Claiming the title of
"World's Fastest Streetbike," Wild Bros Racing's Bill Warner rode into the record books at the East Coast Timing Association's Maxton Mile on April 11 with an astounding 272.340 mph pass in the standing mile.
In preparation for Maxton, Warner, a tropical fish farmer and marine biologist from Tampa Bay, FL went to a Texas Mile event two weeks earlier, stripped the bodywork off his turbocharged, 1298cc Suzuki Hayabusa and made consecutive 255 mph passes. The pair of runs made him the fastest rider on an unfaired bike and at one point the data logging showed a rear-wheel speed of over 308 mph, as the tire spun trying to harness more than 600 horsepower.
With the setup dialed in, Warner and his team arrived in Maxton, NC at the all-concrete, one-mile course on a former air base preparing to shatter the former 253 mph MPS/BF-1650/4 class record. Warner's third run on Saturday, a 257.604 mph pass, did the trick, but there was more to come. On Sunday, he posted a pair of 256 mph test runs in the morning with stock body panels before his competitor, Shane Stubbs, upped the ante to the tune of 264.375 mph.
"I was excited for him, but Shane went a bunch faster than I expected, so I reached in my bag of tricks," Warner said. And that he did, as he pulled out three key ingredients for a better run: A leaner air-fuel mixture, two pounds more of boost in top gear and "top-secret," custom bodywork.
"I figured that one of two things was going to happen, either I would have to shut it down early or I'd put in a really good run," Warner continued. "You get really motivated in these situations. I stayed in the throttle, kept the bike straight up and charging forward." This bit of inspiration was all he needed to post his 272.340 mph run, which obliterated the class and track records, making this 'Busa the fastest vehicle to ever run Maxton.
Warner was so motivated in fact, that he failed to get his bike slowed down in time for a corner halfway through Maxton's shutdown zone. "My timing was off because I was traveling so much faster, it caught me a little off guard. I went in at the wrong angle and hit the third traffic cone at 167 mph." This mishap ripped off the front fender and damaged the hand-built bodywork, which took over 300 man-hours to perfect. Needless to say, the mistake certainly didn't wipe the smile off his face.
Fellow land-speed-record-holder Paul Livingston was blown away by Warner's accomplishments. "I was shocked and excited to hear about Bill going 272 mph, but what knocked us on our asses were the 255 mph naked runs. This makes him a hero-even among the hard-core land-speed guys," Livingston said.
BST: World's Fastest Whee...
BST: World's Fastest Wheels
In addition to an insane turbo kit, the custom Hayabusa sported some top-shelf parts like BST carbon-fiber wheels and other hardware from Brocks.
Speaking of BST wheels, Brock's Performance President Brock Davidson put a lot of homework into finding the right land-speed team to sponsor. "We can design, create and supply the greatest parts we know how to produce but we have to provide them to people who know how to set up a motorcycle, do the proper testing, read the data and move forward intelligently. Bill's drive, determination and ability-on and off the bike-are the reasons we chose Wild Bros Racing-And he killed it," Livingston said.
In addition to supporting such land-speed efforts, Brock's Performance is reaching out to AMA Dragbike, MIROCK Superbike dragrace and WERA Motorcycle Roadracing series competitors with nearly $118,000 worth of contingency awards in 2010. Racers using various Brock's Performance exhaust systems and BST carbon-fiber wheels are eligible.
For more information on BST wheels, Brock's Performance exhaust pipes, other sportbike performance parts and the company's contingency programs, go to BrocksPerformance.com.
The record-setting bike, a first-generation Hayabusa, was set up with products and technical support from the following sponsors: BST, Brock's Performance, RCC Turbos, Garrett Turbo Technologies/Honeywell, Ward Performance, R & D Motorsports Inc., Ohlins USA, Pirelli Tires, MTC Engineering, Worldwide Bearings, Knecum Performance Engines, Web Cam Inc., McIntosh Machine and Fabrication, Aerospace Lubricants, Inc., Spiegler Performance Parts, Heads Up Performance, Falicon Crankshaft Components Inc., Millennium Technologies Inc., Power-Coat, Zip Sensors, Helmet House, Larry Forstall Racing, AiM Sports LLC SE and Crower Rods. For more information about these products and the bike setup, click here
About Brock's Performance
Brock's Performance leads the way in sportbike innovation for acceleration addicts. From exhaust systems to wheels, this championship-winning company designs, builds and sells more than 3000 products that make it easier and safer for racers and street riders to reach record-breaking results through a never-ending process of research, development and track testing. For more information about BST wheels and other Brock's Performance parts, go to BrocksPerformance.com.
About BST
Based near Johannesburg, South Africa, BST engineers and manufactures the world's finest carbon fiber motorcycle components--from wheels and frames to fuel tanks and fenders--to the highest international standards. On the world stage, BST wheels have been proven at every level of FIM Grand Prix roadracing competition and have won 12 national championships. For more information about BST wheels, visit BlackstoneTek.com.
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