Lawnmower Racing

Have you ever wanted to get involved in racing but never had the money or advanced technical knowhow to get started? Well this recently born sport may be your lucky break to racing superstardom.

Lawnmower racing is a form of motorsport where competitors race modified, self-riding lawnmowers. The original engines are retained, but blades are removed for safety.

The sport was invented in 1973 in West Sussex, England by a group of men sitting in a pub complaining about the immense costs required to participate in any kind of motorsport. That quickly led to the first racing lawnmowers and the creation of the British Lawn Mower Racing Association.

The idea was later brought to the United States by the makers of a petrol, fuel-stabilizer called STA-BIL. Since then, organizations such as the United States Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA) and the American Racing Mower Association (ARMA) have led the way in the sport since 1981.

Like any standardized sport, there are plenty of rules and regulations. Since USLMRA is the premiere lawnmower racing organization in North America, I have chosen to secure my information from them. The following has come directly from their website. There you can read their blog, find official machine regulations, yearly event schedules, and much more.

Below is their list of the racing classes:

• Stock- As delivered from the factory.
• IMOW- front engine, highly regulated
• Prepared- Modified drive train, engine, etc.
• FX- Major modifications allowed.
• JP: For kids age 10-15.

**All riders must be 18 years old to compete, although 16 and 17 year olds are allowed with parental permission.**

If you want to try this new sport out for yourself, please think it over carefully before you go out and splurge on the new Ferrari of lawnmowers. You should have an ample amount of technical knowledge and patience when facing the inevitable blockades (there are no instructions for you to follow). Although, this link on insturctables.com is one man’s account in pursuit of his dream machine.

The website heymow.com is an online forum where fellow racers can share their knowledge and answer your questions along the way. ARMA's website has a forum service as well that is only available to registered users.

Did you know?- While these lawnmowers go an average speed of 25 mph, most courses are 500-700 feet long laps. If you don’t think that’s fast, see for yourself below.