For a racing driver Tony Dron was a remarkably good writer. And for a motoring journalist, he was an exceptional racer – so good, in fact that on one of the many occasions he won a round of the British Saloon Car Championship outright, his works-backed 2.0-litre Triumph Dolomite Sprint beating the massed ranks of more powerful 3.0-litre Ford Capris, the cover of that week’s Autosport carried the headline ‘DRONINGTON’. That year, 1977, he missed becoming overall series champion by one point…

Tony was always meant to be a racing driver. It all began, aged 12, with a 1932 Austin Seven in which he and brother Peter undertook time trials around the garden at the family home… when their mother had gone shopping. 

Tony had plans – later abandoned – to turn the Seven into an aluminium-bodied special to compete in the 750 MC championship but his racing aspirations became rather more serious in 1968 when, aged 21, he bought a Titan Mk 4 Formula Ford competing against (and often beating) the likes of James Hunt.

Motor racing needs more than just talent, however, and a lack of funds forced him to consider another career. Innes Ireland, another racer-turned-writer, suggested he should try motoring journalism. He entered, and won, the Guild’s Sir William Lyons Award for aspiring journalists in 1968 and in 1971 joined the road test team of Motor, becoming the magazine’s sports editor a couple of years later.

Ironically, this new career meant greater chance to go racing. Hoping for exposure in the pages of the magazine, manufacturers and sponsors started offering him drives and he grabbed the opportunities with both hands.

He juggled both careers until the end of 1974 when he left Motor to take up the offer of a seat in a Capri 3000 in the ’75 BSCC… only for the drive to fall through at the last minute. Fate was smiling, however, as British Leyland was looking for a journalist to race a second Broadspeed Dolomite in the championship alongside Andy Rouse. As Dron told Octane in 2018: “It wasn’t difficult to be quite a bit quicker than the other journos, so I got the job.”

That year he won his class in the Tourist Trophy and came fifth overall with Rouse in the Spa 24 Hours. The following year he raced a works Alfa and in 1976 he returned to single seaters in a Unipart-backed Dolomite-engined March F3 car. The car wasn’t a great success, but it paved the way for a successful return to Dolly Sprints in 1977 and ’78. He also managed to win the Porsche 924 Challenge in ’78.

He continued to race but from 1979 to 1982 he also tried his hand as a car salesman working for Saab in London and later a Porsche dealership in Darlington. He once confessed that sitting alongside potential new owners trying out a Saab Turbo for the first time could be one of life’s more terrifying experiences . . .

The racing, meanwhile, stepped up a gear with a works drive at Le Mans in a Porsche 924 GTP in 1980 – 12th overall – and a class win in 1982 in a Porsche 934. Throughout the 1980s Tony was closely associated with AFN Porsche. He was always quick in their 928, often taking pole but invariably arrived at the first corner in fifth or sixth having lost out to 911 traction off the line. And ten laps seldom gave him enough time to get back to the front. 

In 1982 he stopped selling cars and returned to the keyboard, first as features editor and then editor of Thoroughbred & Classic Cars (later just Classic Cars).

This move to the world of classic cars saw Tony turn his hand to track testing and racing significant historic cars, again with remarkable success. His ability to describe how the car behaved on track was as impressive as his racing record. Among many successful outings he won the Sussex Trophy at the Goodwood Revival three years running in a Ferrari 246S Dino and won the 1996 Eifel Klassik outright in a Ferrari 330 LMB.

In all, he reckoned to have won events in 24 makes and 44 models of cars, everything from Alfas and Allards to his own race and rally Zephyr. The actual number of wins was in the hundreds.

He left T&CC in 1993 but continued to write for the magazine for a while before becoming a contributor to Octane and the Daily Telegraph. He also wrote a few motoring books. He retired from racing in 2011 and from writing in 2018.

What those facts don’t reveal, however, is too much about the man. Yes, he was a seriously quick driver and a damn fine writer but there was much more to him, as has been proven by the flood of memories that have poured out on social media since his death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was announced. Tony had picked up a lung infection on a trip to India when he was 19. This was followed by lung collapses in his 20s and was perhaps a contributory factor to his emphysema.

The comments show he was universally liked and admired – no mean feat in either business. Former colleague Rex Greenslade wrote: “He was such a good friend – mentor even – in my early Motor days, not just with regard to the writing and testing by also my nascent racing career. To have had the privilege, in 1979, of racing the Triumph Dolomite Sprint which he had developed to such a high level is something I will always treasure.”

Our own Sue Baker wrote: “He was one of the greats. Always entertaining company, and I even forgave him for beating me to the Sir William Lyons Award way back. Such a talented driver and writer.”

Tony was Malcolm McKay’s boss at Classic Cars. “(He) taught me so much – about life and enjoying it as well as about writing and editing magazines. And especially about driving. Sitting alongside him as we slid to a major award on the very slippery Longleat Stages in his Ford Zephyr as he controlled it from lock to massive lock while holding the column shift in gear AND flicking the overdrive switch on the dash was a masterclass – and one of many.”

