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The finish line of the 250cc class at the 2007 Swifts Creek lawnmower races

Young competitors, such as this 10-year-old boy, race in less powerful mowers.

Lawnmower racing is a form of motorsport in which competitors race modified lawnmowers, usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety. Original mower engines are retained, but blades are removed for safety. The sport attracts all ages, and is usually entered into in a spirit of fun rather than extreme competitiveness, though many do take it quite seriously.

The sport was actually "invented" in 1973 in The Cricketers Arms pub in Wisborough Green (not far from the town of Horsham) in West Sussex, England, UK, by a group of young men bemoaning the prohibitive costs of getting involved in any kind of motorsport. They formed the British Lawn Mower Racing Association, and shortly afterwards, a northern equivalent in the form of the North West Lawn Mower Racing Association was formed.

The sport was taken to the United States by the makers of a petrol stabiliser called Sta-bil, who had visited the UK and witnessed a race meeting. It has since grown to have multiple national organizations, including the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association and the American Racing Mower Association.

Lawnmower racing should not be confused with go-karting, wherein lawn mower engines have often been used, especially amongst the amateur participants in go-karting. Lawn mower racing is based firmly around the use of both engines and chassis from regular model mowers. Also, where go-kart is exclusively raced on paved surface, lawn mower racing can be raced off-road.

A small, rural town in Indiana has held an annual lawnmower race since 1963. Located in Twelve Mile, Indiana, the Twelve Mile 500 has drawn spectators from all over the Midwest.

Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007, a new video game based on the sport, was slated to be released in November 2006. It was developed for the PC and Xbox by video game developer eV Interactive. This game is officially licensed by the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association.

The pastime of lawnmower racing was featured in the American TV sitcoms Home Improvement and King of the Hill and the movie The Prince and Me.

Australia

Australia's first mower race was dreamt up in a pub in Harrietville Victoria, in 1987. 5 blokes spontaneously challenged each other to a race around the local hills. They chugged up the steep slopes belching smoke from their unmodified Briggs and Strattons, rounded a nominated gum tree, then flew down in "Angel Gear" (neutral). For the record a "rogue" called Roger won on his Rover. "Half the town's 100 people and 150 dogs were there" says the "Mudman" Brian Ross.

After that initial event, the sport had quite the following, and Brian revived and modified the idea as a fundraiser for the Harrietville Fire Brigade. Six meetings were held in total, raising $30,000 for the CFA. Since humble beginnings the club grew into the "Australian Ride-On Lawn Mower Racing Association" (AROLMRA INC)

Throughout the years AROLMRA has expanded and contracted as any club does. We have had races in every corner of Victoria. Such locations as Harrietville, Koonoomoo, Heywood, Cowwarr, Bairnsdale, Swifts Creek, Cobram, Stawell, Newstead, Lascelles, Geelong, Scoresby, Stoney Creek, Tooradin, Tungamah, Nathalia, Denilliquin, Berrigan and Yarrawonga.

"Facts" Shane Osborne is the current 4-time Lawn Mower Racing Champion.(AROLMRA)

North Carolina Lawnmower Racing

Since 2005, during the summer months, the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club has played host to lawnmower racing at its Wilkes County Agricultural Fairground facility. Sanctioned by the Allegheny Mower Racing Association, oval track racing on the dirt reminds many of the beginnings of stock car racing at the North Wilkesboro Speedway and the birth of NASCAR.

North Wilkesboro Rotary Club North Wilkesboro Rotary Fairgrounds Lawnmower Racetrack

Crowds have grown from a few hundred to gatherings of thousands on several Saturday nights from June through September. The Wilkes County fairground site is said by many participants to be the premier facility within the AMRA circuit.

Proceeds from the club's lawnmower racing are distributed throughout the year to the many activities supported by the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club. The club contributes to most local United Way agencies, provides annual scholarships to local high school students, holds a Christmas Party for the county's foster children, while also supporting worldwide relief efforts of Rotary International.

External links

• The Mow Zone Your One stop site for Lawn Mower Racing links, info etc.
• Australian Ride-on Lawn Mower Association
• Lawn mower racing at the Open Directory Project
• North West Lawn Mower Racing Association
• Xtreme Mower Mayhem/Monster Mowers
• American Racing Mower Association
• Twelve Mile 500 - The Oldest Lawnmower Race
• British Lawn Mower Racing Association
• Fastmower - UK mower racing website
• Whos Racing Lawnmower Racing Team UK
• Southwestern Ontario Lawn Tractor Racing Association
• U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association
• Mower Racer - Lawnmower Racing news
• Midwest Lawnmower Racing Association - The only lawnmower racing in the Kansas City area.
• "He Used To Cut The Grass" - U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association Bent on Growing, Not Mowing (July 2003)
• Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007
• Elmer Fudd Wacing
• All-Terrain Lawn Mower Association
• North Dakota Lawn Mower Racing Association
• SEMOW Lawn Racers - Mower Racing in Southeast Missouri
• G-Team Lawn Mower Racing
• The Mowbetter Lawn Mower Racing Forum
• fotki lawntractorracer - lots of photos of lawn mowers racing
• AMRA racing in Alleghany County, North Carolina
• Wilkes County NC Lawn Mower Racing - Photos of lawn mowers racing at the North Wilkesboro Rotary Club Fairgrounds

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 26 November 2008, at 21:46.

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