A motorcyclist who celebrated winning a race too early has said he feared becoming a "meme" after two opponents soared past him.
Andre Verissimo was well ahead in a SuperBike Evolution race as he rounded the final curve at the Ayrton Senna International Autodrome in Goiania, Brazil.
Thinking he was bound to win, he stood up on his footrests and waved his arms in the air.
He had only been on his feet for a couple of seconds, however, when he looked over his shoulder and saw his opponents gaining on him.
"I tried to accelerate, but (the bike) was in third gear - really slow," he explained.
"The motorcycle was dead and they passed me by."
He looked to his left a couple more times as opponents, Osvaldo J Filho and Marcelo Skaf, beat him across the line.
"I was celebrating with my team when they caught up," Verissimo said. "What a screw up."
Afterwards, he thought: "I'm going to be made fun of, I'm going to become a meme."
Despite his defeat, Verissimo ended the SuperBike Evolution season as champion.
He reflected, philosophically: "It's no problem. Let's move on. What matters is getting the champion's title.
"At the end of the day, everyone went home happy."
