Minn. Trooper Writes 205 Mph Ticket

[rlovrin1]

Minn. Trooper Writes 205 Mph Ticket
Associated Press

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."

[Freakinout]

I was about to post a link to this article, and you beat me to it!

http://wcco.com/localnews/local_story_265090112.html

[kyhick1]

Talk about pushing their luck

Heather

[Spok]

I think the pertinent point is;

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.

[01zx7r]

That is some pretty scary stuff. I don't think I would ever go that fast on anything other than a closed course. Cracked me up though.. 140mph over the posted speed limit.. LOL..

[OmahaRider]

Wonder how much that ticket was for???

Or do you just lose your licence??

[rlovrin1]

I'm suprised that he didn't get jail time of some sort. 140MPH over the posted limit, i wonder, will he have to take a second and thrid job to pay that fine?

[Freakinout]

I'm suprised that he didn't get jail time of some sort. 140MPH over the posted limit, i wonder, will he have to take a second and thrid job to pay that fine?

Double the speed limit will get your butt taken to jail in texas, but I guess its not like that there.

[01zx7r]

Double the speed limit will get your butt taken to jail in texas, but I guess its not like that there.

"The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider"

[Freakinout]

Double the speed limit will get your butt taken to jail in texas, but I guess its not like that there.

"The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider"

Whoops!

I've read this article like 4 times, I've been having brain farts all day. My bad!

[ZX-2R]

I've been to 143 once in my lifetime verified by RADAR, however no one but a friend of mine and a state trooper have any idea that it was me and my car...205...I don't think the Camaro could take the downforce without scraping the frame out from under herself. I don't do speed traps, I don't but very seldom, speed...speed kills. you blow a radiator hose going that fast and you WILL LOSE traction.

[rlovrin1]

Found another article pertaining to this article

At 205 MPH, Speed Thrills
Minnesota biker cited for driving 140 mph over limit
www.thesmokinggun.com

SEPTEMBER 22--The below Minnesota speeding ticket should be in a museum someplace. That's because motorcyclist Samuel Tilley, 20, was clocked Saturday afternoon going 205 mph on his Honda. That was 140 mph over the limit on U.S. Highway 61. Tilley was clocked at Indy car speeds by a State Patrol pilot flying overhead, stopwatch in hand. The pilot radioed ahead to a state trooper who pulled Tilley over and issued the reckless driving citation. Tilley, the son of a sheriff's deputy, displaces William Faenza at the top of TSG's speediest driver list. Faenza was nabbed last September when Pennsylvania cops clocked him doing 182 mph in his Lamborghini Diablo.

In another article I read today, said that he was driving a 2002 Honda RC51. The editor at Cycle World magazine said that it was very doubtful that the bike could go above 165MPH without an add-on turbo-charger.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...205_mph_ticket

[ZX-2R]

I think instead of locking this guy up or even making a dollar amount to fine him they should give him the choice of no license, or make him take an MSF course and then begin to facilitate the course with the state until his time is served, or until he is tired of working for the state. Sure it can get you into trouble, but it could be a wonderful thing to have him teaching instead of running loose...