History of Mower Racing
England
“The BLMRA was founded in 1973 in The Cricketers Arms in Wisborough Green, West Sussex by a bunch of sporting enthusiasts that included Irishman Jim Gavin just back from a rally recce in the Sahara. While bemoaning the ever-increasing costs in all forms of motor sport, they looked across the village green and noticed the groundsman mowing the cricket pitch. In a eureka moment, it dawned on them that everyone had a lawn mower in their garden shed. Why not race them? A local venue was found and 80 mowers turned up for that first meeting. This new and eccentric sport became an almost overnight success and there were soon over a dozen events each season. Jim Gavin was appointed club President, only retiring in 2016, when club stalwart Pete Hammerton took over the role.”
U.S.A.
The Twelve Mile 500 is a lawn mower race held in the small town of Twelve Mile, Indiana, organized by the Twelve Mile Lions Club and occurring annually on Independence Day. The tradition began in 1963 as a race for factory-built mowers with their mowing decks removed but in 1996 split into a two-race event with one for four-cycle Briggs lawn mowers and another for modified mowers. The race adopted the "Grand Prix" style in 1970 and has been held in Plank Hill Park ever since. The race structure has once again changed with the addition of another race. The 2010 race included a superstock race in addition to the Briggs and modified races. The Twelve Mile 500 consists of a 15-mile, 60-lap course run on a quarter-mile track in the park, with a maximum of 33 entrants per race. Each participating team consists of a driver, a two-person pit crew and a lap judge, and must meet a speed of approximately 30 mph to qualify just like in NASCAR racing.
Australia
“Australia's first mower race was dreamt up in a small, country pub in Harrietville, Victoria in 1988. 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 & 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)”
South Australia
Ride-on Lawn Mower Racing in South Australia can be traced back to the small town of Booborowie, where racing was held and run by their local pub for many years. The final race held by the Booborowie Hotel was in 2017. However, a new dawn of lawn mower racing was on the horizon with the South Australian Lawn Mower Racing Association (SALMRA) being formed in 2018. The first event of the SALMRA was held at the Meningie Hotel on the June long weekend of 2018. Under the leadership of the SALMRA, lawn mower racing quickly spread to other small towns around the state. The SALMRA is also involved with large scale events like the Adelaide Motorsport Festival and the Royal Adelaide show. For more information – www.salmra.com.au
Southern Mallee
There’s no doubt about the direction mower racing has gone over the years. Faster, faster and faster. Mallee Mower Racing would like to go back to the grass roots of mower racing. Someone will always have some sort of an advantage and that’s just the way it is. So, with class limits and no race calendar for some classes we are hoping to create a level playing field for everyone. This said we will not discriminate against anyone. As close to a mower as you can get will be the forefront of our organisation. We will also be focusing on shows and promotions to raise funds for local communities and improvements in our club. First events to be held in March 2024.
