Murray Walker is a man you’ve probably heard commentating on motorsport of some form over the last 50 years, despite age and health being against him. In fact, he didn’t hang up his microphone until the age of 78 - not a bad innings for a man who also graduated from Sandhurst, drove a tank and was an army captain during the Second World War.

He may have moved on from commentating on Formula 1 after the US Grand Prix at the Indianpolis Speedway in 2001, but such is his love for motorsport he can often be found at a number of F1 races and other major events on the calendar, and has even returned to commentate on the Grand Prix Masters in 2006, while he has also offered one-off F1 commentaries for BBC Five Live at the Nurburgring in 2007, and Network 10 in Australia for the Australian Grand Prix in 2006 and 2007.

As a young motorsport fan, I grew up listening to Murray Walker’s excitement at on-track incidents while often getting confused over the colour of cars, drivers and which country he was in on both the BBC2 and ITV. I have not yet been able to tolerate his successor James Allen, who offers very little in comparison. In fact, there have been several petitions sent to ITV to have James Allen replaced; you wouldn’t have had that for Murray.

Love him or hate him, he’s part of the furniture and will be remembered long after he’s gone. I even watched the European Grand Prix last season with Murray commentating on radio knowing that having him describe the race would bring back some magic that Formula 1 has lacked from time to time. The show’s producers even dug out the theme music used to introduce the Grand Prix coverage back in the day, which delighted Murray as he went on to deliver another example of why he’s the best around – Murrayisms and all.

For all his faults, there is nobody better than Murray at describing the action, making even the most boring race sound exciting. He delivers a genuinely personal commentary, with insightful anecdotes from former years that complement the visual coverage. He might make the odd mistake or two but, as Clive James said: “In his quieter moments, it sounds like his trousers are on fire.”

He was awarded one of the original bricks used to build the Indianapolis Speedway in 1911 – an honour usually bestowed upon winners of major races there – by Tony George, the current track president after the 2001 US Grand Prix. He also picked up a lifetime achievement award from Formula One Management’s Bernie Ecclestone. At the time, Ecclestone went so far as to tell the press that Murray’s departure was merely a sabbatical and that he’d be back - and he was right.

With the UK’s Formula 1 coverage returning to the BBC from 2009 it wouldn’t surprise me to see Murray rejoin the broadcaster he started out with. He might not be able to commentate for almost 20 races a season, but he could be used in a format similar to the majority of BBC Five Live’s sports commentary which uses two main commentators and a summariser. If that doesn’t come off, I’d still expect the BBC to employ Murray in some capacity, possibly similar to an expert summariser. He might be in his 80s but he shows no signs of letting go just yet.

A knighthood should have come a long time ago. He already has an OBE, but it’s about time he was awarded a knighthood for his services to both broadcasting and motorsport. Few other commentators have shown the dedication and enthusiasm for their job that he has. With his genuine passion for what he does, he more than meets the criteria to become a Sir.

There are numerous people in this world who have become Sirs for much less and, while he might not mind if he isn’t given one of the Queen’s highest honours, he more than deserves it. If nobody from the motorsport fraternity or BBC has sent the papers in so far, I might just have to see that someone does.