James Hunt The Biography
Foreword by Murray Walker
In the ordinary lives that most of us lead we come and go
without making any great impression on the world at large. Yet you wouldn’t say
that about James Hunt. In an all too short existence, he captured the imagination
of countless millions by virtue of his achievements, his personal charm, his refusal to conform,
and his outspoken ability to provoke controversy.
As you read Gerald Donaldson’s brilliantly perceptive
account of James’s life, painstakingly and lovingly assembled after countless
hours of discussion with James, his relations, friends and colleagues, you will
rapidly appreciate that he was a very unusual and complex person. Like all of
us he had his good times and bad times but, being James, his were more extreme
than most. I’ve never made any secret of the fact that, because of our
different ages, backgrounds and personalities, we had an uneasy initial
relationship as BBC Television’s Grand Prix commentators, but over the years
our liking and respect for each other grew, enabling us to develop a
partnership that communicated well about the thing that mattered so much to
both of us – the dramatic, exciting and colourful world of Formula 1.
For thirteen years, sixteen times a year for four days,
James and I worked alongside each other and shared one microphone, charged with
the responsibility of explaining the pictures to millions of viewers worldwide.
There are lots of people who can commentate about a and sport and there are many who can participate
successfully, but there are precious few who can do both. James had not only
driven and won at the highest level to become World Champion, but he was also
able to read a race to perfection and then communicate the tactics, the
politics and the action, calmly and authoritatively in that marvellous voice of
his, like no one else I have ever met. But more than that he was never afraid
to express his always forceful opinion. I didn’t always agree with him, but it
was communication at its best and the public loved it.
The world is infinitely poorer for James’s passing, but at
least we have the memories and the videos of his racing exploits and
commentaries to remind ourselves of his achievements and presence. What we didn’t
have until now was a deep insight into the background and factors that made him
what he was. He had planned to work on this book with Gerald Donaldson before
his death, and I’m confident that it is exactly as James would have wanted it –
‘warts and all’. No one would have enjoyed it more than James himself!
Bless you James. It may be a cliché to say it, but your
really are sadly missed.
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| Murray Walker (F1.com photo) |
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