The image above with the two motorcycle racers apparently standing near the same bike may not seem like much but it shows the simply unfathomable aftermath of a top fuel motorcycle wreck that happened yesterday at Santa Pod Raceway in England. Riders Filippos Papafilippou and Steve Woollatt got tangled up with each other during a run which is horrifying enough because when two fuel bikes collide nothing good is coming out of it for anyone. This time though, physics, the hand of the almighty of Filippos Papafilippou’s cat-like reflexes kicked in at exactly the right second and substituted a miracle for what may have been a fatality.
How? Papafilippou was thrown completely off of his motorcycle upon impact and for a brief second he was flying through the air. Then he managed to land ON the wheelie bar of Woollatt’s bike and there he stayed until Woollatt was able to haul it down to a stop in the shutdown area. If he didn’t know Filippos Papafilippou was back there we can only imagine his surprise when he heard the guy screaming and yelling like the most pissed off hitch-hiker ever. We don’t think he’d be pissed at Woollatt because after all it was Papafilippou’s wreck. He crossed the centerline and triggered the mess, but we do think he’d be like any racer and highly frustrated that something like this happened.
As you will see, his foot was actually caught in the wheelie bar assembly and the footage cuts out before they extract it. We have been trying to see what injuries Filippos Papafilippou sustained but as of yet have no clear answer as to the condition of his leg/foot/angle. If you can watch this and not feel compelled to watch it five more times to make sure that your eyes are not lying to you than the life you lead is far more exciting than ours.
Filippos Papafilippou didn’t leave the line looking to create a sensation on the internet and a drag racing first, but he did….thankfully. This truly pushes the boundaries of logic and belief.
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THE VIDEO OF Filippos Papafilippou LANDING ON AND RIDING DOWN THE TRACK ON THE WHEELIE BARS OF THE RACER HE CRASHED INTO ON HIS TOP FUEL MOTORCYCLE
Witnessed this yesterday and had to turn away fearing the worst,Fil only sustained minor injuries having been checked out by the on site medical centre.
Apart from Fils amazing reactions,Steve did an amazing job keeping his bike upright,he later took the meeting win with a 6.26/215mph .In nearly 40 years of watching drag racing I have never seen anything as strange as this,thank God it ended with no major injuries.
Congratulations to Steve and his team on the event win ,thoroughly deserved.
Great that the rider is ok. You would think the rider splayed out on the wheelie bar would be a more compelling shot than an empty bike sliding down the track? Great post.
John was thinking the same thing but then considered that the camera guy was probably sure he was about to film someone’s gruesome death and went with the bike instead. The whole thing is nearly beyond comprehension!
If I was either of them riders, I would have bought a lottery ticket afterwards. That certainly was the best possible outcome either could have had.
Absolutely amazing he never suffered severe injuries! That’s gotta be a 10 ticket ride, right there…..
Absolutely amazing glad both rides came out of this ok
heres the pit notes from sunday, giving details of the minor injuries and steve woolats reaction
http://www.eurodragster.com/santapod/live/2014fiaeuropeanfinals/pitnotes/sunday.asp
Wow, that is sure bizarre. Looks like little damage to either bike or biker than what could have been.
Since they are basically ok…………….that is one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
And the other rider came in a close second