Hoveton Man Sets Eyes on World Water Speed Record

On October 8, 1978, Ken Warby made history when he took his motorboat over 317 miles per hour. Today, the record still stands officially at 317.58 miles per hour and official attempts to break it have been minimal due to safety concerns. For a man in the small English village of Hoveton, however, it appears records were meant to be broken.

16/02/22

TOP SPEED

To the unknowing passersby, Alan Sabberton may look like any other 58 year old man toiling away time in his garage. In reality, Sabberton has set his eyes on breaking the world water speed record and is constructing a specialized “speed machine” that will allow him to do so. After dropping out of school at the age of 15, Sabberton learned about construction, building and mechanics from his father, the owner of a boatyard and boat building business.

Initially, a scale model was built and after successful tests, Sabberton made the decision to go all in on his aquatic speed machine. The full-size model is 34 feet and utilized a three point, hydroplane design and is powered by a massive pair of Rolls Royce Viper engines. This pair of powerful engines produces a whopping 4,000 pounds of thrust for a total of a mind blowing 16,000 horsepower.

At this point, Sabberton is searching for sponsors to help make this challenge attempt happen within the next year or two. Few records have stood the test of time like the water speed record, but with years of experience in speed boat racing, it looks like Alan Sabberton has a real chance at making history.

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