Sta-Bil is the primary sponsor as you can deduce. Note the landscaping. The site prep is done by the local Mowhio association and volunteers.
Before the competition begins, each class takes two laps around the track so the officials can check the transponders. Each machine has a transponder attached. When the mower crosses a certain point, the transponder identifies the machine, counts laps, tracks placement, speed, and other stuff which is fed to a computer. When the race is complete, the transponders of the first five finishers are verified that they ran a complete race.
The racers enter the track in the order of the total number of points earned, which usually means the fastest, most talented driver is #1.
At the end of each race, trophies were awarded to the top five finishers. The awarder, called Mow-ron, would shake their hands and say, "Way to mow!" or "You were really hauling grass." The entire competition was taped for future airing on the Outdoor Channel and the Discovery Channel. It was a loud, dusty, dirty, fun weekend.
This is a scene of the campground which was loaded with families and gear. Ohio is well represented but most of the entrants are from out of state.
I was fascinated by this gal. She is from Texas and is pink right down to her boots. She didn't finish in the money but she wasn't last either.
The start of a race is fun to watch. They use a Modified LeMans start. The mowers are backed up against the hay bales on one side of the straightaway with engines off. The drivers line up across from their mowers. They have to have one heel touching a bale, their face shields down, and their ignition key, on a string called a tether, held in the air. After an official runs down the line making sure everyone is in compliance, the timer starts the race, and the drivers run to their rides.
Get ready, get set, MOW!
The quick starters have a big advantage over the rest of the field.
The safety gear is brutally hot and the competition is, too.
There were a lot of spinouts, stalls, and equipment failures but we saw two serious spills. The first one happened when three mowers got jammed up on the first curve and one driver was thrown from his mower and run over by another machine. The medics attended him then decided to transport him for further examination. His people called in later to report he had a badly bruised hip and leg but nothing broken.
The winner of this race was never in doubt.
The caller of the races interviewed many of the drivers who were eager to talk about their machines. This racer drives a 1958 Springfield.
The event made the front page of the Gazette.
