Archive for 2012

The 2012 USLMRA STA-BIL Lawn and Garden Mower Racing Season is in full swing. As we head to Oil City Louisiana we now have 2 rounds in the books. The USLMRA has already brought to Florida and Georgia the kind of excitement a 20th anniversary season deserves. With added classes at the top end of the sport and bringing back a little old school, budget friendly, stock engine racing and plenty of mow left in the middle the expanded line up there truly is a class for everyone! Coming off of one of the largest B/P classes we have seen for years in McDonough, Georgia the rumors of the FX/T’s stealing the V-thunder from the prepared chassis has been harshly dispelled. Series Champions with rough season starts, and rookies finding the front of the pack sends us into round three on blade tips and fender flares as we mow on!

When Tennessee’s John Michael Bell decided to drop the governor off his 2011 Champion J/P ride and go GP/K racing that left the class ripe for the picking. Young Jordan Brown took immediate advantage of the situation posting a 1200 point weekend in Florida’s season opener but when she failed to show in Georgia. Wyatt Sullivan matched her leaving us with a tie at the top of the class headed to Louisiana. Keeping the leaders close Is Florida’s Buddy Pippin and Alabama’s Jacob Dean only 100 and 150 points behind. The new MDLMRA rounds out the top 5 with Lauren Filos at 850 points.

John Michael “Shorty” “Hollywood” Bell is working on having as many titles as he has names, but he is going to have to work for it in the new GP/K class. Only 150 points separates the top 3 as Mariah Peeler nips his Turfs in second with Lauren Filos barely trailing her in 3rd.

Another Class Champion, Pat Sullivan, decided to park his gears and left IMOW for GP. Series “almost champion” from 2011, Wally “I won’t win” Bender seems dead set on proving my statement that “Wally will Win” from last season dead wrong. Posting every type of “D” finish available with a DNF in Florida and a DQ as well as a DNS in Georgia I honestly don’t know how he finds himself sitting 3rd in IMOW? Wally, dnough is dnough finish a race buddy! Fellow MDLMRA member Keith Beacom comes off a 13th place season to take full advantage of D situation and has put up 2150 points more than doubling Lou Filos 2nd place run. Richie Pippin shares third place with D Wally and Chris Chupp splits 5th with Retired Michigan Proctologist Dr Art Neavill.

In A/P we have our first returning champion as last year’s Co-Cup Holder Bender pulled out of Florida with a commanding lead, winning both rounds over long time mini mower wheel man Pete Sullivan. THAT didn’t last long when Pete Posted a 1st and 2nd in Georgia when D-Wally flopped another pair of dum-dums and Michael Paccione Swapped his Rocket Man Racing stable Mate’s placing with a 1-2 weekend of his own moving himself into third overall pushing Florida’s Joe Pearce into 4th. Jackie Andrews nudges Tina Paccione out of the final spot in the top 5 with 3rd and 4th place runs in Georgia.

I am quite honestly amazed that Wally isn’t racing a GP, with all the D’s flying around the leader board in that class He would feel right at home! Pat Sullivan is the Only Mowron in the Top 5 without a “D”, and he is sitting 4th. 5Th place Racin’ Jason Brown needs to put a wall between his mowers and Wally’s in the trailer as he pulled a Win after a Wally, err I mean a DQ in Georgia. Florida’s Isaac Greene Tops D Charts followed by Kevin Nipper and Scott Beacom sits 3rd.

In S/P we have a champion acting like a champion! 2011 Cup holder Jason Brown comes out of the gate in 2012 setting the bar high with 3 wins in 4 races! In 2nd place Wally Bender has posted scores in every race he started! Michael Paccione sits only 50 points off of Wally and Jackie Andrews Splits 4th/5th with Michigan J/P Graduate Kelsey Van Epps!

C/P once again has no dominate driver. Though Three-Pete Sullivan is definitely the force to be reckoned with the amount of competition in the class leaves no-one at easy victory. MDLLMRA’s Keith Beacom and Kevin Ferguson have both brought home wins putting them 2nd and 3rd. 2011 Georgia F/X rookie sensation Chris Cox shows he knows how to build those one lung OHV engines pulling up 4th and Tennessee’s “Tommy Gunn” Flynn rounds out the top 5.

