Archive for July, 2009

Check this July 17th Grand Rapids Press article by Steve Kaminski! From the article:

It growls like a Harley Davidson, looks like something out of World War II and moves like a John Deere on steroids.

It’s neither a bird, plane nor Superman. It’s just a lawn mower, albeit one that folks in Sparta have never seen.

Joey Nahas of Laurel, Mass., is headed to Saturday and Sunday’s U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association’s STA-BIL Great Lakes Summer Nationals at Sparta Airport.

Nahas, making his first trip to Sparta, will race his suped-up John Deere that is painted like the World War II Flying Tigers. It has been clocked at 82 mph.

And WZZM ABC 13 covered some of the weekend’s pre-race activities, including an epic rematch between “Flounder” (Thunder 94.5) and Stephanie Webb of “Take Five & Company”. Please head over to wzzm13.com for the full story and video!

The 2009 STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals And Challenge of Champions Races will be held Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 4-6, 2009, in Delaware, MOWhio!

Weekend Schedule:

Friday, Sept. 4

• 10:00am- 1:00 pm PME vendor set up
• 2:00-7:00 PME Open
• 5:00-7:00 Registration and Tech For Rain Out Races
• 5:00-7:00 Seafood Throwdown (Sponsored by NKA Insurance)
• 7:40 Drivers Meeting for Rain Out Races
• 8:00 Practice (10 minutes per class)
• 8:30-10:30 May 2 Englewood, TN Rain Out Race
• 8:30-10:30 June 19 Zion, IL Rain Out Race

Saturday, Sept. 5

• 9:00-12 Registration
• Tech Inspection
• 12:45 Driver’s Meeting
• 1:15-3-15 Lunch/PME Open (Jugette building)
• PME Build Clinic
• 3:30 Hot Laps\Transponder Checks, By Class
• 4:00 Qualifying/ Elimination//Heat Races
• 7:00 . STA-BIL Keeps Gas Fresh Finals*

*Taping for Fox Sports Net and Outdoor Channel

Sunday, Sept. 6

• 9:00-11:00 Racer Breakfast, Awards Ceremony and Hall of Fame Inductions (Merchants Building)
• 11:30-12:30 . Registration & Tech Inspection
• 12:30-12:45 Driver’s Meeting
• 1:00 Qualifying/ Elimination/ Heat Races for STA-BIL Challenge of Champions
• 2:00 STA-BIL Challenge of Champions

Race order for the Weekend will be: JP, IMOW, AP, SP, CP, BP, FX

Sparta, MI – The nation’s fastest racing lawn mowers will head to Michigan Sat.-Sun. July 18-19 as Four Seasons Yard and Sport Equipment and the Michigan Lawn Mower Racing Association (MILMRA) present The STA-BIL Great Lakes Summer Nationals Race for Huntington’s Disease at the Sparta Airport, 9100 Vinton N.W. in Sparta, MI.  Racing starts at 5:00 PM on Saturday and 1:00 PM on Sunday.  Admission is $5.00 for those 12 years and up. Gates open at 9:00 AM with racing at 1:00 PM.

The STA-BIL Summer Nationals Race for Huntington’s disease will feature sod slinging action on riding lawn mowers with all cutting blades removed at speeds up to 60 mph. Racers compete for points, trophies and bragging rights rather than cash prizes. The races are part of the 17 STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series held throughout the country sanctioned by the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA). Proceeds support research into Huntington’s disease, a genetic disorder that effects more than a quarter of a million Americans.

Featured Michigan racers include USLMRA National Champions from Michigan including the father-and-son team of 2008 Driver of the Year Jim Mikula and his son 2005 Driver of the Year Jayson, (Sparta) Art Neavill (Commerce Township) and Richard Webb (Saginaw).  Chief Race Steward is Tracy Donihue (Reading).

The STA-BIL Great Lakes Summer Nationals Lawn Mower Race for Huntington’s disease received The Outstanding Fundraising Award of 2007 from the National Huntington’s Disease Foundation.  The race was selected from 38 chapters nationwide for raising $18,000 for Huntington’s disease research.

Huntington’s disease: a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual’s ability to walk, think, talk and reason. Eventually, the person with HD becomes totally dependent upon others for his or her care. Huntington’s disease profoundly affects the lives of entire families — emotionally, socially and economically.

Series sponsors include STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer, which keeps stored gas fresh for quick, easy engine starts as well as 104+ Octane Boost, HEET Gas-Line Antifreeze, No Leak Automotive Sealers and Diesel Power.

Michigan is on the cutting edge of America’s fastest growing motorsport with sanctioned Chapters, Clubs and Tracks scattered across the state including The Michigan Lawn Mower Racing Association, The Rough Riders (Lansing), Mid Michigan Outlaws (Onondaga) and Hipolite Mower Speedway (Eagle).

The STA-BIL National Lawn Mower Racing Series will be televised on Fox Sports Net and Outdoor Channel this fall and has been featured on Discovery Channel, ESPN2, the TV sitcom, “Home Improvement,” as well as in the New York Times, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal and the Southern Lawn Mower Dealers Newsletter.

United States Lawn Mower Racing Association Affiliated Clubs continue to expand and we are pleased to welcome the Wasatch Sod Slingers.

Wasatch Sod Slingers
Eric & Ashly Smith
1086 7th Street
Ogden, UT 84404
Home Phone:  801-621-4398
Ashly Cell phone:  801-668-3413’
Eric Cell phone:  801-668-3131
Ashly Smith Ashly.smith@easmotorsports.com
Eric Smith: esmith0303@yahoo.com
www.easmotorsports.com

From Wikipedia:

The Wasatch Range (pronounced /ˈwɑːsætʃ/) is a mountain range that stretches about 160 miles (260 km) from the Utah- Idaho border, south through central Utah in the western United States. It is generally considered the western edge of the greater Rocky Mountains, and the eastern edge of the Great Basin region. The northern extension of the Wasatch Range, the Bear River Mountains, extends just into Idaho, constituting all of the Wasatch Range in that state.

From Eric Smith:

It’s amazing how fast our sport is growing in Utah. Faster than a tumbleweed rolls!!! The reception we are getting from spectators, venues and future racers is MOWSTANDING!

As many of you know, we had our first event on June 6th, with great success. We have now booked 6 more events for this year and still working on more… I just want to let everyone know, you are all invited to come out and race with us at the events. We would be happy to have you here. Many of these racers would love to meet you and pick your racing brains. Here is a quick run down on our upcoming races and the sponsored club. All three clubs in Utah will merge together for these events to put on a good show.

• Saturday, July 18th, 2009 Pioneer Days, Goshen, Utah
  Utah State Lawn Mower Racing Association
• Saturday, August 1st, 2009 Morgan County Fair, Morgan, Utah
  Intermountain Mower Racing Association
• Saturday, August 15th, 2009 Davis County Fair, Farmington, Utah
  Wasatch Sod Slingers (huge event- more info coming soon)
• Saturday, September 5th, 2009 Onion Days Festival, Payson Utah
  Utah State Lawn Mower Racing Association
• Monday, September 7th, 2009 Hooper Tomato Days, Hooper Utah
  Wasatch Sod Slingers
• Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 Plymouth, Utah- State Finals
  Intermountain Mower Racing Association

You can learn more about the races at www.easmotorsports.com/imra or www.easmotorsports.com/wss

If anyone decides to make the trip, please drop Eric an email or give him a call. Remember our elevation where we will be racing is between 4400 to 5600 feet.

Jason Schoonover of the Albert Lea Tribune covers races sanctioned by Iowa Lawn Mower Racing Association at July Jubilee in Lake Mills, Iowa. From the article:

I mow therefore I am. We are mowing and growing. I’m going to kick his mower. He mows it all. The sod father. The mow the merrier. One mow time. A family that mows together grows together.

These are just a few of the lawn mower puns from the newest event at the July Jubilee in Lake Mills, Iowa:  lawn mower races.

To read the rest of the article, click here.