Crashing your race car on a bye run or after your opponent has red-lighted is certainly one of the more defeating experiences any racer could go through, but on the same token, the last thing anyone ever wants to do is win a race and then crash before they get to collect the hardware and post up for the cameras. Although rare, it has certainly happened (even in recent memory), and one such example came at the 1995 Australian Nationals at Calder Park in Melbourne, when Phil Howard won Top Fuel Motorcycle eliminator and then took a rough spill onto the pavement in the shutdown area, bringing his jubilation to a screeching halt.

In the final round of the 48th Australian Nationals, Howard, who had been running in the sixes throughout eliminations and was thus heavily favored against Peter Allen, cranked off a sizzling 6.73 at 200.71 miles per hour to come from behind and power right around Allen for the win.

However, after crossing the stripe, Howard was visibly struggling with something in the brakes or throttle, actually crossing behind Allen as the pair slowed. In what appeared to be a case of the front wheel or front brakes ceasing up, Howard’s motorcycle leaned into its side, and despite Howard’s valiant efforts, he was finally bucked off and could only watch his bike tumble to a stop and then land — as if with a mind all its own — upright on its wheels.

This is definitely not how you want to win a drag race, but then again, as the old saying goes “take ‘em any way you can get ‘em.”