glad it turned out all right! i am so anxious driving around with my bike on my car. i have a rack almost just like yours (the performance bike one, the xport flatbed), and there are so many closures, bolts, and pins that i have a phobia of forgetting one and dragging my bike down the highway. i really wish the rack didn't tilt backward. another worrisome variable.
how did your bike get out, exactly? you tested the rack but the bike fell out anyway?