Tony was something of a hero – and mentor – to me, too, and gave me aspirations to become a motoring journalist. I first met him in the early 1970s when I was a cub reporter on a South London newspaper, and I discovered he lived locally. He soon became a regular source of stories for the sports pages, tales of his exploits in Escorts, Dolomites and the F3 March providing a welcome relief from the acres of football stuff that usually graced the back pages.

I remember the first time I interviewed him in his bachelor flat in Blackheath – he was funny, charming, encouraging and helpful. He knew the value of a good story, all of which helped a slightly nervous, star-struck – I was an avid reader of Motor – wet-behind-the-ears youngster starting out in his chosen career.

People mattered to Tony, and he had an amazing knack of making you feel important, regardless of whether you were or not. As well as giving me stories, he was generous with his time and his guidance. He took me under his wing and introduced me to other members of the South London motorsport mafia, including an up-and-coming young Modsport driver called Jonathan Palmer. The fact that Tony’s life seemed impossibly glamorous – his co-driver/navigator on the 1975 Avon Tour of Britain was a Penthouse Pet called Madeleine LeMauviel, for example – also helped.

When I became editor of Classic and Sports Car, he was my opposite number on Classic Cars. Appreciating his skill behind the wheel and the keyboard, not to mention his encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject, I knew I was something of a fraud. 

The Guild would like to offer its sincere condolences to Tony’s family and friends, notably his brother Peter, daughters Amy and Katy and son Will, and of course his wife Charis Whitcombe. 

The family has established an on-line memorial book – www.remembr.com/tony.dron – where friends and fans can post their memories of a remarkable man.   

Matthew Carter
Photos: Jeff Bloxham



A message from Tony Dron’s family

Tony Dron died last night (Tuesday, November 16) aged 75 from medical complications relating to his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Tony was more than an excellent racing driver, author and motoring journalist, he was a beloved husband, father and grandfather, and it’s impossible to express how much he will be missed by us all.

We thank everybody for their messages of condolence – they are greatly appreciated. Due to the large number of them we have created a page at remembr.com/tony.dron and ask that memories of Tony are posted there while we make the necessary arrangements for the funeral. 

We will also be looking into the possibility of a memorial service and will share details of that should it come to fruition.

When the late Harry Mundy finally gave in to the offers to join Jaguar in 1968, Geoff Howard took over as technical editor at Autocar. He was always an enthusiastic road tester and organised the journal’s team of testers, in addition to his major role in covering and describing the latest products and developments from the motor industry.

Geoff had joined the staff of Autocar in 1962 with the declared aim of guiding readers to be more discerning in the choice of cars to buy. He had achieved an Honours BSc in mechanical engineering at Imperial College, London, and started his engineering career working for de Havilland.

After six years as Autocar’s technical editor he left the journal in 1974 to join Ford as chief press officer (cars), later moving to Ford of Europe as manager of product and technical information.

In 1981, Geoff left Ford and set up as a freelance writer specialising in cars and engineering, and was one of the first to invest in a Commodore computer, known in those early days as a ‘word processor’.

He was always very knowledgeable and interested in all matters relating to computers and even built his own computer.

A keen gardener, he liked to have an immaculate garden at his home near Cambridge, with ponds exactly level and lawns beautifully manicured.

This has been a bad 12 months for Geoff, as he began to lose balance control and could not walk unaided, as well having to be fed through tubes because any solid food went into his lungs causing pneumonia which he suffered three times in 2020.  He died in his sleep just after his 84th birthday. The Guild offers sympathy to his widow Jane, and their two sons, Justin and Alexander.

Stuart Bladon

The Guild was deeply saddened to learn of the death of William Kimberley last week after a three-year battle with cancer.

William began his long career as an automotive writer publishing The Kimberley Grand Prix Guides, and later joined Motor Sport magazine.

With a fantastic understanding of technical journalism, he spent 10 years as editor of Automotive Engineer, and joined Race Tech magazine in 2006. He later launched Historic Racing & Technology magazine and also founded the World Motorsport Symposium, alongside his wife and Kimberley Media Group publisher Soheila Kimberley.

Most recently, he was editor-in-chief of Race Tech, and won a number of journalism awards during his career.

William was also a prolific author, having written The Ford that Beat Ferrari in 1985, as well as a number of books on the Triumph TR6, TR7 and TR8, plus Hot Hatchbacks. Motorsport titles included Learn & Compete: a Primer for Formula SAE.

William joined the Guild in 1984, and was always a strong supporter of our role as a voice for automotive journalists and photographers, as well as participating in events. 

He loved bringing his classic Bentley to Guild events – it was his first car and he had owned it since the age of 17.

Many members have already expressed their sadness at William’s passing, and he will be missed by all of us.

William’s funeral service will be held St. Marylebone crematorium in East Finchley at 1pm on 8 November. If you’re unable to attend, but if you wish to join his ceremony, watch live on the web link below.

https://watch.obitus.com
Username: zifa0659
Password: 719649

In lieu of flowers, it has been requested that a donation be made to The Brain Tumour Charity, and it can be made at https://justgiving.com/fundraising/williamkimberley

If you are an enthusiast as well as a journalist the chances are that you will find Graham Robson on your bookshelf. In 50 years as a professional author, he produced nearly 170 books on motoring subjects, ranging from marque histories to biographies of designers and engineers and stories of rallies and rally people.

