Slope Motion Replay

Darren Caulwell provides the perfect answer to his critics with this super tight sloper on one of the seven hills of Bath

Those who are familiar with 100% Awesome will be well aware of Darren Caulwell, some call him the David Beckham of the street parking universe, others say that can't be true because he's not married to an emaciated Prada-wrapped baby-maker in shades. He's not actually married at all, although he is on the look out so watch this space. 

The Park Heard Round the World

The now infamous 'Park Heard round the World' made Darren the poster-boy for a new generation of gap hungry enthusiasts. Not all the publicity he received was positive however, Darren was accused of faking the shot in a number of ways, some suggested that he had used a crane, others that the rover had been modified to allow for 180 degree rear lock, some that he simply brought in his flankers after the fact or even that the picture itself was a photo-shop forgery. The negative press took it's toll however with Darren performing well below his best in competition, and rumours surfacing about the self destructive nature of his night-life. Among other things Darren gained the unwelcome nickname of 'The Drunken Master' a name he felt he had to live up to.

 The Drunken Master works his unfocused magic on the streets of Bristol 

'I hit rock bottom,' says Darren 'There were times when I didn't know who or where I was, I remember getting really sick one night and sleeping in the back of the rover. I woke up and I had soiled myself all over the back seat. I just looked at myself in the rear view mirror and burst into tears. There were no excuses left at that point.  I decided I needed to do something about it. Since then I've been clean as a whistle.'

One legitimate criticism that has been levelled at the PHRTW is that it's clearly been done on a very wide, flat road. When I met him last year we discussed the possibility of his wowing us with a similar gap but placed in a more extreme environment. Since he has been out of rehab he has been on the prowl, crawling the kerbs of Bath in search of the perfect hillside hole. With the shot above he thinks he may be getting close.

'Don't get me wrong' Says Darren 'This is a great gap, It's just not Darren Caulwell great. What excites me is that I have found somewhere promising to look. The picture doesn't do the slope justice really, it's close to Hedgemead Park, a park that only exists because the hill is too steep to build on without causing landslides. Add that to Georgian roads meant for horse and foot traffic and the additional space pressure of a new residents-only parking zone close by and you have the prefect playground for someone like me. It really is only a matter of time before I find that holey grail. I just hope it happens before my clutch wears out.'

If Darren really can conquer his demons then he has the potential to be one of the greatest gappers ever to grace the sport. Only time will tell if he has the fortitude to live by the courage of his convictions.

As the late great Gerry Fawn used to say, 'The road of life isn't always flat and wide, sometimes it's a 1 in 3 hill with barely an inch between wing-mirrors. Success isn't about the days when you slip in easy, it's about getting up and getting out of bed on all the days when you don't, all in hope that that holy grail is just a few more streets away.'