Ronald Rollman seared his way into the USLMRA history books in 2011 by being the man who beat the man, defeating 5 time B/P Champ King Jason Mikula for the Cup. Rollman rides on with last year’s mowmentum starting the season the same way he ended it, atop the leader board and 1 spot ahead of Jason Brown. A pair of Florida 2nd place finishes holds Gary Grinder in 4th just 50 points behind Michigan’s Glenn Van Epps. Long time USLMRA Super Star the engine answer man pulled out new paint and new power at the Southern Shoot Out pulling a Win and a third the news of the day was Wow Bobby Cleveland is FAST!

Kevin Nipper has set the south on fire in F/X, winning 4 of 4 so far he is the first to post a quad in any class. Despite yet another pair of dum-dum’s Wally Bender finds himself in second. Florida’s Jerry Gilberts pair of 2nd’s puts him in third, Kenny “Doc Mow” Holder holds down 4th and Dixie Outlaw Tony Hinson rounds out the top 5.

The Rocket Man Pat Sullivan is mowing away with FX/s. With 3 wins in 4 races Sullivan’s 2300 points makes 2nd place Manny Torres otherwise respectable 1450 score look like an “also ran”. Jacob Herrin only used half the shows to call 3rd spot home and Drew “Hot Rod” Maurice holds off Thomas Flynn by only 50 points. The low slung singles could be a class to watch as almost all of them are brand new mowchines. As the season wears on and the drovers start figuring this brand new class out you can expect to see a lot of racing!

When the word got out that Western Ontario Outlaw’s king of the tight twisted twin would be running the full STA-BIL Series schedule this year a lot of folks expected Ryan Kerr to run away with the championship. Though “The Bandit” has been strong , winning 50% of the races run as of yet, his own Ryker Racing team mate Richard Webb shows consistency is key, with a win a pair of 2nd’s and a third to his credit he sits atop the leader board. With Kerr officially listed as a Michigan member, the MLMRA holds the top 3 spots as Glen “Double Nutz” Van Epps sits only 100 points off Kerr. Wes Plyburn sits in 4th and Doc Mow holds another prescription for excellence in 5th place.

Once again Wally Bender finds himself the subject of much attention. Though soon to be dubbed D-Wally if he doesn’t shake the D’s the fact remains that the Iron Man is sitting no worse than 3rd place in all 4 classes he has competed in. How about the new MDLMRA, they hold 14 top 5 places in the standings. Team Rocket Man Racing has 3 class leaders and 3 more top 5 places and Tina Paccione makes their 5th driver, Tina is only 50 points out of a top 5 status!

The excitement of the 20th Anniversary run of the USLMRA has brought many long time locals to the National Scene. The added governed classes have finally put a National standard to budget racing and the Low Seater FX addition has definitely stirred the pot! Hold on to your tethers folks, we are only in round #3!!

Here’s the 20th Anniversary STA-BIL Series Poster for our race in Oil City this weekend by photographer Michael Lilley. Check out more of his work at MLPhoto.us!

For more details on the 3nd stop of the 2012 STA-BIL Lawn & Garden Mower Racing Series on May 19th, click here!

This “Message From The President” is from the 20th Anniversary Cutting Edge Yearbook, available soon here on LetsMow.com!

20 Years of Sod Slinging. 20 years of Sod Slinging!!! I had to write that twice because I’m still letting that sink in.

I’ve recently been sorting through the vast USLMRA Archives, taking a journey down Memory Lane via newspaper clips, magazines, tapes, posters, flyers and assorted brick-a-brack. Fortunately, I’ve saved everything regarding USLMRA history over the past 20 years, and a photo sampling is included in the 2012 Cutting Edge Yearbook.

So, what memories come to mind? Here are a few:

