Club Arnage

that english bloke who reads out the current results every 3 hour or so over the speaker system at the circuit.who is he ?could the aco give him the sack and get somebody with a personality to read out the positions.he sounds suicidal and does my nut in.does anuone know where he lives so i can go and lock him in.rant over.

His name is David Waldron. He is a lovely bloke and very knowledgeable. He also does all the 'live' translation for the ACO, and the ACO press releases. He was born in Ireland but has lived in Paris most of his life and is married to a very nice French lady.

I have to agree that his vocal 'delivery' is a bit dry, and puts one in mind of a 1950's BBC newsreader, but I actually think that over the decades he has become a bit of a Le Mans phenomenon, and his unmistakable monotone is part of the Le Mans atmosphere.

Thanks for the info GF, I have wondered for years who he was.  You are correct though, his knowledge of the race is vast, but his delivery is straight from the 1950,s, but he is part of the whole Le Mans experience.  I have been going for 30 years, and we used to rely on him back in the days before Radio Le Mans.

I rather like his delivery and would miss him if he stopped.  To me he is the 'English voice of Le Mans'.  Long may he continue!

He kept me informed for many years before radio le man's. It was always easy to spot the British, gathered around a tannoy every hour.

I would rather listen to him than that god awful yank radio le man's have to put up with.

I'm with you on that one. Back Straightaway and Pit Road indeed, and who will ever forget "The Poo joes"

Quite

I like him too so leave him alone.

He's akin to the football results reader Tim Gudgin who retired last year after 60 years behind the BBC microphone. He could read out East Fife 4 - Forfar 5 without sniggering. Most people I know could not.

I can understand where you're coming from lofty but for me he's no where near as bad as Robbie Knock on Eurosport  ::) He just looks so uncomfortable & awkward on camera. the worst part is he hasn't got any better in the years he's been doing it.
He walked past me in the pit lane last year & I was very tempted to trip him up  ;D

I think he has a great voice and adds to the atmosphere - though I must admit that I am not sure I ever heard him finish a sentence during the 1980’s and 1990’s as just at the vital part of the update an Aston or Jag or the like would thunder past - happy days.

Can vaguely remember hearing him during my trips there, reminded me a bit of the late, lamented Anthony Marsh, who used to do the English language commentary at the European GP's in the sixties & seventies (if you watch the film Grand Prix, he does all the commentary for that)
Fax

go him david waldron the (irish) english voice of le mans.reads the news like he is counting tin of beans in john majors larder.i cant understand how he can keep so demure while comentating on what is normally a bit exiting.i do appreciate the irony though.i do remember straining at the tannoy to hear the positions and was greatfull but its a motor race not indoor bowls.defo better than the bach straightaway anyday.

While the ACO tries to destroy the whole event as far as the non corporate fans are concerned, I agree with Andy, leave him be.
A voice that is a constant part of the LM experience, it may not be brilliant or hi tech, but is a comforting traditional part of the whole experience.

Its the French bloke that always gets me. Babbles on for a bit then says something with a voice that sounds like hes screaming a sh*t out. Everyone turns to the video screens and nothing is happening.  ;D

Also known as Bruno Vandestick. Yes he is very excitable and sort of the 'anti-particle' to David Waldron.

I love it when Bruno says "Ohh la-la la-la la-la" (with that slightly musical French intonation) :-)

I like David's delivery style. It's very 'English'. Also in an age where everything is changing so fast, and the circuit changes so much I find the continuity that his longstanding tenure brings to be comforting. If you sit late on an evening on the pit straight, listening to his report, you can close your eyes and imagine you are sat opposite the Dunlop building that was removed to make that corporate whore house they ironically call the 'Welcome'.  It's nice to hang on to the old days.

As for Chuck 'Straightaway' Dressing and Jim 'PooJoe' Roller.... I like them too. They are fans, they love the race. I love Radio LM and I hate seeing them get knocked. They do a good solid job despite the ACOs efforts. They should get every true fans backing and support.

On the subject of 'Americanisms'... who was the American voice on RLM who insisted on calling Mercedes "Merk-say-dees"?

Having been really bored lately and listening to re-runs of the race, Jim 'poo joe' Roller does have some weird pronunciations especially in 2011 when the pitlane team were sponsored by the Nissan 370 zeeeeee.

As for last year, and no offence but women in the pitlane - NO, an american in pitlane - NO, so an american women was a huge NO-NO (Sorry Shea Adam but the pitlane should be patrolled with irony, sarcasm & wit, not really american traits!)

Thinking about it...

I'm not sure what is worse; Americans with 'normal' mangled pronunciation, or Americans even more horrible attempts to pronounce things the English / European way... or (worse still) using English slang words.

There is nothing worse than hearing them say 'cheerio' or call pounds 'quids', or calling policemen 'bobbys'.

Yes.  Septics should be less Dick Van Dyke, more Sheriff J D Pepper from the James Bond films