death in 1967, after a run, when instead
of refuelling and waiting for the wash
of the run to subside he made the run
immediately. This resulted in his boat
experiencing bouncing episodes at
300mph and finally an almost complete
somersault. The boat was smashed to
pieces and the Donald’s body wasn't
found until 2001... some 34 years later.
However, the gruesome reality didn’t deter
me. By the tender age of 13, I had built my
first boat and raced it at Lake Macquarie.
I continued to make improvements to this
boat — it was a labour of love. I never did
it professionally and it was all self-funded.
I made the State Championships, then
National, continuing to work towards my
goal of being the fastest man on water.
In 1970 I designed a new boat ‘Spirit of
Australia’ which I built it my backyard in
Concord. This was the boat I ultimately
drove to my first world record in 1977.
DAVE: I was brought up around water
speed racing and it has been the passion
of my life. Perhaps unsurprisingly, my Dad
tried to deter me from following this path —
he preferred I race on land, but I never got
the same satisfaction. There's something
quite hypnotic and trance-like about racing
alone on the water. I watched my Dad
design and build boats in our backyard
with nothing more than three power tools
and the mocking judgment from the rest of
the world. It only fuelled my ambition more,to follow in his footsteps, and by the
time I was 13 I was designing, building
and racing my own go-karts. I became
a professional boilermaker at age 20
and this funded my boat building dream.
To make a million in this sport you have
to start with five! Sponsorship tends only
to come once the boat is built and there
is real evidence a world title is potentially
viable. Prior to that, you’re self-funded
and Dad and I got really good at sourcing
scrap metal to shape dreams. We’ve both
struggled financially to build and race our
boats. This, coupled with everyone telling
us it’s not possible, would deter most. It’s
had the opposite effect on my Dad and I.
Now I spend my time designing, building
and racing my boat — I’m in a unique
position where I live my passion every day.What made you get into this sport?
K: What did it for me was seeing Donald
Campbell break the world record when
I was 10. My fixation with the sport was
cemented at this point and I knew I wanted
to win the world title. It was November
20, 1977 when I set my first world water
speed record. This was in my wooden
jet-powered boat, Spirit of Australia. My
home-made wooden hydroplane boat
reached 488km/h that day – the second
attempt was 511km/h and I was the first
man to achieve this. I broke the previous
10-year-old record by American Lee
Taylor. I think Taylor’s record set him
back about $1 million in 1967 whereas
the hydroplane I built in the backyard
with a military surplus jet engine cost
me a grand total of 65 bucks!ABOVE: Ken after his return run on
October 8, 1978, re-writing the record
books again with a 317.60mph average
speed on the two runs; RIGHT: CelebratingA
ustralians love a good sporting
hero and victory, especially when
it involves the perilous pursuit of
a global record. Ken Warby, from
Warby Motorsports, has not only smashed
two international records but retained his
title as the fastest man on water for over
41 years. The living legend is the only man
in history to design, build and drive a boat
to an outright unlimited world water speed
record. Many have attempted to break the
41-year-old record, but all have failed or
perished attaining greatness in this insane
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Ken’s son Dave, who shares his total
dedication and passion for the sport, now
plans to set a new world record later in the
year by reaching speeds of 550km/h and
giving his old man a run for his money.
Here, the lovable and larrikin Aussie
duo share their incredible story — so far.
G’day, Ken and Dave, tell us a bit
about yourselves and your brief
life story to date.
KEN: I was born in Newcastle in 1939
and grew up in your typical Aussie
backyard suburbia. My fascination with
speed and boats came from watching
the exploits of men like Malcom Campbell
— who set the water speed record in
his Bluebird K4 and then after the war
experimented with jet engines. His son,
Donald took over from his dad in the ’50s
and was a true source of inspiration to
me. Donald set numerous water speed
and land records including the land speed
record in his car Bluebird on Lake Eyre
in South Australia. He met his untimely