To most people in the UK and throughout the Commonwealth and
beyond, Murray Walker is the voice of motor sport. There can be
little surprise about that - he made his first radio and television
broadcasts in 1949 and only retired from commentating in 2001 at
the age of 78. In the intervening half-century Walker commentated
on hundreds of engine-powered races involving everything from
trucks to boats via motorcycles, his first love. He became best
known, however, for his work in Formula One, delighting or
irritating millions around the world with his full-throttle
delivery. Walker could inject excitement into what might appear to
the casual observer as the dullest of processions through the force
of his personality. Given that Walker has always appeared to have
excess energy to burn, it is little wonder that, until 1982,
broadcasting was not even his full-time profession. He enjoyed a
successful career in advertising, treating commentary work almost
as a weekend hobby. Walker feels blessed to have been able to enjoy
such a full life and shares some of the many highlights with
typical gusto. He covers his childhood, his distinguished service
in tanks during the Second World War, and his 'proper' job in
advertising, but most people will come to this book for the roar of
the engines and Walker does not sell them short. Page after page is
devoted to discussion and reminiscences about all manner of motor
sport and those who take part. Walker writes with great affection
about the riders and drivers he has known and the thrilling races
that have fuelled his passion: Fangio, Moss, Mansell, Surtees,
Senna, Schumacher, the mere mention of these and other great names
will delight enthusiasts. Walker rarely has a bad word to say about
anybody - this is a celebration of a long and fulfilled life, not a
tabloid-courting rant - but readers will sense some residual
tension from his working relationship with the late James Hunt, the
F1 champion who shared the commentary box with Walker for over a
decade. Walker emerges as a decent, passionate, extremely
hardworking man who is in no mood to slow down just yet. The book
zips along with the same pace as one of Walker's commentaries and
readers may find themselves stopping every few pages in order that
both they and the author might catch their breath. (Kirkus UK)
The voice of motor racing and much loved public figure - and the
man responsible for introducing millions of viewers to the
previously inaccessible world of Formula 1 - tells the story of his
incident-packed life, with a brand new chapter on his globetrotting
adventures since retirement. Murray Walker is a national treasure.
When the man who made famous the catch phrase 'Unless I'm very much
mistaken... I AM very much mistaken!!!' announced that he was
retiring as ITV's Grand Prix commentator, the media reacted as if
the sport itself was losing one of its biggest stars. His
reputation for mistakes was the making of Walker. He was the fan
who happened to be given the keys to the commentary box - and never
wanted to give them back. His high-octane delivery kept viewers on
the edge of their seats, while his passion for talking about the
sport he loved was matched by an all-encompassing knowledge gained
through hours of painstaking research before every race. In his
book he writes about his childhood and the influence that his
father, British motorcycle champion Graham Walker, had on his
career. Failing to match his father's achievements on the track
after active service in World War II, he made a successful career
for himself in advertising which catapulted him to the top of his
profession. An offer from the BBC to take over the commentary seat
for their F1 broadcasts was too good to turn down, and it wasn't
long before the infamous 'Murrayisms' enlivened a sport which until
then had been shrouded in a cloak of unfathomable technical jargon
and mind-numbing statistics. He also talks about the biggest
changes in the sport over the last 50 years, in particular the
safety issues which came to the fore after the tragic death of
Ayrton Senna, which he witnessed first hand. His partnership with
James Hunt behind the microphone is the subject of some hilarious
anecdotes, while his views on drivers past and present such as
Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher
make for fascinating reading.
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