• The first racing mower I ever saw, at the 1992 Twelve Mile 500.
• The entire first STA-BIL Nationals in 1992 – I remember everything about that weekend.
• The Dixie Chopper Jet Mower on Home Improvement, 1993.
• Mow Camp at the Benton Harbor Airport, 1995.
• Meeting Paul Harvey at Ken Smolecki’s garage, 1994.
• Point Mallard Park, Decatur, Alabama, 1995-1999.
• Mavis and Dink Strunk and Quincy and Tim Hamilton.
• Mendota, Illinois, 1998-2008.
• The British Invasion to Lisle, Illinois, 2000.
• Middletown, Ohio Balloon Festival, with the mower racers and Civil War Reanactors, 1996.
• Bristol Motor Speedway, running on the big track, 2002.
• The 2007 Edenton, NC IMOW race in between Wally Bender and Sid Whiteside. Amazing!
• Sid Whiteside’s Rain Dance, Avon Park, FL 2007.
• The photo finish between Tim Matheny and Jim Miller, 1995 STA-BIL Nationals, Rockford, IL.
• Janet Witt and her courage, along with her “plunging neckline” dress.
• Art Neavill dressed as a Flower Girl.
• Bob Stormer…just Bob Stormer!
• Racing Ray wearing his TNN t-shirt, 1995.
• Hanging with the original USLMRA lawn mower racers: Loco Larry Henning, Flyin’ Dave Brown, Kevin Abernathy, Bill Kroeschel, Greg Baum, Dave Mallas, Kurt Schwengel and Jim Poden.
• Gerry Hoos and the Shelby Mustang Mower Crew, 1993-1995.
• Art Evans, the founder of Dixie Chopper, holding court with the racers.
• Steve Moss!
• Cut Bank Montana: Guy Black, Tom Johnson, Craig Rude, Bob Stormer, 1994-1998.
• Jack Spangler, Mansfield, Ohio, 2002-2006.
• Dave and Yolie Hertel’s reserved spot by the pine tree at STA-BIL Nationals, 2002-2006.
• Art Elsner, Pot Stirrer.
• Kissing the cow at Genoa City, WI races, 2003-2004.
• The Ast family: Tom, Trudy, Kerri, Kyle and Curtis.
• Joe Gillians starting the first USLMRA Local Chapter – Florida Lawnracing Association.
• Ken Jones, who has stood by me through thick and thin since 1998, and he still does.
• My old and new friends in Texas: Cheryl Powell, John and Kathy Nelson, Tim and Patty Robison, Mike and Christina Denbow…Frank Pryor, Charles Powell, Mike Cupps, Garrett Gray, Sammie and Marion Neel.
• Mike and Mary Lou Boris, and their awesome parties at their house – with blues band!
• Dubba G, tabletop dancing, Mansfield, Ohio, 2002.
• George Herrin giving a spare motor to Mike “Gonzo” Leonard at 2003 STA-BIL Nationals.
• Racing in the middle of New York’s Rockefeller Plaza, 2006, with Dave Smith.
• The 2007 New York International Auto Show – DIRTY TURTLES RULE!
• The loooooong Rule-Making Weekends at Bill Simpson’s house, 3rd weekend in November, 1998-2002.
• Doug and Merriane Rogerson and the Drag Racing program.
• Watching Chuck Miller race…for 20 years!
• Filming “How a Combustion Engine Works” with Bobby Cleveland, Mark Boyce and Chuck Miller for Turf Rockets on Discovery Channel, 2002.
• The 1999 trip to England for the 12-Hour Race. Fish and chips at 2:00am; racing, sausage and eggs…racing…racing…cocktails…daylight…Ken Smolecki waving Checkered Flag…sleep!
• Bob “Tiny” Frennesson, from Katy, Texas, and the thousands of miles he travelled each summer to race his mower – “Tiny.”
• Race in Presque Isle, Maine, 1997, meeting Michael Bonville and Tim Ryan.
• The 1999 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway
• Silly String at STA-BIL Nationals Awards Ceremony!

Congratulations to our Award-Winning 2011 Drivers: Wally Bender, Driver of the Year; Ronald Rollman, Most Improved Driver of the Year; John Brewer, Rookie of the Year (Adult); Wyatt Sullivan, Rookie of the Year (Junior Prepared); Jackie Andrews, Dave Hertel Mowtivation Award; Rodney Peeler, Charles Powell Mr. Mowjangles Award; Wally Bender, The Dubba G Everyman Award and Lee Grover, Mace Mullins Crew Chief Award.

What a great 20 years it’s been! Great racing, fun times, awesome people, great products to promote and worthy causes to support. I’ve considered myself so very lucky to be guiding the USLMRA since Day One, and I still feel that way. I am as MOWtivated today as I was on April 1, 1992, our birthday.

Thank you Gold Eagle Co. for allowing us to do what we do and for 20 years of support, encouragement and guidance. You are the BEST!

