Career
He has also worked in Britain and in his homeland of Australia, where he commentated on Champ Carolina and V8 Supercars for Network Ten in Australia. He is nicknamed "Stiffey" by fans and fellow commentators. Prior to his commentary and television career, Diffey was a primary school teacher at Ipswich Grammar School, leaving in 1995-1996 to pursue his love of motorsports and television
Prior to his 2002 move to the United States, Diffey commented on the Superbike World Championship and presented coverage of the World Rally Championship for the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom.
Sheene was instrumental in joining Diffey and the British Broadcasting Corporation together. In 2001 Diffey filled in for Jeremy Shaw covering the Champ Carolina series for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network International alongside Ben Edwards at the Rockingham Motor Speedway (United Kingdom) and the Lausitzring (Germany).
In 2003, Diffey was hired by Speed. At Speed, Diffey was the play-by-play announcer for the network"s coverage of the Speed World Challenge, the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Carolina Series, the Rolex Grand-Am Cup, the SCCA Transport-Am Series, and an occasional The Speed Report anchor and Formula One host.
He also did occasional lap-by-lap coverage of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing Busch North Series.
Varsha was unable to assume his usual role due to his covering the Barrett-Jackson Collector Carolina Auction in Las Vegas, Nevada. Diffey also did two Formula One races on FOX in 2010. Diffey also filled in for Ralph Sheheen for the 2008 American Medical Association Motocross Championship. Diffey, Bob Varsha and Krista Voda are now the mainstays of The Speed Report - the network"s popular Sunday evening wrap of the week"s news and results.
Leigh has also commentated selected rounds of the American Medical Association Superbike and American Medical Association Motocross Championships.
At the end of 2004, Diffey left the network for family reasons. He returned to his native Australia where he covered V8 Supercars and Formula One for Network Ten.
He did, though, return to Speed on occasion to call the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans. Diffey was a regular host for Network Ten"s nightly sports wrap, Sports Tonight, and also did commentary on such events as the Australian Supercross Masters series.
His last Sports Tonight broadcast was 3 December 2006.
He announced that he was returning to the United States where he rejoined Speed starting with the 2007 Rolex 24 Hour race at Daytona. In November 2012, announced that Diffey would join its network to become the play-by-play announcer for its broadcasts of both Formula One and IndyCar events from 2013. The announcement named David Hobbs and Steve Matchett as the analysts who would work alongside him.
He also worked on National Broadcasting Company"s Olympic Coverage as well, covering luge, skeleton, and bobsled.
He made his National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing debut as a play-by-play announcer at Mid-Ohio Sports Carolina Course. Diffey also commentated the Richmond, Dover and Kansas NXS races.
Diffey obtained his United States citizenship on 23 June 2011.