LAWNMOWERS on the race course …

Ellerbe, North Carolina, is not much different from other small, rural communities … unless you factor in the fact that it is fast becoming famous for it’s Lawn Mower Racing.

This whole idea developed when the Ellerbe Lion’s Club was looking for an idea to raise money. They were thinking about go-cart racing (which is a popular sport in this part of the country) and the lawnmower idea evolved.

Donations of money, materials and labor from community members started the project 3 years ago and a clay track was built. It was slow going at first and wrecks were not uncommon. Now it has become a viable sport and is much safer.

My daughter, son-in-law and I took a drive down there this past Saturday and we were amazed at how professional it has become. I’m not a big race fan but the novelty made it fun to watch.

Those lawn mowers can actually run as fast as 60 miles per hour and they sit very close to the ground which I assume helps to avoid flipping on the corners. The drivers compete for cash prizes and they’ve even added a child’s competition that started this year. The crowds number up to 500 per night.

I’ve been told that there is not another track like this that’s been built in the U.S. but I’ll bet there will be many springing up once the word is out.