He was, without doubt, the Guild’s most prolific author and his work won numerous awards in Britain and America, including the Montagu Trophy in 2004.

Graham died peacefully on 5 August at home in Dorset, where he had seemed to be recovering slowly from a fall in May which fractured his hip and had required a long spell in hospital. He was 85 years old.

A Yorkshireman with a blunt manner that some found abrasive, he was modest about his own achievements and intensely loyal to his friends and colleagues. His writing was always crisp and clear and without pretension and his research was thorough, aided by his own extensive library of books and journals.

He graduated from Oxford in 1957 and joined Jaguar as a trainee design engineer. Involved in rallying at a club level, he was given the opportunity to co-drive for the Rootes team of Sunbeams in international events and that led to a full-time job as manager of the Standard-Triumph motorsport operation, rallying Triumph TR4s and Spitfires and racing at Le Mans. Later, in 1965, he was to co-drive with Roger Clark in a Lotus-Cortina to win the Welsh International Rally. 

By then, Graham had entered journalism, joining the Autocar Midland office. Over the next five years he worked on all aspects of the magazine and his technical assessments of cars brought him to the attention of Chrysler UK who made him chief engineer of product proving. A short spell at seat-belt maker Kangol followed, before he returned to journalism as a freelance with a plan to write books that would appeal to the growing classic car movement.

The first of these was, logically, The Story of Triumph Sports Cars for Motor Racing Publications in 1973. Graham was quickly established as the complete professional: his editors (of which I was one) appreciated that his copy was always accurate, well presented, to length and on time. He had a ferocious work ethic – all day, every day, and if he allowed himself some time off, he prided himself on ‘always making up for it’. He never retired and was still working on a major project at the time of the accident.

Graham’s continuous stream of books was to make him well known in classic car circles and he was much sought-after as a guest of marque clubs and as a commentator at concours and historic car events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

His wife Pam died seven years ago in a care home, after a long retreat into Alzheimer’s disease. He is survived by his sons Hamish and Jonathan to whom we send all sympathy.

Ray Hutton

Graham’s funeral will be held at Weymouth Crematorium, at 1pm on Monday, 6 September. There will be a remote web cam service facility for those unable to make the journey. For details contact Jonathan Robson at jonathan.e.robson@gmail.com.

Johnny Dumfries (John Colum Crichton-Stuart, 7th Marquess of Bute), Honorary member of the Guild of Motoring Writers (Photo: Jeff Bloxham)

His biggest success came in the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours, when he shared the winning Jaguar with Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace – the Coventry marque’s first outright victory in the event since 1957.

Two years earlier there had been a single season as a grand prix driver, alongside Ayrton Senna at Lotus team-mate. Such are the facts the wider world knows about the career of Johnny Dumfries, who has died at the age of 62, but such simple statistics do him a disservice.

Johnny Dumfries’s ascent to the motor racing summit owed nothing to his aristocratic background, something he kept well hidden when he was racing in the cut and thrust of Formula Ford during the early 1980s. It was the result of hard graft – working as van driver, painter & decorator, among other things – and natural competitive flair.

By 1983 he had shown sufficient promise to graduate to the British F3 Championship, running a one-year-old Ralt on a shoestring budget with the small AMR team. He obtained a number of strong results, though he failed to finish on the day that really raised his profile.

At Silverstone in June, there was a race counting towards both the British and European championships. Dumfries qualified third, behind UK title protagonists Martin Brundle and Ayrton Senna, and made a better start than the Brazilian to run second initially. His hopes of a podium result detonated along with his engine, but a marker had been laid.

That winter, BP recruited him to drive for its F3 team in 1984 and, at the wheel of a Ralt run by David Price, Dumfries won 10 of the 17 races to emerge as runaway champion. And even though he missed a couple of races due to date clashes, he also finished second in the European series, only a few points behind winner Ivan Capelli.

Despite this stellar campaign, a shortage of sponsorship compromised his chances of graduating to the FIA F3000 Championship, grand prix racing’s unofficial finishing school. He found support to do the first five races in an Onyx March, finishing sixth at Vallelunga, and later did a couple of events in an uncompetitive Lola, but it was a frustrating campaign.

Even so, he was offered an F1 chance with Lotus the following season. Derek Warwick was expected to get the drive, but team leader Ayrton Senna didn’t want an experienced F1 driver in the second car and Dumfries seized the opportunity that came his way.

His season was hindered by unreliability – and his clear role as the team’s number two – but he managed a couple of points finishes, though by then he already knew he would not be staying beyond the season’s end. Lotus had done an engine deal with Honda, whose preferred driver Satoru Nakajima came as part of the package.

