Australian Ken Warby, born on May 9, 1939, has held the absolute speed record on the water since October 8, 1978. On board his hydroplane Spirit of Australia, he reached a prodigious 511.09 km/h (275.97 knots) on the Blowering Dam in New South Wales, about 400 km south-southwest of Sydney.
A record that was undoubtedly inspired by his idol when he was a child, Donald Malcolm Campbell. This British pilot broke eight world speed records on water and land during the 1950s and 1960s and died in 1967 trying a new performance.
Spirit of Australia is now on display at the National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia.
Warby himself designed and built the hull of his boat in the early 1970s. The hydroplane, built of wood and fibreglass, was powered by an aircraft engine - the Westinghouse J34 - purchased at auction for a modest $69. This single-flow turbojet engine developed by the Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the 1940s developed 1,543.85 kg.
On board his boat, he set a first speed record of 250.53 knots (464.46 km/h) on November 20, 1977, beating the American Lee Taylor's record of 458.98 km/h set ten years earlier. Before setting the record never inequality one year later of 511.09 km/h?!
And where the story is even more incredible, it's that Lee Taylor's record attempt required a budget of $1 million... While for his boat, Warby had counted on the help of friends and spent less than $100 on an engine!
Aussie Spirit
In 2003, Warby designed and built a new boat, the Aussie Spirit, with which he planned to break his own record. With the same dimensions as its previous hydroplane, Aussie Spirit was also powered by a Westinghouse J34. But due to a change of rule, he was never able to achieve his goal.
In October 2007, 30 years after the 1977 record, the driver announced his retirement from the race and began building the Spirit of Australia II for his son.