Even though I could keep writing, I’ll stop now and just say, it’s been a great 20 years, so let’s keep it MOWING!

Round #2 of the 2012 USLMRA STA-BIL Lawn and Garden Mower Racing Series is in the books. The 28th of April brought 103 mowers to the STA-BIL Southern Shootout in McDonough, Georgia. To say the racing action was exciting would be a definite understatement. The new track layout made for much better racing than we saw last year. The Georgia clay was thirsty though and the need for almost constant watering in the afternoon made for some interesting challenges on the track!

Last year’s JP championship runner up Wyatt Sullivan put his Rocket Man Racing ride into the winners circle for round 1, holding off Georgia’s Jacob Dean. Bailey Woodall & Blain Parr finished 3rd & 4th proving that finishing does count when Maryland’s Lauren Filos dropped out on lap 16. In round 2 Wyatt turned his day into a 1200 point sweep taking back to back checkered flags. Lauren kept it together for 2nd place and Jacob brought home 3rd.

Wally Bender seems to be starting a troublesome year in IMOW. The Iron Man may soon be known as Triple D as he followed his Florida DNF with a DQ and a DNS in Ga, end of the day. Wally did not win! Lewis Parrot followed Wally to the sod of shame with a round 1 DQ and a lap 12 crash sent John Brewer to the pits and Georgia’s Kevin Watkins to the Hospital with what later was rumored to be a bad case of “I’m fine, but the EMT is pretty cute, put me in the wagon!” Maryland’s Keith Beacom finished in front of fellow club member Lou Filos in both rounds, Chris Cupp posted a 3rd in round 1 but Brewer kept it on the track in round 2 pushing Chupp to 4th.

Rocket Man racing dominated the top spots in the A/P class, with Mike Pacione winning in his first foray into the little engine class defeating Team mate Pete Sullivan in round one but then followed him to the checkers in round 2. Jackie Andrews ran 3rd in the first race but let fellow Marylander Lou Filos put her in fourth for round 2. Wally Bender continued to follow his tradition of consistent inconsistency by posting a true trifecta, adding a DNF to his IMOW DQ and DNS!

Racin’ Jason Brown showed his Championship style not only pulling a pair of wins but posting the fastest lap time of the prepared classes in round 1 on his S/P beating Jon Lewman’s C/P time by .01 seconds! (You just have to love electronic scoring!) Ohio’s Matt Strine took a second and holy Wallies; Bender finished a race besting Mike Paccione for third. Georgia’s Brantley Bell rounded out the top 5 in round 1. In round 2 Wilson Davis pushed Strine into third and Michigan’s Kelsey Van Epps showed that neither gender nor age makes a racer holding off hard charges from Mike Paccione for fourth.

Tennessee’s Jacob Blackburn took top honors in what turned into a marathon round for C/P, the 16 plus minute round one feature included several accidents and a water break for the track. Three time Champion Pete Sullivan showed how a veteran does it, avoiding the Malay to pull in second place. Home town hero Jamie Maurice held off Keith Beacom for third and Rick Eichenberger rounded out the top 5. In the shortened round 2 feature Kevin Ferguson took the green and never looked back with a flag to flag victory. After round 1 carb troubles Chris Cox found the fuel and second place points. Mitchell Dean took third and Pete Sullivan drove from his deep in the field starting place to take fourth away from round one winner Jacob Blackburn.

B/P BC is back! Sharp new STA-BIL Ethanol Treatment colors are obviously not the only thing fresh for Bobby Cleveland; a strong new mill rolled out of the big blue truck and put the series vet all over sophomore Jamie Maurice’s rocket for most of the race. Bobby found his way around J-Mow at the end in lapped traffic leaving standing champion Ron Rollman all alone in 3rd. Jason Brown showed USLMRA local veteran but STA-BIL Series new comer Arkansas’ Marty Callentine how to finish in the points. Round 2 found Tennessee’s Ron Rollman earning an extra lap and Jason Brown coming from his wide out starting position to a tight end 2nd place finish. Bobby Cleveland Had a hard charge into third holding off Glenn Van Epps and Jamie Maurice for 3rd. Kody Bennett earned hard hit of the day with his pounding lap 7 flip that ended his weekend hard.

