A motorcycle racer has died after crashing at 285 mph on Sunday in front of 400 spectators.

Bill Warner, 44, lost control of his motorcycle as he tried to top 300 mph speeds.

Warner was racing at a former air base in northern Maine when his motorcycle zoomed off the runway.

The racer, from Wimauma, was doing speeds of 285 just before he lost control, but it is not known whether he was traveling faster than that when he crashed off the runway. The motorcycle suddenly veered hard to the right and witnesses say that he was lunged 40 feet high and 100 yards down the track.

Warner was taking part in "The Maine Event" at Loring Air Force Base before he crashed just before 10 a.m. He was conscious and was said to be talking after the crash, but died of his injuries an hour and 15 minuts later at a hospital.

"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," said Tim Kelly, race director of the Loring Timing Association.

Warner previously set the world land speed record with a Suzuki Kayabusa by clocking 311 mph in 2011 on 1.5 miles of pavement. He had tried to top his record by going for 300 mph by using just one mile of pavement.

The Maine Event is held annually at the former Strategic Air Command base. 2.5 miles of the 14,200 foot-long runway is used for the event.

The event was cancelled after the crash and local police departments are currently investigating the circumstances of the crash.