NEED for SPEED

Australians 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 sport — it carries an 85% mortality rate.

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.

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 death in 1967, after a run, when instead