Lawn mower racing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lawn mower racing is a form of motorsport where competitors race modified lawn mowers, 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 a pub in Sussex in the UK, by a bunch of guys 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 shape 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 its own national organization called the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association.

Lawn mower 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.

A humorous lawnmower racing arcade game called Wacky Wheels was released in 1994. It features various animals racing each other. There are hedgehogs and other items such as bombs scattered throughout the courses that when hit can then be used as ammunition to shoot at the other players.

Lawnmower racing was featured in Home Improvement.

Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007, a new video game based on the sport, is 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.

[edit] External links

• Whos Racing Lawnmower Racing Team UK
• Southwestern Ontario Lawn Tractor Racing Association
• British Lawn Mower Racing Association
• North West Lawn Mower Racing Association
• U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association
• Mower Racer - Lawnmower Racing news
• "He Used To Cut The Grass" - U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association Bent on Growing, Not Mowing (July 2003)
• Fastmower - UK mower racing website
• Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007