THE CAMPBELL FAMILY

Like Father, like son, like daughter!

Sir Malcolm Campbell

Sir Malcolm Campbell began the Bluebird tradition with his record-breaking cars. He took Bluebird, powered by a massive 2,500 h.p. supercharged V12 Rolls-Royce engine. past the 300 mph barrier to 301.13 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, in September 1935. He then turned his attention to water-speed records. In his Bluebird boat, designated K3, he raised the record in September 1937 to 129.5 mph on Lake Maggiore, Switzerland. A new Bluebird (K4) was then designed with three contact points - two at the front and one at the back. With this he raised the record to 141.72 mph on Coniston Water in August 1939.

Donald Campbell

Donald started by buying the K4 Bluebird (in its jet conversion form) from his father's executors. He achieved enormous success on both land and water and in 1964, perhaps at the pinnacle of his career, he raised the world land speed record to 403.1 mph in July on Lake Eyre and, in December, the world water speed record to 276.3 mph on Lake Dumbleyung - both locations being in Australia. He was the only man ever to hold both records in the same calendar year, which he achieved with just nine hours to spare.

Gina Campbell

In her prop-driven catamaran, also called Bluebird, she raised the Ladies' Water Speed Record to 166 mph on Lake Taupo in New Zealand on 1st April 1990. Gina has strong links with New Zealand - a country almost synonymous with water sports and also the home of Dorothy, Donald Campbell's second wife. Out there, in 1986, she was navigating for Glenn Urquhart when their powerboat touched the top of a wave, flipped over and then went onto its side, continuing underwater at full power. Despite - or perhaps because of this - from 1987, Gina was involved in a campaign run by the New Zealand Water Safety Council to promote public awareness of the dangers inherent in water sport and leisure.