Escape makes one jump flawlessly, but the second results in a violent tumble.
We wouldn’t recommend that you jump your Ford Escape, but this week’s Freaky Friday video shows that if you handle the landing correctly, your small SUV can survive a big leap. This video comes from the Mark Freeman #408 YouTube channeland it showcases an older Escape going out with a bang, but when the first jump goes surprisingly well, the vehicle is sent down the dirt ramp once more.
The results of the second jump aren’t quite as positive as the first.
Mark Freeman’s Shenanigans
If you like seeing cars being senselessly destroyed, Mark Freeman is a name that you should know. He is a Canadian motocross racer, but more importantly for our interests, he has a unique YouTube channel. He and his friends get vehicles that are destined for the junkyard and they finish them off. In many of the videos, the vehicles are sent down a steep hill to a dirt ramp, launching the car, truck or SUV into the air.
When those vehicles come back down to earth, they are usually quickly destroyed, but this little Ford Escape takes the first jump as smoothly as we have ever seen. Well, as smoothly as we have seen from a vehicle without a driver. All of the vehicles that Freeman sends down the ramp are driverless, so the jump doesn’t always go as planned.
The Autonomous Escape
The video begins with an in-car look at the Ford Escape. Freemanputs the vehicle in gear while he is standing in the open driver’s door, guiding the vehicle for a short distance before bailing out. From there, the compact SUV accelerates down the hill and hits the jump, popping way up into the air.
Amazingly, when the Escape comes down, it does so perfectly on the opposing ramp. This allows the driverless Ford to smoothly land and come to a stop without any damage.
So, the team took the Escape back to the top of the hill and Freeman made another run, getting the rig moving before jumping out. This time, the vehicle wanders to the left a bit and doesn’t have quite as much speed. As a result, the rear tires hit the peak of the opposing ramp, kicking the back end up over the front end. The Escape slams down violently on its roof, at which point it is ready for the junkyard after one final blaze of glory, with the video ending with a slow-motion replay of the destruction.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
