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[naitram]

September 22, 2004

WABASHA, Minn. -- With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 205 mph.

On Saturday afternoon, State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying near Wabasha, in southeastern Minnesota on the Wisconsin border, watching two motorcyclists racing along U.S. Highway 61.

When one of the riders shot forward, Loney was ready with his stopwatch. He clicked it once when the motorcycle reached a white marker on the road and again a quarter-mile later. The watch read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be 205 mph.

"I was in total disbelief," Loney told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for Tuesday's editions. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast."

Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that, although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state.

After about three-quarters of a mile, the biker slowed to about 100 mph and let the other cycle catch up. By then Loney had radioed ahead to another state trooper, who pulled the two over soon afterward.

The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider, 20-year-old Stillwater resident Samuel Armstrong Tilley, for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license -- and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.

A search of speeding tickets written by state troopers, who patrol most of the state's highways, between 1990 and February 2004 shows the next fastest ticket was for 150 mph in 1994 in Lake of the Woods County.

Tilley did not return calls from the newspaper to his home Monday. A working number for him could not immediately be found by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Only a handful of exotic sports cars can reach 200 mph, but many high-performance motorcycles can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can hit 200 mph. Tilley was riding a Honda 1000, Loney said.

Kathy Swanson of the state Office of Traffic Safety said unless Tilley was wearing the kind of protective gear professional motorcycle racers wear, he was courting death at 200 mph.

"I'm not entirely sure what would happen if you crashed at 200 miles per hour," Swanson said. "But it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure."

[onevtwinlover]

I think he passed me once on the capital beltway!!! [smiley=nixweiss.gif]

[JCZ]

At 200 plus MPH, even wearing protective gear, I think he was "courting death".

I think this guy passed me a couple weeks ago on I-80 headed towards San Francisco.......he was riding a wheelie all the way.....lane changes and all.

[16HD117]

I wonder how much a 205 mph speeding ticket cost???

[naitram]

I wonder how much a 205 mph speeding ticket cost???

ya know the old saying..... "if ya have to ask ya can't afford it"

[Cohibalator]

I didn't think this was possible, so here's a clip from the guy himself off his sportbike forum:

>>>All right, I was the one who got the ticket and it is time to clear some things up. For one, I was riding a 2003 Honda RC51, "heavily modified" with 2 Brothers slip on pipes and, well thats all the mods I have unless you count the "I stop for wh***s" sticker. Next, the bike wasn't impounded, it was towed so it wouldn't be in the roadway. Ok, on to the tickets. 205...uh no. I am personal friends with the owner of "Hitman Motorsports" and tonight, Sept. 22, we did a top speed run on his dyno, in 6th gear, and maxed nearly 60mph slower than I was arrested for. The "no motorcycle endorsement" is because my licence was expired, I do have a motorcycle endoresement for all you people digging into me about that. The stop watch method may be accurate at times, but this is un-conceivable for my motorcycle to approach 205. Honda's RC211v, which is Honda's MotoGP race bike, 5 cyclinders and 268 horespower, just broke 200mph on the track within the last week. And we are talking about a 1/2 to 3/4 million dollar bike. And for you gear-heads, I had on Joe Rocket Boots, Shoei helmet, Leather gloves, Ballistic coat, and leather bottoms. Also, both of us were arrested, and no, the slower one did not get a warning, he was ticketed for 111mph on a F4i. I hope this clears things up for everybody, I am just sick of everyone saying things about what they dont know, making me look like this horrific person. People speed, and if anyone knows anything about the "Flood Run" (which was the ride I was on, which by the way benefits the Gillettes Children Fund) I would be a hell of a lot more concerned about the 7,000 bar-hopping motorcyclist out on the road. 99% of the people you hear things from are misinformed. If you have questions, I will answer them. And one last note, this is information you don't know, the pilot who clocked me, was clocking me, the F4i, and flying his plane at 110mph all at the same time. Think about that for a second. <<<