Bill Warner, 44, of Wimauma, Fla., was clocked at 285 mph before he lost control.
It was unclear how fast the motorcycle was traveling when it veered off the paved runway and crashed, said Tim Kelly, race director the Loring Timing Association, which hosted “The Maine Event” at Loring Air Force Base.
Warner was conscious and talking after the crash just befor 10 a.m., Kelly said, but he died about an hour and 15 minutes later at a hospital in Caribou.
“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.
Riding his modified turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa, Warner previously hit 311 mph on the same course in 2011, using 1.5 miles of pavement. That’s considered to be the world land speed record for a conventional motorcycle, Kelly said.
