In a lot of racing, there’s a fine line between skill and luck. Finding yourself on the wrong side of either can be an occupational hazard, but sometimes you end up having enough skill to overcome some godawful rotten luck. For Australian drag racer Corey Buttigieg, he had a whole pile of the-worst luck thrown at him well past half-track during ANDRA’s Speedweek at Calder Park in January. He’s made most of the quarter-mile when the rear tire on his Harley absolutely disintegrates. Pro Stock bikes were running upwards of 180 mph at Speedweek, which means that tire let go while Buttigieg was well north of 120 mph, at least.

Things could have gotten very bad, which isn’t to suggest that they were great. The bike looked poised to dump Buttigieg almost immediately, but he wrestles it back toward straight and stays aboard while the remnants of rear tire and wheel bang along unceasingly. Whatever you can say about his luck, Corey Buttigieg sure looks to have more than enough skill. He went on to finish 3rd place at the event.