I REMEMBER when I was finally old enough to take on the weekly chore of mowing the lawns at our family property. Our garden of several acres had so much grass, often intricately shaped; even with the ride-on mower, the whole thing took about two hours.
In the years leading up to obtaining my licence, I proudly cruised laps of the house on the weekend, listening to music and earning a couple of bucks pocket money by simply sitting atop the mower and slashing the turf with the whirring blades below. So long as I didn’t destroy any shrubs, I was good.
The mower seldom moved faster than walking pace, but I still acted like I was a rally car driver.
Members of the Australian Ride On Lawn Mower Racing Association drive their fantastic, souped-up grass cutters at a pace that would be surely deemed unsafe for cautious lawn cutting. But they’re not cutting lawns on these mowers; they’re racing them.
Last weekend, a huge crowd gathered in Mooroopna at the Shepparton District Car Club’s track to support Joel’s Charity Race. Those in attendance were there to witness a bunch of exciting races featuring super modified lawn mower races, raise some funds for a great cause, and enjoy the awesome atmosphere.
There were four different competitions raced on the day and four winners. Jhett McIntrye took home the win for the juniors (limited to 110cc motors), Amber Eliott topped the C-class (capped at 200cc), Tracey Peters won B-class (250cc) and Stuart Eliott raced to victory in the A-class (450cc).
The charity race event raised $2,500 for the Royal Children’s Hospital in support of a mower racing family, whose son Joel has been battling a serious illness.
The next Lawn Mowing Races will take place at the Deniliquin Ute Muster on the first weekend in October and at the Moorngag mower mania on November 2. To keep updated with the great events or to make a donation, visit www.arolmra.net
