http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2013-09-19/news/bill-warner-land-speed-racing/
Bill Warner, King of Land Speed Racing, Was the Fastest Motorcycle Rider on Earth
Excerpt:
He eventually turned up at his Wimauma farm with his own Yamaha V-Max. Online, he met a group of Florida riders; together, they buzzed around the state to races at Daytona and Bradenton.
The weekend warrior's first small step to high-speed glory came in 2004. As Warner later explained to dirtbike.com, he saw a news story out of Minnesota about a radar gun glitch resulting in a 200 mph speeding citation. The number snagged in his head.
"I want to make a V-Max go 200," he announced to his buddies, adding he'd do it "naked," or without a turbo system. Only three bikes had ever been clocked at that speed without modification, none a V-Max. It was like saying he wanted to take a Cessna for a spin in Earth's orbit.
"I said, 'I'll try to help you do it,'" recalls Jerry Gainey, a motorcycle tech from Orlando who rode with Warner. "'I don't think we'll be able to do it, but we'll try.'"
A great read, about one of ours who has left too-soon.
In spring 2007, Warner and Gainey trucked the nine hours from Florida to Maxton. Day three of racing, he was clocked at 200.06, still a snail to the Hayabusas' blitzkrieg but incredible nonetheless — no one had ever ridden a V-Max that fast.
Bill Warner, King of Land Speed Racing, Was the Fastest Motorcycle Rider on Earth
Excerpt:
He eventually turned up at his Wimauma farm with his own Yamaha V-Max. Online, he met a group of Florida riders; together, they buzzed around the state to races at Daytona and Bradenton.
The weekend warrior's first small step to high-speed glory came in 2004. As Warner later explained to dirtbike.com, he saw a news story out of Minnesota about a radar gun glitch resulting in a 200 mph speeding citation. The number snagged in his head.
"I want to make a V-Max go 200," he announced to his buddies, adding he'd do it "naked," or without a turbo system. Only three bikes had ever been clocked at that speed without modification, none a V-Max. It was like saying he wanted to take a Cessna for a spin in Earth's orbit.
"I said, 'I'll try to help you do it,'" recalls Jerry Gainey, a motorcycle tech from Orlando who rode with Warner. "'I don't think we'll be able to do it, but we'll try.'"
A great read, about one of ours who has left too-soon.
In spring 2007, Warner and Gainey trucked the nine hours from Florida to Maxton. Day three of racing, he was clocked at 200.06, still a snail to the Hayabusas' blitzkrieg but incredible nonetheless — no one had ever ridden a V-Max that fast.
unk:
