Congratulations to Wally Bender, Manny Torres and Jason Brown, the USLMRA racers featured in this article on the DelMarVa Lawn Mower Racing Association from The Washington Post!
Torres started the local chapter — which is for riders in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia — in 2005. During the trial races in the early afternoon, he and Bender raced in the FX class, which stands for factory experimental or, more accurately, anything goes.
“That carburetor is from a 2007 Harley-Davidson,” Torres said, pointing proudly to his mower. “Everything inside the motor is performance grade.”
When it comes to the less extreme racing classes, the mowers are basically what you would find at a home improvement store. The difference, Torres said, comes when the riders tweak the height, widen the axles and adjust to a manual transmission.
“There’s a lot of maintenance. These guys work on their mowers all the time,” Torres said.
Joe Gardiner, fairground coordinator of entertainment and programs, said that lawnmower racing at last year’s fair was well-received by visitors. The racers seemed to have had a good time as well.
The Delmarva racers will be heading to Bowles Farm in Clements on July 10 and 11 for a national race.
“Our local group is probably the toughest for [single-prepared class] in the country,” Brown said. “That helps us get better because of the local group’s competition, which prepares you for the national level.”
To read the entire piece, click here. To see the entire DelMarVa LMRA racing schedule, head here.
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