Pole Position, king of the Formula-1 racers - Originally published on 1UP - March 19, 2009

Pole Position, released in 1982 is a legend to gamers. Those that grew up in the arcade could never forget the intro music and line "Prepare to qualify." If ever there was to be a hall of fame for gaming then consider Pole Position to be the first racing game inducted. It's bright graphics, large car sprites and demanding control defined the first great attempt at making a modern racing game. The billboards in Pole Position featured popular Namco characters like Mappy and Pac Man, further ingraining itself onto our young impressionable minds. It was so popular that it even spawned its own Saturday morning cartoon.

The original Pole Position earned many a fan but when the sequel came out it really found its groove. Pole Position II introduced three new tracks, one of which was based on my beloved hometown track of Long Beach. The inclusion of Seaside won over a lot of the people in the southland including my friends and brothers. Both versions of Pole Position were very demanding. The cars were very delicate and the slightest bump would cause them to explode. Like Monaco GP there was a high and a low gear, nothing inbetween. High score runs required amazing reflexes and solid racing strategies, making it a frustrating at times but still a highly enjoyable experience.

Most racing game fans cut their teeth on Pole Position. They will always have a soft spot for the title even with the age of the PS3 and Xbox 360 racing juggernauts.

It comes down to more than nostalgia as the game continues to find audiences with the Pole Position Remix for the iPod / iPhone. I salute this arcade gem for helping push the world toward more realistic racing games. However the Formula-1 game that I played even more than Pole Position or Super Monaco GP was the one that was least realistic. Come back next week to find out what game that was! But be sure to come back tomorrow as I have an extra special interview lined up for you.

Did you ever enjoy this classic arcade game, or did you play it on the home consoles? Let me know in the comments section please. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Take a bike ride on the road to mental wellness...

Apologies for not updating my blog as frequently as I used to. The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on my mental, and physical health. Only now am I starting to turn things around. A lot of that has to do with getting back into art. The previous post in October 2020 was a starting off point. Doing style studies of Steve Nazar's art for T&C Surf Designs made me feel better. So through November I looked up other things that inspired me as a kid. Around Thanksgiving I caught a BMX race on YouTube. That's when I remembered I loved all things BMX while growing up. It was like waking up a part of my brain that had amnesia. 

Of all the bike types the ones I really loved were called Formula-1 bikes. It was a short-lived trend, circa 1987-1989. They were road racing versions of BMX bikes. The massive Japanese company Shimano tried to get a new street racing league started, and had convinced a dozen manufacturers to make the bikes as well.  US companies like DiamondBack, and Haro jumped on board. 

The thing was that even though Shimano was pushing a standard for racing bikes, the company Hutch was already working on fast street bikes. The Ferrari of which was one that I idolized was called the HPV, or Human Powered Vehicle. It hit over 40 miles per hour and got the world record for fastest 20-inch bike. 

I started drawing all of my favorite bikes, and then went further. Using the BMX Museum website as a reference I started drawing every known Formula 1 bike that existed. While doing research I ended up adding a dozen that the site had never heard of.

Doing research gave my mind focus. Creating renderings of these bikes gave me purpose. It was as if I was wrestling my life, my focus, back from the pandemic. The more I researched and drew, the more I felt like I was getting back into my old self. I felt like I was reconnecting with a part of me that had died.

When I wasn't doing my normal job (which I also did from home thanks to the pandemic) I spent every waking hour working on bikes. Days turned into weeks. Before I knew it I had drawn over 50 F1 bikes. I uploaded all of my drawings to the BMX Museum. I had finished my passion project at the end of 2020. I wasn't out of the woods yet. 

The politics, work, home, family, and stress of 2020 could not be undone in a couple of months. As drawing bikes gave me back control, I started working on other types. Formula 1 bikes would always be my most favorite. They were not however the only favorite style of bikes that I enjoyed.

I began drawing freestyle, and traditional racing bikes in even greater detail than before. I even gave these new drawings themed backgrounds. It was a creative challenge that gave me a new sense of purpose. So I kept on drawing. 

I drew old school ('80s), mid school ('90s), and modern bikes. I researched my favorite bikes growing up, and essentially drew all of the bikes I wish I had as a kid. It gave me a sense of accomplishment as they started to come together.

As I shared my illustrations on the BMX Museum fellow members started reaching out to me, several to commission me to create drawings for them as well. It was humbling that long-time collectors enjoyed my art, and were willing to commission me for an original drawing. Some of the best art I had ever produced came out thanks to the pandemic. It gave me a sense of control that had been lacking. It gave me back my focus, my drive, and desire. This leads me all the way back to this blog.

I've started getting back into podcasting. Which means I will get back to recording content for this blog. I will also get back to doing some fighting game research, and reviews. I want to thank all of the visitors that have been checking in on the site. Whether you left a comment on an old post. Or checked for new content, I appreciate it. I really do. I'm never going to abandon this blog. I may be getting slower with the updates, but I'm never going to stop posting. If there's anything you'd like me to look at, or write about, please let me know. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!