‘Gentleman of the sport’ is irreplaceable
THE motorsporting world was saddened to hear of the loss of commentating legend Murray Walker last week-end, the infectiously excitable television commentator who became the voice of Formula One for generations around the English-speaking world, who died at a Nursing Home on Saturday at the age of 97.
Walker’s legendary ‘Murrayisms’ – his sometimes wide of the mark predictions which stood out like crashed gears and the squeal of rubber – entertained BBC and ITV viewers in the days before pay TV and a fragmented audience, and your writer was pleased to have worked with him in F1 in many of those years, and saw him at other race meetings, including Goodwood, British Touring car and British Superbike events following his retirement from F1 commentary in 2000.
Murray was undoubtedly unique in style, Australian writer Clive James, a fan of the sport, once famously described him as a man broadcasting as if his trousers were on fire, and he had done possibly more to popularise motor racing in Britain than anyone else.
Champions such as James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jackie Stewart forged close bonds with the commentator, three-time world champion Stewart saying: “There will never be another Murray Walker. He is one of those people that will be remembered forever and not too many commentators could expect that to happen after their life.
“He was a gentleman of the sport, his command of the English language was huge, so too his excitement and his energy. We are all at a certain age where we are seeing friends and colleagues slip away, which is very sad, but in the case of Murray, he will never be forgotten.”
Walker was immersed in motor racing from his earliest years as the son of motorcycle champion Graham Walker, and gave his first commentary at the Shelsley Walsh hill climb in 1948.
Rest in Peace Murray Walker, a wonderful man in every respect, a national treasure, communication genius who also created many of our best known television advertising material, and – in his own inimitable way – a Formula One legend, immensely capable but one with a keen sense of humour and modesty despite his fame.
SWANSEA Historic Vehicle Register is pleased to be able to release some good news about the club’s annual classic vehicle show at Swansea’s Singleton Park.
The long standing event had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the increasing Covid infections sweeping the country, but with improvements now resulting, and after discussion with all parties involved in the show the club can confirm that
SHVR will be hosting the Singleton show this year, on a new date, Sunday, August 22. Entry forms are available on the club website Shvr.co.uk, and will be accepted for all vehicles registered in 1990 or older or from FBHVC affiliated clubs.
ON another positive note, the British Trials and Rally Drivers Association is pleased to announce that regulations and registrations for the 2021 MRF Tyres BTRDA Rally Series are now available at www. btrdarally.com/competitors.
It is currently envisaged that the series will begin in June and feature eight rounds, of which each competitors’ five best scores will count towards their final championship positions.
Covid restrictions still dictate that the traditional pre-event signing-on sessions will not take place and, hence, the opportunity to actually register for the BTRDA Series on events will be severely compromised.
Nevertheless, the organisers want competitors to join in bringing back rallying in a responsible manner, and, hence implore prospective contenders to avail themselves of the online registration system prior to their first appearance
of the season.
Any that registered for the 2020 BTRDA Rally Series, will have the Championship element of the fee carried forward into this year, leaving entrants purely with the renewal of the BTRDA Membership, the cost of which has been pegged at £30 for another year.
Euan Thorburn/paul Beaton were the BTRDA Gold Star Champions in 2019 and Stephen Petch/ Michael Wilkinson were leading the charge last year before the BTRDA was forced to call a halt to the proceedings.
So, there will be great interest in seeing who will take the limelight in the Gold, Silver and Bronze Star categories in the series once it is up and running once more.
Final details are still to be agreed but it is confirmed that the team from Special Stage filming will be on hand to record the action from every event in the forthcoming season.
A NUMBER of Welsh rally drivers have been taking advantage of the pause in competition to progress the building of new cars for when the sport resumes.
One of that number is British Rally Championship regular Osian Pryce, who is currently well on the
way to completing his own historic Ford Escort Mk.2.
The Welsh driver has a successful history in such a Ford, in addition to his other rallying achievements, he dominated the Belgian rally a few years ago that celebrated the 50th anniversary of Ford’s Escort production that began in 1968.
And he has driven a Mark 1 Escort to a class win on the East African Safari Classic Rally some years ago, in addition to winning Rally North Wales and the Red Kite Stages in Mark 2 Escort models.
The body shell is understood to be nearing completion, and the engine and gearbox are the next stage of the project that Osian – himself a very able mechanic as well as a driver – has scheduled.
THE Cambrian Rally – currently due in October and based in Llandudno – as a round of both the BTRDA and BRC – may be affected by a reworking of both series due to other cancelled and postponed events.
The rally may also feature a new asphalt stage, organisers understood to be in discussion with another party. The Great Orme headland road was a regular stage on the rally in the past.