An eventful life.
He grew up with bikes. His father was a works rider for Norton before WW11 so he travelled to the IOM and knew many of the famous prewar riders as a child. He was a tank commander in Europe after D day. He won a gold medal in the International Six Day Trials.
He started commentating part time with his dad. I was surprised to learn that for many years he commentated part time while working full time in advertising.
So even before F1 he has done as much as most people manage.
A very busy chap for sure and I definitely recommend his book.