Blaxland's Ben Felten, 54, has been totally blind for 17 years, but it's never held him back.
He represented Australia in para rowing and cricket and in 2018 he completed the seemingly impossible - becoming the fastest blind motorcycle racer in the world, riding a scary 266 km an hour on the salt flats of South Australia.
This year he's looking to break another Guinness World Record as the fastest blind man on four wheels, competing against two other blind car racers. He'll travel to America and have the whole event showcased in a documentary.
Along the way Mr Felten has been ably supported by his vital four-legged Labrador friends and he's putting out the call for others to contribute to the Seeing Eye Dog Appeal which has an ambitious target of raising $1million.
It takes $50,000 to teach a seeing eye dog the skills it needs. Petbarn Foundation and Vision Australia are aiming to raise the money to train 20 dogs to support those who are blind or low-vision. An estimated 453,000 Australians are blind or visually impaired and the dogs are a lifeline for their autonomy.
"When I was approached [to be an ambassador for the Seeing Eye Dog appeal] I accepted straight away," Mr Felten said. "I know how much they make a difference in life. They give me independence, they are good for my fitness and health, my social life, they help me do guest speaking gigs, they are family."
Right now he has "Petbarn pin-up girl" Cleo, who joined the family in January so his other dog Orson - "the coolest laid back dude ever" - could retire at age 11.
"They are wonderful companions. Orson doesn't really not want to work, he's still an excellent dog."
Mr Felten cited numerous examples where Orson could find his friends in challenging environments and how the working dog also remembered previous bumps in a footpath (where he had fallen on a jog) that they had not visited in a decade. He is still working on the relationship with new dog Cleo.
"Orson is a bit like driving a Rolls Royce and Cleo she's like a Honda Getz on green Ps. She's very keen, it's all new. There's a continuous working together."
Mr Felten was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition at 16. Retinitis Pigmentosa, saw him go blind from the periphery in. His many other milestones include setting up the Nepean Blind Sports Club, establishing Sailability and being president of Blind Sports NSW.
Mr Felten managed to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest motorcycle ever ridden blindfolded with the help of navigator, Australian former Grand Prix road racer Kevin Magee - Magee's voice acting as Felten's eyes. His next record-setting attempt will be done with the help of GPS and Wi-Fi. It was his childhood dream to be a professional motorbike rider and he said through his disability he has achieved that.
- Australians are encouraged to Train-up-a-Pup by donating through Petbarn stores or online to teach these Seeing Eye Dog puppies the skills they need.