With no fresh F1 opportunities available, Dumfries switched to endurance racing – and shared second place with Mauro Baldi in the Brands Hatch 1000 Kms, the duo’s Porsche 962 splitting the Tom Walkinshaw-run works Jaguars. Afterwards, Walkinshaw suggested Dumfries should give him a call – and that led to the offer of a full-time drive, the highlight of which would be that Le Mans victory in June 1988.

Later that year, however, a mistake on the opening lap at the Nürburgring persuaded Walkinshaw not to retain his fellow Scot the following season. Dumfries switched to Toyota’s sports car programme for the next two years, but with no deal on the table for 1991 he decided to hang up his helmet and start a fresh life helping to manage the family estate.

He wouldn’t race again.

I’ll remember him as a grounded and friendly, someone whose background I would never have guessed as we sat chatting over egg and chips in the ramshackle café that once sat to the outside of Silverstone’s Woodcote Corner. He won’t ever be listed as one of the all-time greats, but his 1984 season underlined significant potential that would remain ever unfulfilled.

He was a good bloke, taken far too soon.

Simon Arron

The Guild of Motoring writers was saddened to learn of the death of member and motorsport commentary legend Murray Walker on Saturday.

Graeme Murray Walker, was born in Birmingham in October 1923, and saw service in the Second World War as a tank commander after graduating from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, and on leaving the army at the end of the war had achieved the rank of captain.

Motorsport was in his blood, with his father Graham having been competition manager for Sunbeam, and later sales and competition director for Rudge-Whitworth.

Murray competed in motorcycle racing and trials, and his first public racing commentary was in 1948 at the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb, while a year later he commentated on the British Grand Prix for the BBC. Murray and Graham commentated together for the BBC on many motorsports events, and after the death of his father in 1962, Murray became the BBC’s lead motorcycle race commentator.

While he indulged his love of motorsports in commentary, he also carved out a successful career as an advertising executive. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that he became the BBC’s full-time Formula One commentator in a career that continued until his retirement in 2001, including F1’s switch from the BBC to ITV on UK television.

During his television career, he also became a memorable part of the BBC’s coverage of the British Touring Car Championship, and brought his immense professionalism and insight to the domestic series.

Murray joined the Guild of Motoring Writers in 1990, at the height of his success as one of the most recognisable voices in sports commentary, and with a following across the English-speaking world of motor racing enthusiasts.

Formula One writer and Guild member Maurice Hamilton leads our tributes to Murray.

“Murray Walker’s company at the races was like being with your favourite uncle. The paddock seemed to be complete when he appeared; a stocky figure who was welcome everywhere thanks to an easy-going manner and a natural desire to chat to one and all, be it mechanic, team principal or top driver. 

“Unfailingly polite and gentle, Murray did not conform to the thrusting image of the modern sports reporter; a characteristic that was seen by the motor racing majority as an asset rather than a failing. Having been commentating since 1948, Walker was ‘Old School’, and he saw no reason to change. In fact, he couldn’t, even if he had tried.

“Murray was driven by incredible enthusiasm, his deep love of the sport being instantly transmitted through a high-octane delivery informed by meticulous research and copious notes. If anything, he knew too much. A bursting desire to share all his thoughts with viewers led to tongue-tied moments for which, initially, he was criticised. Over time, however, classics such as “He’s in the pits and I’m stopping my start-watch” would form a list of ‘Murrayisms’ that generated increasing affection before his retirement as a full-time commentator in 2001.

“Despite his vast experience and global reputation (Walker had a huge fan club in Australia), Murray remained self-effacing and relentlessly professional. As a summariser on F1 for BBC Radio 5 Live in 2007, I was to discover this at first hand when Walker was persuaded to make a brief comeback as a stand-in when our lead commentator was forced to miss the German Grand Prix. 

“There were no airs or graces; no prepared excuses for being rusty or out of touch. Murray arrived early and insisted on being a part of our team at every turn, both business and social. He never came close to playing the ‘Well, in my experience….’ or, ‘I think we should do it this way’ cards you might expect. If anything, he was mildly apprehensive. But it didn’t take long for the adrenalin to kick in. In fact, he couldn’t wait to get going at the start of qualifying.

“The British Open was on at the same time and 5 Live Sport that Saturday afternoon was being presented by John Inverdale from Carnoustie. Inverdale began the hand-over to the Nürburgring with an effusive welcome for a broadcasting icon who was returning to his radio roots. 

“Meanwhile, the cars were leaving the pits and I could see, the longer this gushing introduction continued, the more agitated Walker was becoming. When the big moment finally arrived, rather than thank Inverdale for his very kind words and describe how much going back to BBC Radio genuinely meant to him, Murray, at peak revs, launched straight into: ‘Qualifying HAS BE-GUN!’ And we were off! 

“It was to be a truly memorable weekend and a privilege to sit alongside such a legend. Before the start, our producer resurrected ‘The Chain’. When the familiar beat hit the airwaves, the hairs on many a neck stood up. It was the prelude to hearing an equally evocative voice motor sport fans had taken to their hearts – and where it will forever remain.”

Guild of Motoring Writers president Nick Mason writes: “Murray Walker established himself as the definitive voice of Formula One for generations of enthusiasts, covering the sport for around half a century. Throughout he constantly remained an ardent fan, rather than a know-it-all.

