Our English pal Tom Armitage had a rough day at the strip recently when the Postman Pat van he was driving went through the traps at York Raceway and then became upset, flopped onto its side, and ended up skittering off the track and ending up in a puddle after the finish line. Armitage was OK and the van did everything it needed to do to protect him, but understandably the guys are a little busted up over the wreck. Just last week, they had run the van to a terminal speed of more than 140mph in a standing mile event in England so the performance levels were looking up for the already sprightly van. Literally the first thing that Armitage told us was that the safety crew and track personnel at York Raceway were fantastic and performed all of their duties to the top standard that you’d expect at any organized and operating drag strip.

As for the van, the cause of this incident is still under investigation but the basic issue was that the rear axle froze solid right at the traps. With the rear tires no longer spinning, Armitage was trying to steer the equivalent of a snow toboggan at over 100 mph. He hung onto it for as long as he could but then physics took over and he went over. Run the video below on full screen to get the best view but it was a wet and sopping area where he and the van skidded to a stop into.

Was it the transmission? Axle bearings? Something that the boys hadn’t thought of yet? We won’t know until they do, but when they do we will and we’ll report it to you. With the complete lack of wheelbase and the speeds that little thing turns we’re happy that this is the first spot of trouble that the guys have experienced with the van. We know they will have it tuned up and raring to go in no time once the body is fixed, the chassis is inspected, and the engine is happy. Hell, they’ll probably be even faster!

SCROLL DOWN FOR A PHOTO AND THEN VIDEO OF THE CRASH –

PRESS PLAY TO SEE TOM ARMITAGE GO ON A WILD RIDE IN THE POSTMAN PAT VAN AT YORK RACEWAY IN ENGLAND –