In Australia
Australia's first mower race was dreamt up in a small, country pub in Harrietville, Victoria in 1978. Five men challenged each other to a race around the local hills of the area after an alcohol-related argument. They chugged up the steep slopes belching smoke from their unmodified Briggs & Strattons (popular lawnmower brands), rounded a nominated gum tree, then flew down in "Angel Gear" – Australian outback slang for neutral – to the finish line. "Half the town's 100 people, 300 sheep and 150 dogs were there," according to Brian Ross, six-time president of the Australian Ride-On Lawn Mower Racing Association (AROLMRA), the biggest lawn mower racing club in Australia. AROLMRA has over 100 members and a large following in Victoria, and all over Australia. It holds between eight and ten races a year. The majority of races are held to raise money for the local Country Fire Authority, which is a volunteer fire service.
There are also lawn mower racing clubs in the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Nowra. The first ever national race between all the clubs was held in Dubbo NSW on May 16, 2009.
Read more about this topic: Lawn Mower Racing
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