News Worthy Notes...
The NDLMRA in the News!
Minot Daily News - August 7, 2007
Peace Garden Hosts Lawn Mower Races
By CARLA WILLIAMS
Staff Writer
cwilliams@minotdailynews.com
Carla Williams/MDN |
|
| |
Racers take part in the first International Lawn Tractor Race held at the International Peace Garden Sunday. Eight participants turned out for the event hosted by the garden and sponsored by the North Dakota Lawn Mower Racing Association. |
INTERNATIONAL PEACE GARDEN — Eight participants turned out for the first International Lawn Tractor Race held at the International Peace Garden Sunday near Dunseith.
Together with the North Dakota Lawn Mower Racing Association, the hosted racers from across the United States and Canada. More than 150 spectators witnessed the event, which consisted of a 700-foot course.
According to Aggie Buhler, the tourism promoter for Boissevain in Canada and the International Peace Garden, the race was held at the in order to promote awareness of the growing lawn tractor races and to provide another outlet of entertainment to visitors.
“We [the International Peace Garden] wanted something to tie in the antique car show also going on during the races,” Buhler said. “We wanted to add a family-fun event that people haven’t potentially seen before and to give the North Dakota Lawn Mower Association exposure as they’re interested in expanding the sport.”
Funds from the entry fees of $30 went toward insurance liability and prize money. The entries raced in two different classes depending on the size of their engine. The U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association does not allow engines of more than 20 horsepower.
Don Geinger, current president of the NDLMRA, said the North Dakota Mower Racing Association has been around since 1999 and he had his hand in securing most of Sunday’s entries at the Peace Garden event.
“There is no set agenda for any of the races any of the associations take part in,” Geinger said. “In fact, I’m racing two tractors today. We’re [the NDLMRA] just looking to promote the sport. Give us a spot where grass needs to be mowed and we’ll get people in.”
Geinger further explained that the USLMRA has six different classes that lawn mowers can be entered into. They include the factory experimental, stock, international mow of weeds and three prepared classes — the AP, SP and BP that vary on the size of the motor.
“There is a little bit of everything in lawn tractor racing, to those heavily modified being the factory experimental [or the FX] class down to the BP that has a V-twin sound-like motor,” Geinger said. “Again, nothing is over 20 horsepower.”
According to Lee Vine, from the St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minn. area, a member of the 20-member Minnesota Lawn Mower Association, participated in Sunday’s event because lawn tractor racing is a growing competitive motor sport without added costs.
“This is my second year racing,” Vine said. “A couple of friends and I were messing around and competing with our own tractors, and I wanted to know what I could do to make my lawn mower go faster. Sure enough, here I’m today, racing.”
Vine, who has competed in four national races and 20 local races, further explained that he took up the sport over other sports and hobbies because he has to spend less time maintaining his engine.
“Lawn tractor racing is a blast,” Vine said. “To build a competitive mower, you don’t have to do much maintenance. As a result, you spend a lot less money than compared to motorcross or something else similar.”
Spectators also had fun looking on at the races.
Jeanette Gratton, from Bisbee, said she brought the family originally to see the antique car show but had read about the races the day before in the newspaper.
“My family and I had planned to see the car show. However, the kids were excited to see the races, so we brought them here,” Gratton said. “We were also curious to see what a lawn tractor race was as we had never seen anything like it before. It’s exciting to watch.”
The sport of lawn mower racing was “invented” in a United Kingdom pub called the Cricketers Arms in Sussex in 1973 by a bunch of blocs who were moaning about the prohibitive cost of getting involved in any kind of motor sport. A number of options were discussed including motorized bar stools, but eventually someone hit on the fact that almost everyone had a lawnmower, and so the British Lawn Mower Racing Association was formed. On April 1 in 1992, the first race was held in the United States and has since spread across the country.
According to Buhler, the International Peace Garden plans to host the races again next year.
For more information on lawn tractor racing, see [www.letsmow.com].
|
