It takes a whole lot of fortitude to ride a drag racing motorcycle of any kind, regardless of horsepower or speed, given that there’s nothing between you and the asphalt or the guardrail but a layer of leather and a helmet. But it takes a certain type of person to put a leg over a bike capable of running in the sevens and even the sixes that doesn’t have a wheelie bar. Such bikes are incredibly exciting to watch, and likewise, are arguably the most impressive machines in the sport, simply because of the talents needed to keep a few hundred horsepower on the ground.

A motorcycle with that kind of power just naturally wants to climb up the rear tire, and unfortunately, if you aren’t careful, it’ll do just that before you ever have a chance to stop it. And that’s precisely what happened to Australian Comp Bike champion Brett Ghadina, who took a first-class ride on his nose at the Perth Motorplex recently.

Ghadini’s 7.7-second motorcycle hardly made a full revolution of the rear tire before it went skyward, and with the throttle cracked, the bike pirouetted and threw Ghadini from the saddle before he could even react. Ghadini landed on his knees and slid on his nose, while the bike crashed hard to the ground.

Fortunately, what looked like it could have been a serious ankle or knee injury ended up being nothing more than a bump or bruise, as the resilient Ghadini got up, dusted himself off, and even found a way to laugh, despite the damage to his motorcycle.