loring while reaching for 300 MPH. Bill was not only a fine racer, he was an even better person. He was always kind to our volunteers at Maxton and cooperative in following our directions. He was helpful to all and tried to keep the sport fun as he rode competitively like no one else.

I will miss him as I know will many others. Best to his family and friends.

Dan

[Dan Barlow]

Are we sure he passed Dan. I just read the link and it didn't say he died. It said he was awake and talking when the medics got to him.

[Beagle]

the article B3M posted says:

Bill Flagg, a spokesman for the hospital, confirmed Sunday afternoon that Warner had died from his injuries at 11:15 a.m. The announcement was delayed until Warner’s family could be notified, Flagg said.

and that sucks royally. RIP Bill Warner.

[Dan Barlow]

Bummer. That bike was working fantastic last week and he even made the short shut down several times . I never will get used to folks leaving us unexpectedly. R.I.P Bill

[DanStokes]

Beags, I can't tell you what a fine guy Bill was. He sacrificed a LOT for the sport, including (if I have the story right) shutting down his fish farm for a year to build the ultimate bike. He made his own carbon fiber body panels and that sort of thing - he was NOT a checkbook racer. If you met him you would never guess he had cojones the size of basketballs as he was quiet spoken and thoughtful. I never heard him brag or blow his own horn, and he had plenty to blow about.

A real gentleman. I'll miss him and I can only imagine how his loved ones will cope. When you push the limits things can happen and he knew this better than anyone.

Dan

[Barry Donovan]

I am saddened about some things I said.
Bills bike came up in a rant I had about inline fours a couple of years ago.
A good person taken, from what I am reading.

may we all keep a little more balance after something like this.

[Pumpkin]

Beags, I can't tell you what a fine guy Bill was. He sacrificed a LOT for the sport, including (if I have the story right) shutting down his fish farm for a year to build the ultimate bike. He made his own carbon fiber body panels and that sort of thing - he was NOT a checkbook racer. If you met him you would never guess he had cojones the size of basketballs as he was quiet spoken and thoughtful. I never heard him brag or blow his own horn, and he had plenty to blow about.

A real gentleman. I'll miss him and I can only imagine how his loved ones will cope. When you push the limits things can happen and he knew this better than anyone.

Dan

X2 on what Dan said. I talked with him in the announcing booth for about a half hour. When he found out I was a Florida native that's all we talked about, FL and fishing. If you didn't know who he was, you'd never know who he was or what he's done! RIP and Godspeed Bill!

[pdub]

Matt just called me with the awful news.

I never got a chance meet him in person. Be he was sure a heck of a thing to watch go by at Maxton going 264 or something thereabouts. I've never seen anything go that fast on the ground, like an illusion or a hacked video.

RIP Bill. A real sad day for LSR for sure.

[38P]

Reading some of the insipid reader comments from the "Prius set" over at HuffPo (It's opposition research, you know) makes me fear for grassroots LSR and the future of liberty in this country. Some of them want life neutered of adventure . . . completely shrink-wrapped and totally sanitized for our protection.

Any motorsports death is very sad. But . . . to paraphrase Tom Wolfe . . . that demon which lives on the bad side of speed is ever-present. It has to be challenged. If it weren't for those who have responsibly done so for more than a century, we'd likely still be living in a bucolic 3 m.p.h. world.

[daved931]

I haven't been on in some time, but I came here to see if the sad news had been shared. I skipped Loring this year and I guess I'm kind of glad. I was there when he did his 311mph run a few years ago.

This is the article in the Bangor Daily News today:

http://bangordailynews.com/2013/07/14/news/aroostook/record-holding-motorcycle-racer-dead-after-crashing-bike-while-attempting-300-mph-at-loring/

LIMESTONE, Maine — A Florida man who set the world record for fastest speed on a conventional motorcycle died Sunday from injuries suffered when he lost control of his motorcycle and reportedly slid 1,000 feet during a speed trial at the former Loring Air Force Base.

William “Bill” Warner, 44, a speed racer and tropical fish grower from Wimauma, Fla., was attempting to hit 300 mph within 1 mile just before 10 a.m. Sunday during The Maine Event, an annual speed trial race sanctioned by the Loring Timing Association.

