Author Topic: National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)  (Read 28422 times)

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Offline Kenneth S

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National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)
« on: April 22, 2012, 01:23:27 pm »
It has been awhile since I was here last. I used to be a member of the disbanded NDRLMA in Texas, I have since came across the rules we used to use so I thought I would post them here so anybody would like to run a lawn mower drag race series they would have a good set of rules to start from.

General Rules
1.   No alcoholic beverages will be consumed before, during, or after any race, by any National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association member, helper, or participant inside the fenced racing area.

2.   All drivers and owners are required to be a member of the NDRLMA. Entry fees and membership dues must be paid prior to racing. These fees are subject to change, but are as follows.
Membership dues are $15.00 per year before March 1st.
After March 1st, membership dues are $20.00 per year.
Members joining for the first time will pay a $20.00 fee the first year.
Entry fees are $5.00 per mower per class per race.      

3.   All drivers under the age eighteen (18) must have a parental release form filled out by their parent or legal guardian at every race.

4.   The competition and pit area will be closed. Anyone in these areas will be required to sign an insurance release form and must be a paid member of the association. The pit area is for the mower, driver of the mower and one helper in this area if needed. Everyone will be required to sign an insurance release form. Minors will be required to have two (2) releases signed. These releases are to be signed by the minor and the parent or legal guardian of the minor.

5.   All drivers in the stock class need to be at least five (5) years old. To compete in the Super Stock class, racers must be at least eight (8) years old. To race in the Modified I and Modified II divisions, drivers may either be twelve (12) years old, or ten (10) years old with two (2) years of experience. In order to drive a Super Modified mower; the driver must be fifteen (15) years of age or have two (2) years of experience driving a modified machine.

6.   The mower will stay loaded on your trailer or vehicle until you register and the pit area is open, unless directed by the officers or named track manager.                                                                                  

7.   Registration will begin two (2) hours prior to start of each race and will close one (1) hour prior to the start of each race. This does not mean that you can not arrive earlier than that to help with track preparations.

8.   A safety meeting will be held one (1) hour prior to each race. If track conditions and time allow, all mowers will be allowed no more than two (2) passes for test and tune.

9.   Tech inspection will take place prior to the race. Tech judges will make class determination.

10. All races will be double elimination.

11 The track will consist of two (2) twelve (12) foot lanes, each being one hundred and fifty (150) feet long from start to finish line.

12. Starting lights will be used. Once the green light is given and the line judge determines a bad start, the race will be terminated. Any mower “jumping” the line once in a race will automatically be declared the loser.

13. One red light is considered a loss.

14. Drivers must stay in assigned lanes or it will be an automatic loss.

15. Drivers must have their mower on the starting line and be ready to race no later than
two (2) minutes from the finish of the previous race.      

16. If a mower crosses the center line or hits any of the hay bales between the start and the
end of the track, it will be considered an automatic loss.  This includes the bales or barrier fence across the end of the track.

17. Drivers must stay mounted on the mower at all times during the race. If the driver dismounts, it is an automatic loss. In the event that the mower dies, it may be restarted, if the mower has an on-board starter. No pit crewmember may enter the racetrack after the starter has signaled the drivers to stage. The racetrack starts at the STOP sign on the starter’s chair.

18. All races are terminated after thirty (30) seconds, or after the finish line judge shows the red flag.

19. A driver must qualify on the machine for each class he or she wishes to race.

20. A driver must re-qualify when there is a change of mowers, or if the regular driver has someone else drive the mower in a different class or is substituting.

21. A driver who begins a race in each class, must finish the race in that class. No switching of drivers will be allowed (for any reason), once the races have begun. If the driver is unable to finish racing, the mower will be retired in that class for the remainder of the day.

22. If a driver violates the safety rules, it will be up to the Safety and Tech Committees to enforce the severity of the punishment. This may include being told to load your mower. Dispute on punishment may be brought to the board for a hearing.

23. No grudge matches will be allowed before, during, or after the races. Once the races are over, mowers may not be started again. They will be pushed to your trailer or vehicle to be loaded.

24. If anyone is found to be violating these rules, disciplinary action will be taken. These punishments may be severe or minor. Severe action will include, but is not limited to, not being able to race with the NDRLMA. The NDRLMA Board of Directors will decide this.

Safety Rules

1.   All lawn mowers must be equipped with adequate brakes to stop and be able to hold the machine on the starting line.

2.   Steering must be tight. All rod ends must be 3/8-inch Heim joint type in all modified classes.

3.   Wheelie bars must be metal type bolted or welded securely to mower frame to prevent the front wheels of the machine from lifting more than twelve (12) inches off the racing surface. This is for your safety.

4.   All drivers must wear DOT approved helmets.

5.   All drivers must wear a driver’s suit or heavy jacket, long pants (denim preferred), shoes (no sandals), gloves, and eye protection.

