Ken Warby

Ken Warby MBE (9 May 1939 – 20 February 2023) was an Australian motorboat racer, who at his death held the water speed record of 275.97 knots (511.10 km/h; 317.58 mph), set on Blowering Dam on 8 October 1978.

[1] As a child, Warby's hero was Donald Campbell, who died attempting to break the record in 1967.

He started the project as a Makita salesman who happened to team up with two Leading aircraftmen at RAAF Base Richmond in the early 1970s.

[3] Prior to his death, Ken had been working with his son David on a new boat to break the record.

[6] Warby was born in Newcastle, NSW and lived in Australia before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio from 1983[7][8] where he died on 20 February 2023 aged 83.