Tokyo Olympics: Leigh Diffey’s remarkable rise from Brisbane housing estate to NBC caller

You’d be forgiven for not knowing who Leigh Diffey is, but globally he is poised to become a superstar having secured the most important 10 seconds in sport.

Before millions of Americans started listening to his voice, Leigh Diffey baked carrot cakes for cash.

At the time, in his early 20s. Broke, and renting a room in Sydney’s inner city.

A kid who still had big dreams, sure.

Yet increasingly, his decision to quit life as a Brisbane schoolteacher to go call the planet’s greatest sporting events?

Um, in 1996 it wasn’t exactly happening.

Sure, Diffey had done Ipswich motorcycles, Oran Park truck racing, even a World’s Strongest Man event at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

But still, barely making enough for even petrol to that next flat track event in Gunnedah, Ballina or wherever else a caller was needed for some crackly PA.

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Which is why Diffey started baking.

Specifically, carrot cakes which — lifted straight from his Aunt Dixie’s cookbook — the wannabe commentator believed were superior to anything being sold at his local Alexandria takeaway, Con’s.

So one morning when he wasn’t substitute teaching, labouring, or working at a gym, he baked.

Brisbane boy Leigh Diffey, with Jay Leno and Formula One legend Sir Stirling Moss, will be calling this year's Olympic men's 100m final for 30 million people on NBC.

Then offered up that Aunt Dixie special to Con’s Takeaway staff for free.

“Which they all loved so much,” he laughs now, 15 years on, “I ended up getting $7.50 per cake”.

Got a little more, too.

Speaking this particular Friday from his home in Stanford, Connecticut, 50-year-old Diffey is talking through his rise to become a lead sports commentator with American giant, NBC.

Not only heard by millions through his work in recent years with NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One, but learning only this week that come the Tokyo Olympics in July, he will be the most heard voice on planet earth for around 10 seconds — when he calls the men’s 100m final.

Diffey during his time as a teacher at Ipswich Grammar School.

But as for our newest Games superstar?

“Oh, back home in Australia,” he cackles, “I’m still Leigh who?”.

Which may be true, sure.

Yet come this Sunday at the Indianapolis 500, roughly six million viewers will listen in to Leigh Who’s call of that iconic US motor race.

Just as for the upcoming Olympic Games, a staggering 30 million will hear him call the men’s 100m final

Which is some rise for the son of a sign-writer from Carole Park.

A Brisbane Housing Commission suburb which, Diffey explains, “has since been renamed because of the stigma attached”.

But still, he asks you mention it here.

Same deal the way his parents Peter and Judy, a teacher’s aide, urged him to stick at his dream just like he once raced motorbikes.

“A kid who couldn’t shut the throttle off,” he laughs. “So I had a lot of crashes”.

Which is also why, coincidentally, he switched from riding races at 19 to calling them for $60 a day.

The start of a journey which through 15 years, and who knows how many setbacks, eventually saw Diffey catch a break to call the Australian Super Touring Championship. Then V8 Supercars for Channel 10.

Diffey became the first foreigner to call the Indy 500 and NASCAR racing in the United States.

From there, it was a move to England “with absolutely no job offers”, where he would eventually call Superbikes and the World Rally Championships for no less than the BBC.

Then after that, it was a shift Stateside, where Diffey started with Speed Channel before leading the dream job at NBC.

Sure, no foreigner had ever called the play-by-play for NASCAR. Nor the Indianapolis 500.

Didn’t matter.

With this kid from Brisbane Housing Commission now boasting a resume which includes IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula One, Supercross, Dakar Rally, Moto GP, Olympic rowing, a World Athletics Championships, rugby, golf, even Winter Olympic events like bobsled, skeleton and luge.

Diffey interviews British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton.

When Danish legend Tom Kristensen won the most 24 Hours of Le Mans events, it was Diffey who called it.

Same as he’s worked the microphone for everything from Daniel Ricciardo shoeys and the first Indy 500 without crowds, to Craig Lowndes claiming that Bathurst 1000 in 2006, the year of his mentor Peter Brock’s death.

“He wins on the day he farewells his friend”, is what Diffey said as Lowndes crossed the line.

Just as his voice also carried the NBC broadcast when Indycar’s Justin Wilson crashed and died at Pocono, Jules Bianchi crashed, and later died, at the Japanese F1 Grand Prix and Alex Zanardi lost both legs in a German CART event.

Diffey interviews V8 Supercars driver Rick Kelly during a stint with Channel 10.

“Times,” the Aussie says, ”when you just hope the right words come out”.

Now this Sunday at his third Indy 500, Leigh Who will again be calling for a field that includes not only Australian Will Power, but the debut of Supercars champ Scotty McLaughlin.

As always too, wearing his lucky black socks.

That, and a ring belonging to dad Peter, who passed before seeing his boy really made it big.

A tribute not only to family, Diffey says, but the journey.

Which is why come that Olympic 100m final in July, you reckon said ring will be slipped on again.

When a kid from Carole Park, he becomes the voice for 30 million.