Driving a car through the smallest gap-world
record set by Dave Ackland
PLYMOUTH, UK -- In a 1968 Vauxhall Viva. driver Dave
Ackland, aged 39, from Keyham, drove on two wheels
through a gap 67cm wider than the height of the car, at the
Barbican Leisure Park, setting the new world record for driving
a car on two wheels through the smallest gap.
Photo:
The 39-year-old drove his black 1968 Vauxhall Viva through
a 2.02m gap, beating the previous record by 1cm. /
SWNS
photo (enlarge
photo)
The difficult move, known as skiing, is considered
the 'Holy Grail' of car stunts and has been used in two Bond
films, and the US television series Knight Rider and the Dukes
of Hazzard.
Mr Dave
Ackland, a professional stunt driver from Plymouth,
Devon drove over a ramp at around 8mph to flip the vehicle
onto its rightside wheels.
Using finely-judged movements of the steering
wheel to keep the car balanced and moving in a straight line,
he passed through two columns of cardboard boxes just 2.02m
apart.
Mr Dave
Ackland said: "I've been perfecting my two-wheel stunt
driving for several years and I felt ready to take on this
challenge. "It's not so much a dangerous stunt for someone
who's been doing it for years, and distance is not a problem
- it's precision that's key."
"It's not so much a dangerous stunt for someone
who's been doing it for years, and distance is not a problem
- it's precision that's key."
The record is calculated in relation to the car's
size because when the car is tipped on its side the height
becomes the width.
Dave
Ackland said: “I'd like to thank everyone involved
in making this world record possible, especially John Blakemore,
manager at the Barbican Leisure Park, the Rev Mike Symonds,
Cllr Glenn Jordan, Alex Lummis, Frontline Image Ltd, and of
course my wife Debbie, and the rest of my family.”
Growing up in Plympton in the 1970s, Dave
idolised daredevils such as Evel Knievel and Eddie Kidd, imitating
their stunts on his push-bike.
Dave
Ackland learned the tricks of the trade while touring
the country doing stunt shows before returning to Plymouth
and setting up his own company, performing at summer events.
Dave said his ambitions for the future included
touring the country with his own show, introducing new daredevil
stunts with blindfolds and perhaps even getting members of
the public involved in the exciting action.
If you would like to find out more about Dave
Ackland's stunts, visit his website at www.daveackland.co.uk Stunt
driving world record video