VOICes ‘The lifeboat volunteers make me proud to be British.’ Murray Walker The voice of Formula One tells Rory Stamp of his admiration for the RNLI’s crews ‘I’ve always had immeasurable respect for them,’ says Murray Walker as he watches lifeboat crew members tuck into lunch at The Lifeboat College restaurant. The well-loved motor racing commentator has taken an afternoon out of his busy schedule to pay a visit to the RNLI’s training centre at Poole, a short drive from his Hampshire home. ‘When I think of those volunteers putting their lives at risk at sea for no financial gain, it makes me proud to be British,’ he adds. His voice and face are already igniting flickers of recognition at surrounding tables.

For motorsport fans everywhere, Murray’s hi-octane tones are still as central to Formula One as the chequered flags and overflowing champagne, even though he stopped commentating on the sport in 2001. ‘I chose to step down then because I wanted to finish with dignity. Age withers, and I wanted to stop nearer the top of my profession than the bottom,’ he explains. But the energetic octogenarian hasn’t completely taken his foot off the pedal. He still commentates at major international events and is 2007’s Formula One Ambassador for Honda: a role that is taking him around the globe. It’s a land-based, money-driven sport that can seem a million miles away from the world of boating, yet Murray (an RNLI Shoreline supporter) reserves a great deal of admiration for the charity’s crews.

‘It does your heart good to hear that young people want to give up their time to save lives,’ remarks Murray, sipping a coffee as trainees leave the restaurant, suitably refuelled and ready for an afternoon’s activity. ‘I can see how important their lifeboat crew training is. Put it this way, you wouldn’t want to put an inexperienced driver in charge of a Formula One racing car – it’s a sophisticated, powerful, expensive bit of kit that can do more harm than good if you don’t know what you’re doing.’ As he speaks, a man in an RNLI crew polo shirt rushes up and shakes him by the hand. ‘Lovely to meet you, Mr Walker – just wanted to say I’m a lifelong fan.’ Murray’s popularity amongst motorsport enthusiasts is perhaps down to him being such a big fan himself. His father was a motorcycle TT champion and, for half his life, motorsport was more of a passionate hobby for Murray than a career. For more than 30 years he held down a successful day job in advertising while commentating in his spare time.

‘I am a frustrated racing motorcyclist at heart, really,’ he says. ‘I would have loved to be the best like Valentino Rossi, but I wasn’t good enough.

So I supplemented my desires by talking about motorsport.’ Although he admits he feels pangs of envy when he sees others climb into the driving seat and tackle chicanes at extraordinary speeds, Murray still gets excited as a spectator. ‘It’s dramatic, noisy, colourful, dangerous, competitive and glamorous. A very heady mix!’ he points out. ‘There is something magical about the noise, speed and assault on your senses. Maybe it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but some people fall in love with it from their very first event.’ With decades of commentating under his belt, Murray is greeted as an old friend when he bumps into Formula One team members on his travels. ‘One of the best parts of it for me has been meeting some incredible people. Getting to know them amidst this travelling circus of Formula One and seeing their determination and dedication to get to the top has been fantastic,’ he says, adding that, over the years, he has befriended Stirling Moss, Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher amongst others. ‘Michael was adored by everyone in his team because he is a natural born leader and motivator of people. He made it his business to talk to everybody. He knew every nuance of his car and truly applied himself.’ It is his understanding of racing drivers that leads Murray to make a salient point about lifeboat coxswains. ‘I suppose you need a lot of the same qualities if you’re at the wheel of a lifeboat,’ he says as he prepares to drive back to his New Forest home.

‘You need to know your limits, your crew’s limits, and the limits of your vehicle. Plus plenty of passion and experience, I would imagine’: two qualities that Murray certainly isn’t short of himself. .