“Clive James’s description of him as a broadcaster sounding as though ‘his trousers were on fire’ sums up both his style, but also indicates one of the many reasons he was held in such high regard and affection.

“He was of course a consummate team player, and his partnerships with James Hunt, and later Martin Brundle, provided perhaps the very best commentaries ever provided for any sporting contests.

“His motor sport enthusiasm extended well outside the Formula One circus, and his own experiences of motorcycle racing gave him a unique insight and sympathy for the less glamorous elements of the sport.

“Murray will be sorely missed not only by the Formula One paddock but a global audience of his fans.”

F1 writer and broadcaster Simon Taylor, also a Guild member, writes: “Murray Walker was a one-off. He brought a vast new audience to TV’s coverage of Formula One, an audience that adored him. He was a modest man, and he could never quite understand why, when he appeared in any English-language country that took his commentaries, he was mobbed more than most of the drivers.

“He was a wonderful communicator, because when he described a race his enthusiasm was completely genuine, and never simulated. He really was excited by what he was talking about, even after he had been describing motorsport of one sort or another for over 60 years. In his torrent of words there was drama, there was atmosphere, and there was humour, and underlying that was a huge amount of hard work. 

“At every Grand Prix he would walk the track, carefully annotating his own circuit diagram. He would talk to everyone in the paddock, and because he was such an amiable, courteous man everyone – from the world champions and the team bosses down to the mechanics – was happy to talk to him. His friendships with the likes of Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill were well-known, but there was a barely a driver in the paddock who didn’t greet him simply as ‘Murray’.

“It’s a shame, but no surprise, that many of the avalanche of obituaries in the general media have majored on his much-repeated, and often very funny, ‘Murrayisms’. But those were very rarely errors of fact. Usually they were mistakes of expression in the excited torrent of words as he rushed to describe what he saw. After all, it would be strange if, in 60 years and probably billions of words, there wasn’t the odd blooper. And Murray took it all in good part – which is why he called his autobiography Unless I’m Very Much Mistaken.

“Prodigious energy, careful research, an unbreakable work ethic and a style that was entirely unique: all that made Murray a very great commentator. And friendliness, honesty, good manners and a feet-on-the-ground  common sense: all that made Murray a delightful human being.”

Guild member David Tremayne, of Grand Prix+, writes: “Everyone thought they could do a better job of commentary when Murray Walker made one of his famed Murrayisms, which became part of racing’s rich lexicon.

“Who could forget pearls such as: ‘Unless I’m very much mistaken – which I am!’ ‘This would have been Senna’s third win a row, if he’d won the two before.’ Or ‘Mansell can see him in his earphone.’?

“They made people laugh, but they also endeared him to his audience. And such gaffes were not the product of ignorance, but his adrenaline-fuelled excitement. And behind them, few ever prepared so carefully and professionally for their job, nor had such an encyclopaedic knowledge of their sport.

“His ‘pants on fire’ style gave everyone a sense of the true thrill of Formula 1, and generated excitement even when there was none. And he was instrumental in helping the sport’s tremendous growth from the late Seventies right through to the turn of the century.

“He genuinely loved it, and saw his role as being to convey that love to viewers while filling them on what was happening on track and behind the scenes.

“He was an innately kind man, and could laugh at himself. And he was a toughie. At the age of 89 in 2013 he recovered from a fractured pelvis after a tumble, and saw off lymphatic cancer.

“In ‘resting’ mode he was super-friendly, wholly approachable, someone I was very proud to call a friend. A wonderful character, and a genuine legend, he probably hadn’t the slightest idea that he was also one of those rarest of men, whose passionate love for the sport was reciprocated thoroughly by everyone within it.”

Honorary Guild member the Duke of Richmond and Gordon writes: “Murray Walker was a dear friend of Goodwood, who played an important part in our events over the years, including in the early days of the Festival of Speed and the Goodwood Revival.

“Murray’s final Goodwood commentary was on the inaugural Settrington Cup at the 2012 Revival, when he brought all his trademark enthusiasm, professionalism and meticulous preparation to bear, despite the fact it was ‘only’ a pedal car race. 

“His love of the sport never wavered, and his ability to convey that unbridled joy to an audience meant he did more than perhaps anyone else to promote motor racing globally. We will miss him terribly, and our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.”

He added that Murray also umpired the Goodwood Revival cricket match – a fond memory for the Duke and his family.

From the Royal Automobile Club members’ section:

“When all the tributes have been paid and the anecdotes and Murraryisms lovingly shared, members of the Club will be delighted to know that, uniquely, they are able to reflect on the life and times of friend and fellow Club member Murray Walker in a wonderfully appropriate place: The Murray Walker Television Room.

“Located in Pall Mall and opened by Murray in 2019, the room is only the second place in Pall Mall to bear the name of a racing personality, the other being the Segrave Room. The significance of this was not lost on Murray who said, “I find it very hard to put into words just what it means to me. I was, and remain, completely bowled over.”

