Lawn mower racing
Encyclopedia
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
in which competitors race modified lawnmowers, usually of the ride-on or self-propelled variety. The 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 participants do take it seriously.
In the United Kingdom
The sport was independently invented in 19731973 in sports
1973 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:* O.J...
in The Cricketers Arms pub in Wisborough Green
Wisborough Green
Wisborough Green is a village and civil parish in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England miles west of Billingshurst on the A272.Newbridge where the A272 crosses the River Arun mile east of the village was the highest point of the Arun navigation, and the southern end of the Wey and Arun...
– not far from the town of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
) in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 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, the North West Lawn Mower Racing Association was formed
In the United States
The sport was taken to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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
U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association
The U.S. Lawnmower Racing Association is the governing body for lawnmower racing in the United States. The organization is based in Chicago, Illinois...
and the American Racing Mower Association.
Lawnmower racing should not be confused with go-karting
Kart racing
Kart racing or karting is a variant of open-wheel motorsport with small, open, four-wheeled vehicles called karts, go-karts, or gearbox/shifter karts depending on the design. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits...
, 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-karts are exclusively raced on paved surface, lawn mowers can be raced off-road.
In North Carolina
Since the summer of 1984, 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 is reminiscent of the beginnings of stock car racing at the North Wilkesboro SpeedwayNorth Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway was a short track that held races in NASCAR's top three series from NASCAR's inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996...
and the birth of NASCAR. 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 events 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
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
.
In Australia
Australia's first mower race was dreamt up in a small, country pub in Harrietville, Victoria in 1978. Five men challenged each other to a race around the local hills of the area after an alcohol-related argument. They chugged up the steep slopes belching smoke from their unmodified Briggs and Strattons (popular lawnmower brands), rounded a nominated gum tree, then flew down in "Angel Gear" – Australian outback slang for neutral – to the finish line. "Half the town's 100 people, 300 sheep and 150 dogs were there," according to Brian Ross, six-time president of the Australian Ride-On Lawn Mower Racing Association (AROLMRA), the biggest lawn mower racing club in Australia. AROLMRA has over 100 members and a large following in Victoria, and all over Australia. It holds between eight and ten races a year. The majority of races are held to raise money for the local Country Fire Authority, which is a volunteer fire service.There are also lawn mower racing clubs in the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Nowra. The first ever national race between all the clubs was held in Dubbo NSW on May 16, 2009.
In popular culture
- Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007Lawnmower Racing Mania 2008 is a video game developed for the Xbox and PC, based on the sport of riding lawn mower racing as sanctioned by the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association.-Music:...
, a new video game based on the sport, was slated to be released in November 2006. It was developed for the PC and XboxXboxThe Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
by video game developer eV InteractiveEV InteractiveeV Interactive is a small video game developer located in Arlington Heights, Illinois. They consist of team members who formerly worked on the successful JetFighter and Descent series. eV Interactive has also developed training and simulation software for the F-14 Tomcat.eV Interactive recently...
. This game is officially licensed by the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association. - Lawnmower racing has been featured in the American TV sitcoms Home Improvement, Yes, DearYes, DearYes, Dear is a television sitcom that aired from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, on CBS. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley and Liza Snyder....
, and King of the HillKing of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, as well as the movie The Prince and MeThe Prince and MeThe Prince and Me is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, and Ben Miller, with Miranda Richardson, James Fox, and Alberta Watson...
.