A tragic accident on Sunday saw motorcycle land speed record holder Bill Warner suffer a high speed crash that took his life. Warner, 44, was attempting to hit 300 mph on a modified Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle when he lost control and crashed at a speed exceeding 285 mph.

The crash took place on a runway at the former Loring Air Force Base in northern Maine. Warner was competing in The Maine Event, an annual event that sees challengers attempt to hit high speeds down a 2.5-mile stretch of runway.

According to the Argus Leader, Warner was conscious and talking after the crash but died about an hour later after being taken to hospital.

Warner holds the record for reaching the highest speed on a conventional motorcycle, albeit a modified one, over a distance of 1.5 miles. He managed to set a speed of 311 mph over a distance of 1.5 miles back in 2011.

On Sunday, he was attempting to hit 300 mph over a distance of just one mile.

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