“His delight was captured in a video interview presented by Simon Arron of Motorsport magazine, assisted by racing commentator Alan Hyde, recorded when the Television Room was opened. Its occasion marked what was almost Murray’s 60th anniversary as a member of the Club, a membership which, as he explains in the film, was very dear to him since his father, Graham Walker, was also once a member.

“During this fascinating and enjoyable film, Murray interrupts his recollections of life at the microphone to discuss the memorabilia arranged around the Television Room. Personal highlights include the rear wing given to him on his visit to McLaren and signed by the staff and team, and an original brick from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, presented to him in 2001.

“Reflecting on his career towards the end of the film, Murray says, in characteristically modest fashion: ‘Those who can, do and those who can’t, talk about it.’ As we remember Murray Walker’s hugely compelling and enjoyable contribution to racing, we can only be thankful that his huge talent found its outlet in speech.”

It’s possible to hear an interview with Murray by Tom Clarkson in the following podcast:

REVISITED: Murray Walker – An incredible life, in his own words
F1: Beyond The Grid

To millions of F1 fans around the world, Murray Walker was much more than an F1 commentator. He was the man that brought their passion to life, with his unmistakable voice sound-tracking – and enhancing – some of the greatest moments in the sport’s history. As the world mourns his sad passing, at the age of 97, we bring you Tom’s conversation with Murray from early 2019, as he looked back on his incredible life story, from the battlefields of World War Two to F1 commentary boxes across the globe.

Listen here on Apple Podcasts.


We will be including further tributes when we receive them.

Scroll through social media and you will find a massive outpouring of shock, sadness, love and grief as hundreds of people from around the world reacted to the news that Tim Watson had passed away on 6 February at the age of 57. Only Tim’s family knew that he had been battling cancer for the last 18 months – he did not want to trouble his many friends with the news.

The high regard with which Tim was held by journalists and industry figures in several countries is reflected in the words repeated over and over in the tributes to this former automotive communications high-flyer. “Professional, talented, brilliant, inspirational, honest, genuine, likeable, gracious, loyal, honourable.” And, of course, “funny”. Tim’s sense of humour was as legendary as his skills as the consummate PR and communications specialist. He certainly was one of a kind – there was never a dull moment with Tim around, but he never let the fun prevent him from doing a top-class job. One senior industry executive summed him up as “A rare and exceptional person, a professional of the highest order and one of the most engaging people in the industry.” 

Born in Tunbridge Wells, Tim began his career as a journalist on a Kent newspaper and, a winner of the Guild’s Sir William Lyons Award in 1984, developed his automotive interest at Motoring News before joining Mazda as press officer. He eventually became Head of PR and his reputation as a skilled and likeable PR specialist grew. It was at this time, while I was PR Director for the TKM/Inchcape group’s various automotive brands, that our friendship developed and we first became colleagues. The group needed a PR and marketing manager for Ferrari UK and I did not have to push Tim too hard to accept the role. His skills and success with the British media did not go unnoticed in Italy and he was eventually lured to Maranello to handle international PR, before stepping up to run global communications for Ferrari and Maserati.

Tim was never overawed by anyone’s reputation or perceived status. What mattered to him was how someone acted and treated him and others. He gave respect when it was deserved. One of my favourite examples of this relates to Michael Schumacher’s appointment to the Ferrari F1 team in 1996. Tim and Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo greeted the German racing star as he stepped from a helicopter at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track. Schumacher shook hands with the Ferrari President and turned to hand his briefcase to Tim. He was taken aback to be told “I’m your PR adviser, not your valet”, so carried his own briefcase as they walked off, discussing the media briefing Tim had prepared. The pair went on to develop enormous respect for each other as they worked together in the coming years, becoming good friends.

In 2001 new Aston Martin CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, needed a PR director and Tim was the natural choice. As the brand was Ford-owned, this led to Tim’s new ‘twatso’ nickname, for Ford took the first initial and first five letters of a surname to create the @ford email address. Tim’s role developed to public affairs director and then brand communications director before Ford sent him to California in 2005 to take on the role of vice-president of communications and public affairs for Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin North America. Tim attracted enormous respect from his new US colleagues and the American media as he made yet another huge success of his latest career challenge.

After a brief switch to a senior commercial role at Jaguar Italy, he was offered the opportunity to return to the UK as number two to the Aston Martin CEO, a senior position created specifically for him. Despite the attraction of the role and an eye-watering financial package he told me “I’m going to say no. It’s time for me to leave the corporate world and do what I really want to do with the rest of my life.” And that’s how Tim reinvented himself to follow his dreams. He started by rekindling his life-long love of motorcycles, writing a column for an on-line bike magazine, building a Triumph chopper and buying Harley-Davidson models for himself and his wife Anne. After six months of touring on the Harleys together, Tim wrote a Bryson-type book – “There and back again to see how far it is” – using his dry wit and very British sense of humour to describe his adventures and discoveries in small-town America. It was illustrated with images taken en route by Anne, his kindred spirit and an award-winning photographer.