6.   All drivers must be able to operate the clutch/brake pedal.

7.   All drivers may be subject to a test run upon the request of the Tech Judge. This is to verify that the mower and the driver are qualified to run.

8.   All drivers must drive slowly and carefully leaving and returning to the pit area to prevent accidents. Only one verbal warning will be given.

9.   No one will be allowed to start and ride their mower until the competition and pit area are completely set up. If last minute tuning is require, arrive a little earlier and make sure someone from your pit is helping to set up.

10. All mowers must have a person sitting on them before starting the engines, warming up, tuning, etc. The person on the mower should be able to handle the mower in case of accident.

11. Any mower involved in any accident must be re-inspected and approved by the Tech and Safety Committees before the mower can continue to race. Their ruling is final.

12. If there is enough room in the pit area, you will be allowed to start your mower and idle your machine to the starting line. However, there may be times when this is not possible. In those cases, you will be required to push your machine to the starting line before starting it.

13. An adult is required to be present for a driver under the age twelve (12) to stand at the starting line, finish line, or even follow alongside the track to help the driver reduce speed to idle speed upon the completion of the race.

14. All mowers will be required to reduce speed after crossing the finish line. When returning to the pit area, all mowers will use idle speed down the return lane. When the mower reaches the start line, engines will be turned off and pushed to pit location, unless directed otherwise during safety meeting.

Tech Rules

1.   Only production riding lawn mower engines are allowed. These are to be one or two cylinder lawn mower types. Approved at this time are:

Briggs-Stratton                         Tecumseh
Kohler                                      Wisconsin
Onan                                        Honda
Kawasaki

If this is made into a formal protest and the Tech committee cannot determine the size, the owner needs to provide proof of size. All approved engines are 4 cycle only.

2.   Riding lawn mower — four wheel residential lawn mower that had belly mounted decks 25 HP and below. No sharp protruding objects on mowers. All mowers must have body parts in tact (i.e., wrap over hoods and grills) to create a shield for engine. ALL MOWERS MUST HAVE BODY PARTS IN PLACE TO LOOK LIKE A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL LAWN MOWER.

3.   Accepted fuels are gasoline, alcohol, and diesel fuel only.

4.   All mowers must have visible and legible numbers before racing. Drivers may use tape, shoe polish, etc. to make these numbers visible. These numbers are assigned when the mower is registered with the NDRLMA.

5.   No blowers, or Turbos. A Turbo is defined as any type of add-on mechanical devise that is engine exhaust driven. A blower is defined as any type of add-on mechanical device that is belt, and or gear driven used to induce boost to the mower.

6.   All exhausts must be turned down and back toward the rear of the mower to prevent dust from interfering with the starting lights.

7.   No Nitrous Oxide is allowed.

Super Stock

*All drivers must be at least 8 years old to compete in this class.

** All super stock mowers must run at 3600 rpm. A minimum time restriction will be placed on all super stock mowers. The minimum time will be defined as “All super stock mowers cannot run faster than 7 seconds for the distance of the 150 ft. track.” This class is run bracket style; so if both mowers run faster than the 7 second time the mower closest to 7 seconds wins. If the mower runs faster than the minimum allotted time, adjustments can be made to the throttle or gears to slow down to avoid breaking the time restriction. IF THE MOWER RUNS FASTER THAN THE MINIMUM TIME RESTRICTION, IT WILL BE CONSIDERED AN AUTOMATIC LOSS. The gears, pulleys, tires and wheels may be modified and cosmetic modifications will be allowed. The frame can be raised or lowered as long as frame or chassis is still stock. All body parts (i.e., fenders, hoods, grille. running boards, etc.) must be on mower. Front ends must be pinned, bolted or welded to prevent sway at high speed and possible rollover. Engine must be a factory production lawn mower engine, which runs on gasoline or diesel. All super stock mowers must run stock carburetors and have functional governors. They must run through lawn mower gearbox or transaxle. The transmission/transaxle must be lawn mower manufacturer. Mower must be equipped with a functional reverse gear. A safety kill switch (manufactured button type only) is required. The length of the cord cannot exceed 6 inches beyond the mower seat. The cord may only be attached to the belt loop or the belt. Metal wheelie bars and spring-loaded throttles are required. Mowing decks may be removed for safety. If mowing deck is not removed, blades and drive belts must be removed.

*** Update: A full frame is now allowed. The frame must be constructed of steel tubing or moly tubing, round or square. No galvanized tubing is allowed.  Maximum frame width is 13 inches, maximum rear fender width from outside to outside will be 42 inches and the maximum wheelbase from center to center will be 67 inches.  The mower must still appear stock from front to back, with all parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grills, running boards, etc.) on the mower.

IF NOT STATED IN THESE RULES, IT IS NOT APPROVED

Modified 1

*To race in the Modified I division, drivers may either be twelve (12) years old or ten (10) years old with two (2) years driving experience.

