Lawnmower Racing

Gentlemen...Start Your Engines!

by Chad Ison

Publication Date: 11/2000

Have you ever thought what it would feel like driving a race car in the Indianapolis 500? Revving your engine to the max; dodging in and out of traffic. Jockeying to the front of the pack; trying to beat the other drivers to the checkered flag and the coveted first-place trophy. It's a fantasy thousands of people have. Unfortunately, what many don't have is the large amount of money needed for the race car, pit crew, and numerous other things necessary to compete in the racing circuit. So, unless you have a rich uncle or a sponsor willing to back you, most of us will have to settle for watching the races on TV.

Not necessarily! What if you could have the thrill of racing, and your vehicle is sitting in your back yard or garage? No, I'm not talking about the family sedan or dad's SUV - it's your lawn mower. If you own a riding lawn mower and know how to have a lot of fun, then you may already be on your way to an international racing circuit!

Like stock car racing, lawn mower racing is becoming a regular sport. Racers meet at soccer fields, county fairs, and dirt tracks across the country. Riders don helmets and racing suits and stand in a lineup (like they do in LeMans racing). They wait for the gun to sound, and run to their mowers, crank them up and they're off. Races are usually run in an enclosed course (Figure Eight or motocross-style) on dirt or grass. Depending on the class you're competing in, racing mowers can run anywhere from eight miles-per-hour (mph), up to 60 mph. There are also drag races, with top speeds of 80 mph. You haven't lived until you've seen a riding mower burn rubber. It's enough to make Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor stand up and grunt, "aaaargh, aaaargh,aaaargh, MORE POWER!"

The origin of lawn mower racing is unclear. Rumor has it that in the early 70s two locals, tipping a few beers in a tavern, began a discussion on who had the fastest lawnmower. They went out, got their mowers, and settled the dispute right there on the main street.

Since that eventful day hundreds of enthusiasts have caught the "lawn mower racing bug" and turned a weekend chore into a competitive sport.

Lawn mower racing's biggest boost has come from the Gold Eagle Company in Chicago, which makes a gasoline additive called Sta-bil. In 1992 Gold Eagle executives formed the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association to promote Sta-bil. The association now claims over 500 member racers for whom it has organized more than 20 regional events and a National Championship which was held on Labor Day of this year. Thousands of racers belong to other groups around the world unaffiliated with the association, started within the last year or two.

Although this is a sport for people who enjoy being a little zany and having fun, they take safety very seriously. Competitors are required to make a few temporary and simple modifications to their mowers to be in the race. For example: blades must be removed, automatic shut-off (kill) switches installed or enabled, and all stock safety guards must be in good working order. Mowers are inspected by officials on the day of the race. Drivers are also required to wear protective clothing and a helmet.

Of course there are many other rules to guarantee that everyone is equal in the race and competing in a safe atmosphere. To make the racing fair to everyone, racers are grouped with others that have comparable mower equipment. The lawn mower's horsepower (maximum 18 hp), and any modifications that have been made are taken into consideration when establishing the class in which riders will compete. The Stock Class is for regular, garden variety lawn mowers that could roll out of anyone's garage. The IMOW class is a more legislated class with mowers having similar modifications. The Prepared and Factory Experimental Classes are more wide open and allow riders to make additional modifications (within the rules) to their machine's. There are several Drag Racing Divisions, with a class for just about everyone who loves to "tinker!"

One secret of the racing's growth is its economics. To enter, contestants pay a small fee, $15 or $25. More important, the mowers are cheap, opening a vast new horizon for the adrenaline-enriched and mechanically inclined. Racing mowers cost a fraction of the $10,000 or $20,000 spent to buy and prepare a stock car racer. However this is not a sport to get into if you want someone to "SHOW YOU THE MONEY!" There are no purses and typically no betting. Drivers usually race for trophies, bragging rights and glory.

The mowers do flip - it's called "taking a hay bath" because of the bales of hay that line the tracks. But over the eight years the association has been in existence, says its director, Bruce Kaufman, there have been no serious injuries, just bumps and bruises and a broken wrist or two.

So if you want to be on the CUTTING EDGE and think you can be the next "Mowrio Andretti" or "Jeff Garden," then hop on your lawn mower and head to the nearest race. But remember to take off the blade first...you don't want to really MOW-DOWN the competition!

For more information on lawn mower racing, check out the following websites:

http://www.letsmow.com

http://www.lawnrace.com

http://www.businesswire.com/cnn/lawn-mower-racing.htm

http://www.geocities.com:0080/MotorCity/Downs/4076/index.html

Photos courtesy of the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association.