In F/X Dixie Outlaw Tony Hinson swapped 2nd and 3rd place finishes for the twin features with Wally Bender, though in round 2 “Wally” seemed a little “not himself”? The Doctor was in for the Southern Shootout; Kenny Holder posted a pair of 4th place finishes. The class belonged to Kevin Nipper as his orange & white Huffy sped off from the field in both races.

The G/P class has enticed both former IMOW champions to drop their gear ratios and prepared class drivers to strap on governed stock engines and join the budget fun. Jason Brown dipped into the 12 second range in Round#1 and earned himself a DQ doing it, but kept it legal in round#2 for the win! The Rocket Man Pat Sullivan took 1st and 2nd consecutively in his first outing in the class Maryland’s Scott Beacom posted a 2nd and a 4th , Isaac Green bettered his round 1 4th with a 3rd in round 2 and Kevin Nipper stayed in the points with a 3rd and a 5th. The mixed finishes proved that the new class will be one full of racing action!

In F/Xs the Wiley veteran from the Sunshine State Proved too much for the youngster as Pat Sullivan showed Windy Hill home town racer Drew Maurice the fast line around his own track! Pat had a 1200 point weekend in the Rocket Man Racing Mowchine! Drew took Pats bumper in both races and Tennessee Child Prodigy Jacob Herrin posted a pair of third place finishes. Manny Torres drove his Camowchine into 4th in the first round, but let Thomas “Tommy Gunn” Flynn put him in 5th for round #2!

In F/XT Ryker Racing was the name of the day! Richard Webb held off the Bandit in Round #1, but followed Ryan Kerr to the checkers in Round #2 giving Team Ryker Gold and Silver both ways for the day. Wes Pyburm finished the first race in 3rd holding Off Glenn “Double Nutz” Van Epps; they too switched places in the second race when Van Epps found his way to third! In round 2 yet another Ryker Badged Mowchine finished in the top5 as Wild Bill Campbell rounded out the points finishers!

John Michael Bell hung up his Championship J/P gears and his Nic Name,”Shorty”! “Hollywood” went GP/K racing, and the star of stage and screen pulled a win off in round #1 but fell to Lauren Filos in #2 when she borrowed a better ride from Jason Brown and parked her 3rd place mowchine!. (I think she is still smiling) Mirah Peeler followed Shorty, err uhh, “Hollywood” for a 2nd in round 1 but fell to 3rd in #2.

In its second year of running the Southern Shootout at Windy Hill Mower Speedway proved to be a place to bring your best bullets! It takes a mowchine with power and a driver with talent and nerve to stare down the barrels of champions and mow tall in Georgia!

The Wisconsin Lawnmower Racing Association (WILMRA) has joined tires with the American Cancer Society, Amsoil Speedway and the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association for the 3rd Annual U.S. Cure Mower Cancer Open, Saturday, June 2, 2012.

Spectator admission is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 6-12. All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

“The Cure Mower Cancer Race was the brainchild of a child,” said WILMRA President Shannon Kayhart. “Brice Johnstad was six years old when he approached his parents and said he wanted to put on a tractor race for cancer, after earlier loosing his grandpa to cancer. They approached WILMRA and we gladly we said we would help. In 2010 WILMRA took up 13 mowers and put on a show. Drivers donated the entry fee to race, which was all donated to Brice and the American Cancer Society. In 2011 we did Cure Mower Cancer II and decided to make it a WILMRA Open event to bring in all styles of mowers.”

“For 2012, the U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association has added the event to their U.S. Open National Series which is a nationally sanctioned points series. We expect racers from the Minnesota Lawn Mower Racing Association (MNLMRA), Badger State Lawn Mower Racing Association (BSMRA), American Heartland Mower Racers (AHLMR) as well as Central Iowa Lawn Mower Racing Association (CILMRA) racers from the Western Ontario Outlaws (WOO) in Canada. We raised $1,500 in 2010 and $3,000 in 2011. 2012 looks to be our best year ever.”

Race Location & Schedule

Hot Laps at Noon.
Racing at 2PM.

WILMRA is a local chapter of the United States Lawnmower Racing Association (USLMRA), which features racing lawn mowers at speeds up of to 60 mph. WILMRA will also include a Provisional Class to encourage local racers from the Superior/Duluth area to bring their mowers out and join the fun.

For more informaiton call 715-207-1805, e-mail Shannon Kayhart or visit WILMRA.com.