Photo by HYBRED Photography

Continuing to push the performance envelope and boundaries of two-wheeled insanity that is land-speed racing, Bill Warner muscled his turbocharged, 1299cc Wild Brothers Racing Suzuki Hayabusa to 278.6 mph at the Texas Mile on October 25, a new record that upped its "World's Fastest Streetbike" status by 5.3 mph over a July, 2010 run in Loring, Maine.

Out of 76 motorcycless and 173 cars, this dynamic duo was also easily the fastest vehicle at the Texas Mile, an annual event which is held at an industrial airport in Goliad, Texas. Competitors leave from a standing start, have a mile to reach terminal velocity and another half mile of tarmac to get their machines stopped.

Warner, a mild-mannered tropical fish farmer and marine biologist during the workweek, turns into a mad scientist on race weekends. He went progressively faster during the three-day festival of speed, posting a 255.1 mph run on Friday, 270.7 mph on Saturday--beating the old motorcycle record of 261.5 mph, set in March, 2010--and 278.6 mph on Sunday. Very modestly, he said, "I gradually made changes to the bike's existing setup to maximize the acceleration in each gear, trying to utilize all of the available horsepower."

"The entire weekend, all three days, I only was able to make five runs," admitted the 41-year-old from Tampa Bay, Florida. "I usually run four or five per day, so five passes in three days is not much time to get everything dialed in. The Texas Mile track is very smooth and wide, but there is not much room to shut down. More than once, I took a wild ride off the end of the track trying to get the bike stopped.

"The wind picked up significantly after 9:30 every morning. It took two runs (one on Friday and one on Saturday) to learn to stay the hell off the track when those side winds picked up. There was one gust that laid the bike over so bad I could have put a knee down, but that's not a good idea at 240 mph, while trying to go straight.

"The early-morning pass on Sunday that set the record started with my best launch ever. The bike got squirrely, skidded side to side and then she finally hooked up. It felt like I was shot out of a canon! The bike stayed perfectly vertical for the entire run. It was so smooth it felt slow, if that makes any sense. Shutdown was tough, but fun, the bike screeching, sliding and hopping off the track."

Wild Brothers Racing had a great year of land-speed racing in 2010. It now holds track records at Maxton, North Carolina (272 mph), Loring, Maine (273 mph) and now Goliad, Texas (278.6 mph).

Warner's Wild Bros Racing team and Larry Forstall worked on the Hayabusa's development, tuning and technical direction, engine assembly was handled by Steve Knecum, and Walter Kudron, a 200 mph club member also, played the all-important role of Sponsor Relations Director.

The record-setting bike was set up with an RCC Turbos Super Ultra kit that can produce over 650RWHP

SPECIFICATIONS, PARTS AND SUPPLIERS
Wild Brothers Racing 1299cc, Turbocharged,
2005 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa

Top Speed: 278.6 mph
Estimated Worth: $90,000
Power: 650 hp
Torque: 314 lbs.-ft.

ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled inline-4
Bore x Stroke: 81mm x 63mm
Displacement: 1299cc
Compression: 8.5:1
Redline: 12,000 rpm
Cylinder head: Stock
Valve train: DOHC, 16v
Cylinder head modifications: Ward Performance
Cams: Web Cam
Valves: Ferrea
Cam chain tensioner: Brock's Performance
Cylinder: Stock, aluminum, linerless design
Cylinder bore coatings: Millennium
Pistons: MTC
Rings: MTC
Pins: MTC
Circlips: MTC
Crankshaft modifications: Falicon
Connecting rods: Crower
Main bearings: Stock
Big end bearings: Stock
Crankcase: Stock
Crankcase: modifications: Harry's Machine
Oil pan baffle: Brock's Performance
Transmission: 6-speed constant-mesh
Transmission modifications: R&D
Transmission bearings: Worldwide Bearings
Transmission coatings: Power-Coat
Shift shafts: Brock's Performance
Clutch: MTC
Clutch type: wet, multi-stage lockup
Induction: Turbocharging
Turbo system: RCC Turbos
Turbocharger: Garrett
Heat exchanger: RCC Turbos
Ignition: Stock
Ignition amplifier: NLR
Spark plugs: NGK
ECU: Stock
ECU modifications: ECU editor
Fuel injection: Stock
Secondary injection: RCC Turbos
Fuel: VP Racing Fuels C16
Sensors: EGT, Zip Sensors
Data acquisition: Aim Sports
Boost controller: NLR
Secondary injector system: Microtech
Exhaust: RCC Turbos
Plumbing: Earl's
Gaskets: Cometic
Seals: Stock
Oil: Alisyn
Oil Filter: K&P Engineering
Fasteners: Heads Up Performance
Starter pin set: Brock's Performance

CHASSIS
Frame: Stock
Frame modifications: McIntosh, raked +5 degrees
Subframe: McIntosh
Swingarm: McIntosh, 2-5 in. over stock
Wheelbase: 63 in.
Drive chain: Brock's Performance/EK
Chain lubricant: Alisyn
Sprockets: Vortex
Front wheel: BST carbon fiber, 3.5 in. x 17 in.
Rear wheel: BST carbon fiber, 8.5 in. x 18 in.
Wheel bearings: Worldwide Bearings
Front tire: Continental 120/70x17 Race Attack
Rear tire: Continental 240/40x18 Race Attack Custom
Tire warmer: Woodcraft
Brake master cylinder: ISR
Brake calipers: Stock
Brake lines: Spiegler
Brake pads: Spiegler/Carbone Lorraine
Brake rotors: Spiegler/ABM
Brake fluid: Valvoline Dot 4
Front suspension: Stock 2008 Hayabusa, Ohlins springs
Steering damper: Ohlins
Rear suspension links: Brock's Performance
Rear shock: Ohlins TTX
Bodywork: Custom
Fuel tank: Custom
Fuel capacity: 3.5 gallons
Paint: Color Concepts Auto Refinishing
Seat height: 28"
Weight: 590 pounds

About The Texas Mile:
The Texas Mile, a bi-annual motorsports festival started in 2003, welcomes streetbikes of all sizes, exotic street and racecars, in addition to land-speed racers. Participants come from all edges of the United States, Canada and Mexico to test themselves and their motorized equipment. Competitors achieve top speed in one mile from a standing start and have another half-mile to get their steeds stopped. Official speeds are calculated by a speed trap located in the final 132 feet of the course. Timing equipment includes timing lights and lasers hooked to a computer specifically designed for calculating top-speed runs.