The 20 Best Lawn Mower Racing Groups On Facebook
As with all great ideas, lawn mower racing was dreamed up by a group of people sitting in a pub. Actually, history traces the sport’s creation to a specific group of guys in a specific pub called The Cricketers Arms in Wisborough Green, England in 1973.
Their inspiration was simple: To make motorsports more affordable. Made even more affordable when you also organized your garage on a budget!
Interestingly, a group of five Australians also independently created the same sport 15 years later under similar circumstances: They were in a pub and began boasting about who could run a circuit around the town’s hills faster on his lawn mower.
A race ensued. “Half the town’s 100 people, 300 sheep and 150 dogs were there,” according to local legend.
Since these humble beginnings, lawn mower racing has grown into … well, not a phenomenon, but certainly something that people do.
Today, organized races are held, and modified mowers are the norm (the blades are typically the first things to go). Lawn mowers have a couple of advantages over other vehicles, too: They can scale down small enough that children can race them, and they’re durable enough to race on rough surfaces like dirt and grass.
The sport’s hotbeds are the countries of its creation — the UK and Australia — as well as the United States. It has been depicted on episodes of Home Improvement and King of the Hill. In fact, someone even made a lawn mower racing video game a few years ago.
So, if you are a fan of the people’s motorsport, or if you are curious to learn more, Facebook groups are a great place to start. There are plenty of national and local organizations who are willing to welcome new members and foster new talent.
Below are 20 of the best lawn mower racing clubs on Facebook. If you would like to give lawn mower racing a shot, reach out to one close to you.
Also check out how to make the most of your garage space for your new toys with these garage wall storage ideas!
American Groups
US Lawn Mower Racing Association
America’s oldest and largest lawn mower racing organization, the USLMRA celebrates 22 years of organized racing this year. This is the primary sanctioning body in the US for races, and its network consists of hundreds of races plus local chapters and affiliates in 40 states.
American Racing Mower Association
ARMA is another national organization that has local chapters and affiliates. The group was formed in 2005 by experienced racers who had been in charge of other local chapters, so it would be fair to think of ARMA as a second-generation governing body within lawn mower racing.
The State of Jefferson Mower Racing
Here is the ethos of mower racing in one group name. The State of Jefferson is a proposed US state that comprises parts of northern California and southern Oregon. And that proposed state has a lawn mower racing group, which mostly consists of an extended group of friends who race and attend nearby events.
Strafford (New Hampshire) Lawn Mower Racing Association
Snow racing! If you live in New England, these are the people to get to know for winter racing. Credit also goes to the SLMRA’s photographers and videographers, who are doing good work.
Southern Indiana Lawn Mower Racing
The racing group out of Floyd County, Indiana, is one of the most active local groups online, and it has been designated an official USLMRA affiliated club.
Arkansas Lawn Mower Racing Association
ALMRA just had a busy first week of September, squeezing three races into those seven days. When the cold weather finally settles in, look for ALMRA to organize some non-racing indoor events, as it has in the past, to hold everyone over until racing season begins again.
Northern New York Lawn Mower Racing
Even if you don’t live anywhere near Northern New York, have a look at some of the photos and videos posted to the group from this year’s races.
Central Iowa Lawn Mower Racing Association
CILMRA is another official local affiliate of the US Lawn Mower Racing Association. Look for a season championship race at the end of October as well as a Halloween race. Then, if there is no snow in November, one last race for the season is tentatively scheduled.
Lone Star Mower Racing Association
LSMRA has been around since 1998, hosting races (and BBQs) around Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. If there is any kind of BBQ, cook-off, shrimp boil or food-related event scheduled to coincide with one of their races, it’s probably worth going well out of your way for.
Florida Lawnracing Association
The best part about having a lawn mower racing association in Florida? You can race in nice weather pretty much year-round. Most of the races are held at the Avon Park Mowerplex in Avon Park, Florida.
South Georgia Lawn Mower Racing Association
You know who else can race almost year-round? The folks in southern Georgia. Their next event is coming up October 4, and you can bet that will still be comfortable t-shirt weather. The SGLMRA also does a good job of keeping its standings updated on Facebook, and member Jordan Poole updates his YouTube page with race videos, too.
Massachusetts Lawn Mower Racing Association
This group, founded just last year by AJC Mowersports, is officially licensed by the American Racing Mower Association, and they host some super mod races that, judging by the videos, look like a blast.
Capital District Lawn Mower Racing Organization
This upstate New York group is one of the fastest growing lawn mower racing organizations we have seen, perhaps because organizers are so good about posting race updates, standings and photos so quickly.
Australian Groups
Central Queensland Mower Racing Club
The CQ Mower Racing Club hosts test-and-tune days on the first Sunday of each month so racers can make sure their modified mowers are in good shape. The group also hosts a championship race against other clubs from around the state twice a year.
Brisbane Mowersport, Inc.
Besides being an active and fun club, Brisbane Mowersport hosts a charity ride every year to raise funds for Mater Children’s Hospital and the Logan Hospital Children’s Inpatient Unit. You can find information on the charity ride here.
UK Groups
British Lawn Mower Racing Association
BLMRA President Jim Gavin was sitting at the very table in The Cricketers Arms that day in 1973, and he has helped organize and promote lawn mower races in England since.
North West Lawn Mower Racing Association
The NWLMRA is an old club, relatively speaking, dating back to 1982. It has more than 30 active racers at each of its meetings — more than F1, the club notes. There are also no sponsors or cash prizes for the races. Everything is done in the spirit of sportsmanship, bragging rights, and fund-raising for charity from time to time.
Other Groups
Lawn Mower Racing
This is the general Facebook group for anyone, anywhere who is a fan of lawn mower racing. The group is a great knowledge resource for finding parts for your mower, making modifications, and other technical tips and how-tos.
Lawn Mower Racing — Buy, Sell, Trade
If you’ve been reading along and are now ready to get into lawn mower racing, but you don’t have a mower — or if you don’t want to mod the one you have — here is the place to get a track-ready mower.
Special Shoutout:
The Detroit Mower Gang
They’re not involved in racing, but this is a good time to acknowledge the good work the Detroit Mower Gang is doing. These folks mow abandoned playgrounds throughout the city so local kids will have a safe place to play. If you’ve seen the Detroit episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, you’ve seen these guys. And if you live in Detroit, they could always use an extra set of hands.
images by:
Peter Black / Flickr
big-ashb / Flickr
Pete / Flickr