I’m a BIG fan of artist and photographer Keith Davies’ work – he specialises in short oval motorsport stuff and his latest ‘BIG THREE’ print took me straight back to my childhood and going with my late dad to venues like Aldershot, Wimbledon and Walthamstow to watch bangers and hot rods.

The print is so emotive for me I nearly burst into tears when I saw it. I confess to a definite lump in my throat. Showing George Polley (car 306; world champion 1976 & 1987), Mick ‘Duffy’ Collard (car 19; world champion 1980) and Barry Lee (car 351; world champion 1973, 1974, 1977 & 1978) dicing as they always did in exciting door to door action. Incidentally, the year is 1976 and the venue is Hednesford Raceway.

Looking at that I’m 9 or 10 again, and I can almost taste the dodgy hot dogs with boiled onions and the cheapest tomato sauce known to man (It wasn’t Heinz that’s for sure), I can sniff the Benson and Hedges smoke as Keith has made you feel part of the action. It’s a superb image.

Meanwhile, my old fella probably had his best hush puppies on and had doused himself liberally in Hai Karate, or more likely, Brut 33 (he liked Henry Cooper, too). He might have even put his beloved Mk3 Cortina GXL with black vinyl roof in sunflower yellow through the car wash, for the big night out…

It always seemed to be Lee, Polley and Collard up at the front – bless him my old man was a huge Duffy Collard fan and I’ll never forget him getting excited, jumping up and down shouting ‘Spin ‘Im out, Duffy’ (I’ve probably deleted at least three expletives from that!) whenever Collard got down the inside of an adversary, while I still see George Polley as a hero. None of our crowd were Barry Lee fans, they all saw him as the villain, although what a driver on the ovals.

I even recognise some of the cars and numbers further down the field in the image. 1979 world champion, Gordon Bland (358) is in fourth in the print, for example, while I also spy Pete Stevens (Escort) and John Edwards (Mini) in the image too, I think…

A Johnny Come Lately to motorsport acquaintance – who has got the bug late in life and now knows all about its history! – made me laugh once when he mentioned that BTCC Rob Collard gets stuck in during races. Not surprising really given that he is the son of the mighty Duffy! A man un-surpassed, in my opinion, in bangers!

If you want a copy of the print (and why not?) un-signed versions cost just a tenner with a limited edition, signed by all three drivers, available at £30. Visit https://keithdaviesfineart.co.uk WONDERFUL ENDS.