Say Pole Position to any self-respecting geek and they'll, no doubt, talk for hours about the retro videogame developed by Namco. For me, though, it's the cartoon series of the same name - apparently, the show's name was intended to take advantage of the popularity of the arcade racer - which holds a very special place in my childhood memories.

Considering the show only ran for one, 13-episode series, it's a testament to its genius that it has managed to remain in the public's consciousness at all. That's down to a number of factors. Firstly, it very carefully, and cleverly, follows what became a staple formula for cartoons throughout the 80s. The handsome, charming fella. The sexy, yet intelligent leading lady. The cute kid and her animal sidekick. Bright, exciting visuals mixed with some all-American accents and cheesy humour. Throw in a couple of über-cool vehicles and a plot kids would give their right arm to be part of and you have a recipe for animated gold.

The plot followed teenagers, and siblings, Tess and Dan Darrett, two enterprising youngsters who performed in a stunt car show (their parents also starred in the show but had since passed away) who also just happened to be members of the secret crime-fighting organisation Pole Position. In charge of the whole operation was Uncle Zachery and with their younger sister Daisy roped into help out, this was a real family affair and one that I longed to be part of when I saw the show in my youth.

A cross between Knight Rider, Scooby-Doo and with elements of Inspector Gadget (Daisy was surely separated at birth from Penny), the show liberally 'borrowed' an ethos and a style from many other cartoons and TV shows of the era and was all the better for it.

The characters themselves were, if we're being honest, insignificant compared to the real reason anyone actually watched the show, and that was for the cars. Talking, computerised models Roadie and Wheels (do you remember who drove which?) were the stuff of dreams for kids waking up on a Saturday morning. Who didn't want their dad to own a car that could also turn into a hydrofoil?

The cars themselves had two of the most annoying voices in living memory but that didn't stop the action from flowing. Naturally, we only got to witness a few alarmingly similar functions of the cars from episode to episode, but then familiarity breeds success and I couldn't wait for Wheels to do its hovercraft bit week after week.

Back to that animal sidekick for a moment, Kuma. The monkey/cat hybrid even managed to nab its own episode to finish the series. The Trouble With Kuma dealt with the rather adult theme of genetic engineering. As the siblings are told to report to an island to save a scientist from an approaching tidal wave, Kuma, who already had a tendency to be really, really annoying, is acting odder than usual, the upshot being that the scientist they are saving actually created Kuma in the first place. 

I remember this episode well as I remember thinking at the time how odd a creature Kuma was and that this cleared things up nicely.

I wonder whether such a subject area would be approached so lightly in this day and age? No matter, Kuma was a garish creation that I didn't care for then and don't much now either. The trouble with Kuma? He's a small, furry freak. Got to love the final line of the episode, though, complete with the obligatory laughter.

Aside from that episode, other stand-out moments included the high speed car chases in episodes like The Race, high drama on Mount Rushmore in The Thirty-One Cent Mystery and generally plenty of Basil Exposition to keep viewers up to speed.

Naturally, a classic cartoon isn't a classic without a great opening title sequence and here's Pole Position's to finish this retrospective. Altogether now: Pole Position! What's behind this stunt show!

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