Revved up and ready for race fun

Riders of revved-up lawnmowers took corners at 30 mph Saturday as they competed for bragging rights and plastic trophies.

“It’s just way too much fun. I think half the lawnmower racers are over 50,” said John Dow, an Omak resident who races in Washington and Canada.

The races – held in a livestock building at Spokane County Fair and Expo Center and sponsored by Inland Empire Dirt Track Promotions – brought together adults and children who raced lawnmowers, go-carts, motorcycles and quads.

While about 300 participants were expected, the event was light on out-of-town competition. Todd Somers, the event’s promoter, believes some racers chose to avoid driving through a winter storm that was forecast but never arrived. The indoor facility was a good fit, given the questionable weather reports.

“What makes it nice is it’s indoors and today we were supposed to have a whole bunch of snow,” Somers said.

Fathers and grandfathers helped sons and daughters with last-minute tune-ups as kids, clad in heavy-duty helmets, stepped into their go-carts, ready for action.

The event is about family, Somers explains. “It keeps kids out of trouble and it keeps dads out of trouble.”

While go-cart racers varied in ages, lawnmower competitors were adult-size kids. They sat, with their knees at chest level, and vied for top positions. Competitors were mower to mower – until Dow’s green Wizard hit the skids.

“I spun early and got behind. It doesn’t take much to finish last,” he commented after the race.

Lawnmowers are harder to control than go-carts because they sit higher off the ground. Drivers lean the opposite direction of curves to keep vehicles upright while traveling at speeds ranging from 30 to 50 mph.

Dow and a group of friends joined the Northwest Lawnmower Racing Association a year ago and donate their prize money to the American Cancer Society. The thrill is in the camaraderie and plastic trophies – the holy grail of the lawnmower world.

While races aren’t on par with NASCAR and vehicles aren’t cutting-edge, the old Craftsmans, Fords, John Deeres and Wizards provide a thrifty thrill.

Dow’s green Wizard from the 1960s cost less than $400. Some cost even less.

“We find them out in the weeds. We knock the snow off them and drag them out of fields,” said Dow, adding they race with the original motors, but without the mowing decks and blades.

Brian Warnecke’s bright-orange Wizard looked more car than lawnmower – in large part thanks to body work he did through his employer, Bird’s Body Shop.

“It’s something different. It’s cheap and people love it,” Warnecke, of Grand Coulee, explains.

Alexis Shoemaker, 8, was among the youngest of the racers and had plenty of family support.

The Arlington Elementary School student, who drives a fire-engine-red go-cart, views her driving experience as preparation for the day she sits behind the wheel of a real car.

“I want to be older and drive,” Shoemaker said, as she peeked out from under her helmet.

Zeno Reed, 19, of Spokane Valley, was entering his first race with his blue go-cart. Complete with a roll bar, the cart was a collaborative effort among him and his friends.

As a youngster, Reed ran it at Plante’s Ferry Park, until police asked him to relocate. As he prepped for his first race on a dirt track, his goal was to keep all four wheels on the ground.

“I just want to finish. It will be fun either way.”