Lawnmower Racing

Lawnmower racing is a form of motorsport in which competitors race modified lawnmowers, 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.

A small, rural town in Indiana has held an annual lawnmower race since 1963. Located in Twelve Mile, Indiana, the Twelve Mile 500 has drawn spectators from all over the Midwest.

The sport was independently "invented" in 1973 in The Cricketers Arms pub in Wisborough Green (not far from the town of Horsham) in West Sussex, England, 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, a northern equivalent in the form 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 multiple national organizations, including the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association and the American Racing Mower Association.