Mild excitement is mounting as competitors rev up for Devon’s only lawn mower racing championship, taking place near Newton Abbot this Saturday (September 19).

Around 30 drivers in their modified ride-on mowers will be competing for the coveted trophies at the Mower Mayhem racetrack at Hennock Hideaways campsite.

Adrenaline will be running high – unlike the vehicles themselves, which reach a top speed of around 30mph in the fastest Group A class.

It’s a million miles away from the glossy, corporate, eye-wateringly expensive world of Formula One, and that’s why people love it.

Potential racers are advised by the Mower Mayhem website: “If you’ve got a mower (or can rescue one) and you’ve got a slight disregard for dignity, you’re halfway there.

“If it’s broken, rusty and looks like a bad idea – even better.

“Mower Mayhem is built on that exact spirit: take something old and battered, give it some love (or possibly a new belt or two), and send it hurtling around a field with a bunch of lunatics doing the same.”

Negotiating the bends at the Mower Mayhem racetrack
Negotiating the bends at the Mower Mayhem racetrack (Mark Passmore)

Hennock Hideaways owner Kate Dobson held the first Mower Mayhem event in September 2024 after binge-watching lawn mower racing on YouTube and realising that it wasn’t happening anywhere in Devon.

She said: “We built a track in one of our fields, signed up twelve brave mowers, and let rip. It was loud, chaotic, and the crowd loved it.”

And they haven’t been letting the grass grow under their feet - even though the competing mowers all have their blades and cutting mechanisms removed. The next race day in April 2025 attracted double the number of racers and double the crowd. The last event, in April this year, took place in front of 500 spectators.

The rules of lawn mower racing vary slightly from the usual motorsports format. Yes, there are practice laps and timed qualifying rounds, after which the entrants are put into three speed groups, which each hold their own races and produce a champion.

But crucially, competitors can still score points if they break down and have to be pushed over the finish line. This happens quite often, Kate explained, when a souped-up mower’s pulley belt snaps, and spectators run on to the track to help it along for the last few metres.

Saturday’s event is the championship finale, and some elements of variety and surprise will be introduced into the competition format. The usual three-group system may be mixed up a bit, and Kate has warned that there will be a few mid-race surprises and challenges for the competitors.

Some of the trophies themselves will also be a surprise to the winners.

For full details of the day, and to buy spectator tickets (priced at £4.00) visit the events page of the Hennock Hideaways website.