But his real ambition was to create his own vineyard and wine company to support this new life for himself and Anne, and to create a special legacy for his children. Despite having no prior experience, he spent the last six years planting, developing and nurturing a vineyard alongside his hilltop home in Southern California – learning as he went along and toiling every day. It was just three weeks before he passed away that he was able to see the fruit of his labour – the first bottles of Watson Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon wine. And true to form, the Watson sense of humour was there for all to see on the label. He had branded the wine as “Piston Broke.”

Tim leaves his wife Anne and their seven year old son Russell, plus daughter Faith, aged 20, and 17-year-old son Hugo from his first marriage. Anne has asked me to gather stories about Tim from his many friends so she can share them with Russell when he is older. Please send your anecdotes and tales, especially the funny ones, to peter.frater@outlook.com.

Peter Frater

Friend of the Guild…and Tim’s friend for 35 years

With the passing on Monday 8 February, the Guild has lost one of its oldest working members at the age of 83 and yet his name may not be familiar to all.

Mike, as he was always known, spent a lifetime in the historic car world with a particular interest in any vehicle built before World War II. He was born in Sussex, his father was a chauffeur.

He became interested in motoring history from an early age and began writing when he was in his teens. One of his first vehicles was a 1926 BSA 986cc motorcycle taxi combination which had operated in the Brighton area, he wrote up the discovery of this gem in  the relatively new Veteran and Vintage magazine edited by Lord Edward Montagu.

His two uncles dabbled in what we might these days call ‘pre-owned’ cars , some coming out of less than ideal storage conditions during the war or were to be found in long established scrap yards.

Writing later he admitted that “traditional scrap yards remain my spiritual home”. He became an  obsessive collector, at one time owning 17 vehicles.   These included names which some of us will have forgotten about, such as Angus-Sanderson, Crouch, Calcott, Horstmann, Trojan, Chrysler Wimbledon and Pontiac turret top coupe.

Perhaps it was his marriage to Pam 44 years ago and his eight children that cut down his appetite for owning so many old cars at one time.

In 1982 he bought the car he was probably most famous for ‘Arthur’ a 1927 Austin 20 saloon. Arthur was very scruffy but mechanically sound and Mike drove that car everywhere.

He annually drove Arthur from his home in south west Wales to the Beaulieu Autojumble with Pam and his great friend motoring historian Kit Foster from the USA. He parted with the car in 2007. Trips to the Autojumble and other sales enabled him to build up a very large library and archive on motoring history, which helped him so much in his writings.

He also started collecting automobilia which then grew into a huge collection.  Much of this relates to pre-war motoring and is an amazingly diverse collection.

Mike has written articles in many motoring magazines and edited many specialist columns. We must not forget that it was not only about cars, he had a strong leaning towards the vintage motorcycle as well.

He founded and edited Classic Car Mart and contributed to many motorcycle periodicals. He wrote a number of books on a wide variety of motoring and collecting subjects. He was closely associated with Sothebys car auction department and was a writer of auction catalogue entries and a consultant to Brooks and Bonhams.

I suspect he is best known for his many columns over the years writing about the so-called ‘barn finds’. I asked him once if he had invented the name – he was not sure but I suspect he might have done.

There was a time when he had a number of columns in different classic car and motorcycle magazines which were about vehicles which had been found in barns and sheds or under hedges.

The readers of classic car magazines seemed to have a fascination with this subject.  He was still writing the monthly ‘Finds and Discoveries’ column in The Automobile up until his death. His other monthly column in that magazine was about automobilia and was based on his own huge collection and various items that readers brought to his attention. 

Mike had always interested himself in the old car movement and was at the forefront of the discussions with the DVLC (as it was then) to allow the recovery of original registration marks for cars which had been found or imported. He helped many people retrieve their old number.

He was made an MBE in 2018 for his contribution to motoring history and the old car movement. I am sure those that recommended him also drew attention to the fact that he was always prepared to pass on his knowledge to others and he would always try and help people in this way if he could.

He has certainly replied to many of my questions over the years! He helped found and had been chairman of the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain for many years. He had won various trophies with the worldwide organisation the Society of  Automotive Historians, as well as the Guild’s own Pemberton Trophy in 2003.

Once known never forgotten, a striking figure with a slightly out of control white bushy beard and nearly always in tweeds and a deerstalker. The old car movement will miss you.

By Michael E Ware

Michael’s funeral service will take place on Friday 19 February, at Parc Gwyn Crematorium, Narberth, at1pm GMT, and will be streamed online to allow people to join who are prevented from attending because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Joining instructions:
https://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view
Login / Order ID: 78234
Password: mpmkgvyk

The Guild was saddened to learn of the death of retired member Bryan Longworth, who died at Chesterfield Royal Infirmary on 6 January 2021.

Bryan, who lived with his partner Patricia Revill in Chesterfield, began his career on the South Yorkshire Times as a reporter, progressing to become editor of the newspaper’s Sheffield edition.

He wrote news, but was also an accomplished sports writer, covering football and also reported on the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield in 1989. The event tragically resulted in 96 LIverpool supporters losing their lives in a crush at an away match against Sheffield Wednesday.

He won a Newspaper Society award for his reporting in 1997.

