The sport of Lawnmower racing was “invented” in a UK  pub called the Cricketers arms in Sussex in 1973 by a bunch of guys who were moaning about the prohibitive costs of getting involved in any kind of motor sport. A number of options were discussed including motorised bar stools, but eventually someone hit on the fact that almost everyone had a lawnmower, and so the British Lawnmower Racing Association was formed. Shortly afterwards, a Northern equivalent, in the shape of the North West Lawnmower Racing Association was also formed, along similar lines, but with an extra class of race machine. The rules of both associations have been designed to keep the sport as cheap as possible, and engine choices and modifications are limited to make a level playing field for everyone.

Not surprisingly, this very English sport has taken off in the USA with the formation of the USLMRA United States Lawnmower Racing Association  It all began on April Fools day in 1992. Executives of Chicago-based Gold Eagle Co. makers of STA-BIL® Fuel Stabilizer, took lawn mower racing to the United States after visiting friends with the British Lawn Mower Association in England. They thought lawn mower racing would be an interesting product promotion for STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer. Since then, the STA-BIL Nationals has grown from one race to more than 20 STA-BIL Regional and STA-BIL Mowdown races across the country.

Events Both British groups race at country shows and similar events from May to October, holding 12-15 championship meetings each. There are also special events such as the annual BLMRA 12 hour endurance race  and the end of season 6 hour race organised by the NWLMRA usually during October. Most of the race meetings will include points races, where the points are added up over the season to give overall winners for each class, Grand Prix races, where laps are counted over a given time, and a variety of other “fun” races…handicapped starts, relays, driver changes, baton races and so on.

Machines In the UK, only 4 types of machines are raced -  

 Group 1: small cylinder mowers that the “driver” runs behind;
 
 Group 2:....two distinct types of machine in this class. The original Group 2's were the large cylinder mowers like Atco and Webb 24" machines, and these are still very popular with BLMRA members. According to the BLMRA rules, the mower must have been designed for "cutting domestic lawns"....but I guess the southerners must have big lawns and pockets to match....a new Atco 24" machine will set you back around £2,400!
At BLMRA events, the only Group 2's you will see will be roller driven machines, but in the NWLMRA, there is another type, the wheel driven Group  2. These are not allowed under BLMRA regulations, due to the commercial background of the machines. Typical machines to use as a base for a racing machine are the Hayter Condor, Ransomes Bobcat, and several of the Scag family. Basically, these are all heavy duty, but originally pedestrian controlled machines that you may have seen cutting in parks and along roadsides etc. These machines have got a lot faster in recent years and are now capable of around 50mph, though they do not corner as well as the Group 3 and 4 machines
 
 Group 3: almost entirely based on the old Westwood Lawnbug a small ride-on mower originally of around 8hp, with speeds up to 50mph; Group 4:based on small bonneted garden tractors which would have originally used engines of 18hp or less.

The USA  do things a bit differently over there with more classes, nearly all of which are based on tractor style mowers, and also sponsorship from a company called Sta-bil. Most of the States in the country have their own chapter of the Association. In 2000, a group of racers from the BLMRA went to America to race in their “Rider Cup”…and won!