 Webber was born in Queanbeyan , New South Wales , son of Alan Webber , a local motorcycle dealer , and his wife Diane . Webber has one older sister , Leanne , and two nieces . He attended Karabar High School in Queanbeyan for his secondary education . He began his relationship with sport at a young age , working as a ball boy for premiership winning rugby league team , the Canberra Raiders , during the late 1980s . However , motorsport was where his interest lay , listing Formula One World Champion Alain Prost and Grand Prix motorcycle racer Kevin Schwantz as his childhood heroes . Starting out racing motorcycles , Webber moved to four wheels in 1991 , taking up karting at age 14 . He won the New South Wales state championship in 1993 , and moved straight to the Australian Formula Ford Championship after his father bought him an ex @-@ Craig Lowndes Van Diemen FF1600 . Working as a driving instructor at Sydney 's Oran Park Raceway between races , Webber finished 14th overall in his debut season . Continuing in the series in 1995 , Webber scored several victories , including a win in the support race for the Australian Grand Prix at Adelaide . He finished the series in fourth place , but perhaps more importantly , he teamed with Championship coordinator Ann Neal , who gained him a seven @-@ year sponsorship with Australian Yellow Pages , and would become his manager , accompanying him on a trip to England to try to start a career in Europe . 