Passionate about motoring, Bryan spent the latter part of his career at the Doncaster Free Press, chalking up many years as its motoring correspondent, and continuing to cover motoring as a freelancer after his retirement.

Bryan’s funeral will take place at Chesterfield Crematorium on 23 January, and will be streamed online as a result of coronavirus restrictions.

The Guild of Motoring Writers committee was saddened to learn of the death of Guild member Mike Lawrence, just before Christmas.

Mike was a highly respected motorsport journalist and many of his colleagues expressed sorrow at his passing.

We asked his colleague, Chris Balfe, is we could publish the warm and funny tribute he wrote for his Pitpass.com website (see below), to which Mike was a contributor.

Guild member Mark Cole has given us the image below from when he and Mike worked togther on a radio show in the 1970s.

Mark said: “I got to know him when I was press officer at Thruxton, and I would join him and Rob Widdows for Rob’s Radio Victory motorsport show at Portsmouth during the 1970s.

“I knew that he was a school teacher with a good radio voice, and later as a good motoring journalist and writer, and did a lot of work for the Goodwood Festival.”

Above: Mike Lawrence (right) with some of the high-profile guests on Rob Widdows’s Radio Victory show Track Torque.
Top:
Mike Lawrence. Photo: Chris Balfe

Long-time readers of Pitpass will be aware that Mike was with us from the very start indeed, prior to that he worked with me at that site that shall never be named.

I first met Mike unaware that I already had a couple of his books on my shelf, ‘The Story of March (Four Guys and a Telephone)’ and ‘Brabham Ralt Honda (The Ron Tauranac Story)’.

I was running a poll on an F1 site in 1998 and going through the responses I came across one that stood out from the rest, I made a note to contact the author and as a result our friendship began.

Mike was a truly genuine character, and though there are tears in my eyes as I type this, I cannot help smiling as I recall some of the things he wrote and the countless anecdotes.

Mike could (and would) talk for hours about motor sport, and whether it was drivers or machines he was a true expert, an amazingly knowledgeable man. Yet, rather than concentrate on personalities or chassis numbers (a common fault in motor racing literature), Mike preferred to weave a story around his painstakingly researched facts.

He was just as knowledgeable about William Shakespeare, while also being a keen movie fan. Being a fan myself I remember sitting in disbelief with him as he guffawed all the way through Ted, while I could barely raise a smile, and late last year, after he had watched Vincent Price’s Theatre of Blood, we had a long discussion about the many other films that used the penthouse at Alembic House, the property originally owned by legendary composer John Barry, who subsequently sold it to a certain B C Ecclestone who in-turn sold it on to Jeffrey Archer.

A former teacher, Mike’s passion was to share his knowledge with others but always in the most entertaining of ways.

His all-time racing hero was Stirling Moss – or Sir God as he called him – and it is fitting that one of the last things he wrote was a tribute to the racing legend when he passed away earlier this year.

As well as the many books, including Colin Chapman – Wayward Genius, Mike had helped Bernie Ecclestone put together his famed collection of race cars, and was a key player when the Goodwood Festival of Speed was first being put together.

Then there was Track Torque, the legendary motor sport radio show hosted by Mike and Rob Widdows, broadcast by Radio Victory in the late 70s. Though only available in the south of England the show not only attracted a sizeable audience of fans each week but some of the biggest names in the sport, names like Frank Williams, Colin Chapman, Stirling Moss, Mario Andretti, Niki Lauda, Ron Dennis, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost . . .

I am sure Mike would enjoy the fact that later today [22 December, 2020] Film 4 is showing the Peter Sellers movie, A Shot in the Dark – the second of the Pink Panther series – for it was in this film that Sellers good friend Bryan Forbes had a minor role as a guitar-playing nudist camp attendant, the character listed in the ending credits as Turk Thrust.

Turk, of course, was to achieve legendary status as advisor to FOSU, the Formula One Script Unit, the mythical organisation that Liberty Media would surely love to have back on board and at times still appears to be working in the background.

Then there was the time Mike was perceived as having gone a little too far and was threatened with legal action over something he’d written for us. Instead of a grovelling apology or a crowdfunding page, Mike proceeded to mock the lawyer’s name (Marvin) in a series of the funniest letters I have ever seen. Eventually, clearly worn down by the experience, the lawyer and litigant gave up.

“Marvin,” he wrote, “I turn the name over in my mouth and find no fault with it. Marvin is the name I would choose if writing fictional comedy about a firm of solicitors who cannot write a letter.

“Thank you, Lord Harry, for delivering a Marvin to my hands. There is much potential in ‘Marvin’, as you will discover. Marvin is not just a silly name, it is a stupendously ridiculous name. I shall have a lot of fun with ‘Marvin. I reckon that Marvin even beats Elmer.”

In the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, above the tomb of its architect, Sir Christopher Wren is the epitaph: “Reader, if you seek his memorial – look around you.”

Might I suggest that you spend some time over the coming days reading the genius that was Mike, for when all is considered, his magnificent writing is his epitaph. All his features for Pitpass can be found here.

RIP my dear friend.

Chris Balfe