The motorcyclist made it about 4,000 feet before suddenly losing control of his modified turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa. Limestone Police Chief Stacey Mahan said Warner went off the track and into the grass, where he and his bike went into a long slide.

He was taken immediately to Cary Medical Center in Caribou, according to race officials. After the crash, the remainder of Sunday’s races were canceled.

Bill Flagg, a spokesman for the hospital, confirmed Sunday afternoon that Warner had died from his injuries at 11:15 a.m. The announcement was delayed until Warner’s family could be notified, Flagg said.

Limestone Volunteer Fire Department and Crown Ambulance were on scene in case of accidents during the time trials.

Mahan said his department, with help from race officials and Warner’s pit team, will continue to investigate the accident. He was able to provide few details on Sunday.

“There are a lot of factors we still need to look into,” he said.

Race officials interviewed immediately after the accident said Warner was “awake and talking” when he was brought to the Caribou hospital. Those officials — event director Mark Sotomayor and race director Tim Kelly — were unreachable for additional comment later in the day.

One person who watched the race from the starting line said he could tell that things had gone wrong when he saw that Warner had veered off the track to the right.

The Loring Timing Association instructs racers to veer off the track to the left if there is a vehicle problem and to veer to the right if they are injured or if their vehicle is on fire.

“He got maybe 4,000 feet or so, and where I was standing at the starting line, you could see a big dust cloud and then it got silent,” said Cole Theriault, a spectator from Connor Township. “The bike, from what I heard, was demolished, just in pieces. After a minute, all you could hear was the sirens.”

Mahan confirmed that the bike was “significantly damaged.”

Warner set a world record at the time trial in 2011, when he became the first conventional motorcyclist in history to top 300 mph, according to the Loring Timing Association. On a 1½-mile course, he maxed out at 311.945 mph. On Saturday, he broke the 1-mile record at Loring when he hit 296 mph.

In 2011, Warner spoke about the his record-breaking run.

“The big part of it, after the speed happens, is trying to stop the bike,” he said. “Here at Loring Air Force Base, there is a mile shutdown to slow the vehicles down and I used every bit of it. The bike was bouncing, hopping, skipping and sliding. Needless to say, I got it stopped safely. It was a little scary.”

According to the Loring Timing Association’s website, the track at Loring is the longest land speed record track in the world, with a total length of 2⅝ miles, including a long stretch for cooldown.

[DanStokes]

As usual the press got it wrong. Loring is the longest PAVED land speed track in the world (I think). Bonneville, of course, is much longer (the long track is 7 miles with a huge shut-down area) and I'm guessing Lake Gardnier (sp?) in Australia is considerably longer, too.

All this said, it doesn't blunt the heartache.

Dan

[1970camaroRS]

CNN ran this today via a local affiliate: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/vi...eath.wcsh.html

[t russell]

Bill was a gentleman,driven,and the best person you could know.All who knew him were blessed.Gods speed.

[Barry Donovan]

As usual the press got it wrong. Loring is the longest PAVED land speed track in the world (I think). Bonneville, of course, is much longer (the long track is 7 miles with a huge shut-down area) and I'm guessing Lake Gardnier (sp?) in Australia is considerably longer, too.

All this said, it doesn't blunt the heartache.

Dan

I learned the numbers in the local air guard.
Loring was still open.

In fact, I was the last one (me and another crew chief) to service one last A-model on its way to the junk yard (one time flight, barebones)

I was glad to be witness the history. That was significant when they informed us what we had just serviced. 1992?
the very last A-model kc 135.

Bangor is also long, they are both created for overseas heavies, emergency for anything...even a space craft if it lands like a plane.
Cold war inspired was loring, but bangor is the 1940s.

anyway, I reply as I found Bills adventure is on national news today on the web (cnn).

He does have a big record to remember.

[daved931]

Bangor was #4 on the Shuttle landing list. A little over 11,000' long. Loring is dang near 13,000' long. The horizon of the earth keeps you from seeing the other end.

It's good to see this get national coverage. I didn't know Bill, but he certainly did some impressive things. He deserves a lot of respect for what he achieved.