Peter Bell
Record attempt: Tightest Parallel Park
Record currently held by: Stunt driving legend Russ Swift, UK, parallel parked a mini in a space only 33 cm longer than the mini. April 1999
Record smashed: Peter parallel parked in a space that was just 27cm longer than the car!
Profile:
Peter Bell is one of the country's foremost stuntmen. Born and bred in Feilding, he has been a stunt driver, stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director for over 35 years, with over 250 film and TV credits to his name.
Peter has worked alongside Kevin Costner (No Way Out), Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins (Mutiny on the Bounty), and was the stunt coordinator on Hercules and Xena Warrior Princess.
Peter has already broken several massive records in his career
as a daredevil - the highest fall into cardboard boxes (150 feet),
the longest time on fire without any fire gels (62 seconds) and
hanging by his teeth from a helicopter at 1000 feet.
The biggest movie stunts he has performed are hanging from an
aeroplane 4000 feet up from a 20 foot rope underneath a plane, and
jumping a car from one building to another, six stories up across a
street.
Peter started his stunt career in Australia in the early 1970s, performing stunts in live action shows that traveled the country. The show featured high falls, people on fire, bikes jumping cars, car crashes, car leaps and more.
After a long and successful career in film and television, Peter's latest venture is the stunt driving school " Drive Rush" on Auckland's North Shore, where corporates and indviduals can experience the thrill of daredevil driving and driver training in a controlled situation.
These precise driving skills are now being put to the test as Peter attempts to break one of the legendary Guinness World Records - the Tightest Parallel Park. The record is currently held by UK precision driver and legend Russ Swift, who parked a mini in a space only 33 cm long.
"It's going to be difficult," says Peter.
"It's a world record that has stood for many years and there's
not a lot of leeway in there. To be honest you've got to be in the
zone.
"You could liken it to playing golf - if you're not in the groove
then you won't do it.
"There's so much precision, you've got to have the right line, the
right speed, turn the car at the right time, apply the handbrake at
the right time and then as it slides you have to control it into
exactly the right spot.
"You only have to be out one fraction and you're not going to do
it."
