The joys of Lawnmower racing

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What could be better than racing your lawnmower around a very wet field in Sussex, England?

I reckon these guys should have been sponsored by a washing powder manufacturer...don't you?

Lawnmower racing is a form of motorsport 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.

The earliest record of an organised race involving lawnmowers in the United Kingdom is in 1968 when the Ashton on Mersey Cricket Club organised a sporting event by the name "Lawn Mower Grand Prix" for the benefit fund of Lancashire cricketer Ken Higgs. The event consisted of a dash over 880 yards and was sponsored by Esso and Player's No. 6 cigarettes. The event was won by Daily Mirror journalist Roy Allett and Jimmy Savile came third. Savile reportedly prayed before competing and remarked that he has never driven a lawnmower before, "How can you mow in a council flat?"

The British Lawn Mower Racing Association (BLMRA) was formed in 1973 by Rally co-driver Jim Gavin. Jim and a bunch of fellow sporting enthusiasts were bemoaning the prohibitive costs of getting involved in any kind of motorsport whilst enjoying a pint at The Cricketers Arms in Wisborough Green, West Sussex. They looked across the village green and noticed the groundsman mowing the cricket pitch. Realising that everyone had a lawnmower in their garden shed they asked themselves: Why not race them? A local venue was found and 80 mowers turned up for that first meeting.

There are now several Lawn Mower Racing clubs in the UK with slightly differing construction rules but a similar ethos that events should be professionally run and costs kept to a minimum. Racing tends to take place in bare fields, with the track marked in a temporary fashion typically using bales or plastic blocks. The racing format is generally either sprint or endurance, although fun races take various formats including relay and last man standing. There are various championships held throughout the racing season.

Initially, mowers were self-propelled models such as the Suffolk Punch which were re-geared and required the operator to run behind. These quickly gave way to larger cylinder mowers with towed seats which are now referred to as Group 2. Groups 3 and 4 followed in time, these are wheel driven ride-on mowers, Group 3 being an open engined garden rider (typically the Westwood Lawnbug) and Group 4 being a lawn tractor. All mowers must have their blades removed, retain specified original components such as their chassis, bonnet and drive configuration. Engine regulations vary between clubs, but these are standard lawnmower type engines with little or no modification or tuning. Given the right track conditions, mowers can reach speeds of up to 50mph although track design serves to limit this and ensure that driver skill remains an important element of the sport.

One of the best-known events is the annual BLMRA 12 hour endurance race which has been held near Wisborough Green since 1978. The first such event was won by Sir Stirling Moss, Derek Bell and Tony Hazlewood (designer and builder of the Westwood Lawnbug). Actor Oliver Reed also participated. The event attracts participants from other British clubs and from all over the world, including competitors from France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland and the United States. 2018 saw the win taken by an overseas entrant for the first time in the event's history when it was won by a team from Luxembourg. The current distance record over the 12 hours sits at 354.5 miles.