**50% of frame or chassis must be included. It can be extended, raised, lowered or shortened as long as frame or chassis is still recognizable by Tech Judge. All body parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grille, running boards, etc.) must be on the mower. Front ends must be pinned, bolted, or welded to prevent sway at high speed and possible rollover.  Mowers must have a single cylinder engine and run on gasoline or diesel fuel. They must run through lawn mower gearbox or transaxle. Naturally aspirated motors may be modified internally (i.e. pistons, rods, heads, cams, valves, oil pumps, bearings, fly wheels, fuel injectors, carburetors, mufflers, ignitions, gaskets, oil, plugs, etc.).  Block must be factory production lawn mower engine, but may be machined, bored, milled, decked, or ported. Non-factory sprockets, pulleys and tires may be used. Safety kill switch (manufactured button type only) is required. Length of cord cannot exceed 6 inches beyond the mower seat. Cord must be attached to belt loop or belt only. Wheelie bars and
spring-loaded throttles are required. Transmission/transaxle must be lawn mower manufactured. A functional reverse gear is required. All modified mowers must run steel or billet aluminum flywheels.  No stock flywheels are allowed.

*** Update: A full frame is now allowed. The frame must be constructed of steel tubing or moly tubing, round or square. No galvanized tubing is allowed. Maximum frame width will be 13 inches, maximum rear fender width from outside to outside will be 42 inches and the maximum wheelbase from center to center will be 67 inches. The mower must still appear stock from front to back, with all body parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grills, running boards, etc.) on the mower.

**** Update: A lawnmower manufactured transmission/transaxle with a functional reverse gear is no longer required.

IF NOT STATED IN THESE RULES, IT IS NOT APPROVED

Modified 2

* To race in the Modified II division, the driver may either be twelve (12) years old or ten (10) years old with two (2) years driving experience.

**50% of frame or chassis must be included. It can be extended, raised, lowered, or shortened as long as frame or chassis is recognizable by the Tech Judge. All body parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grilles, running boards, etc.) must be on the mower. Front ends must be pinned, bolted, or welded to prevent sway at high speed and possible rollover. It must be a two-cylinder engine. It may run on diesel or gasoline fuel. The mower must run through a lawn mower gearbox or transaxle. Naturally aspirated motors may be modified internally and externally (i.e. pistons, rods, heads, cams, valves, oil pumps, bearings, fly-wheels, fuel injectors, carburetors, mufflers, ignitions, gaskets, plugs, etc.). Block must be factory production lawn mower engine, but may be machined, bored, milled, decked, or ported. Non-factory sprockets, pulleys, and tires may be used. Safety kill switch (manufactured button type) is required. Length of cord cannot exceed 6 inches beyond mower seat. Cord must be attached to belt loop or belt only. Wheelie bars and spring-loaded throttles are required. Transmission/transaxle must be lawn mower manufactured. All mowers must be equipped with a functional reverse gear. All modified mowers must run steel or billet aluminum flywheels.  No stock flywheels are allowed.

*** Update: A full frame is now allowed. The frame must be constructed of steel tubing or moly tubing, round or square. No galvanized tubing is allowed. Maximum frame width will be 13 inches, maximum rear fender width from outside to outside will be 42 inches and the maximum wheelbase from center to center will be 67 inches. The mower must still appear stock from front to back, with all body parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grills, running boards, etc.) on the mower.

**** Update: A lawnmower manufactured transmission/transaxle with a functional reverse gear is no longer required.

IF NOT STATED IN THESE RULES, IT IS NOT APPROVED

Super Modified

* Drivers in the Super Modified division must be fifteen (15) years of age, or have two (2) years of experience driving a modified machine.

**50% of frame or chassis must be included. This is the only class where “the must look like a typical lawn mower” rule is relaxed, but only on the issue of length to allow two motors. The mower should still appear stock from the front and the rear. It can be raised, lowered, or shortened as long as the Tech Judge can still recognize the frame and chassis. All body parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grilles, running boards, etc.) must be on mower. Front ends must be pinned, bolted, or welded to prevent sway at high speed and possible rollover. There is a three motor limit, and the machines must run on diesel or gasoline fuel. One or two cylinder motors may be used. There is a maximum of four cylinders in any combination. Mowers may run direct drive. Naturally aspirated motors may be modified internally and externally (i.e. pistons, rods, heads, cams, valves, oil pumps, bearings, flywheels, fuel injectors, carburetors, mufflers, ignitions, gaskets, plugs, etc.). Block must be factory production lawn mower engine, but may be machined, bored, milled, decked, or ported. Non-factory sprockets, pulleys, and tires may be used. Safety kill switch (manufactured button type) is required. Length of cord cannot exceed 6 inches beyond mower seat. Cord must be attached to belt loop or belt only. Wheelie bars and spring-loaded throttles are required. All modified mowers must run steel or billet aluminum flywheels.  No stock flywheels are allowed.

*** Update: A full frame is now allowed. The frame must be constructed of steel tubing or moly tubing, round or square. No galvanized tubing is allowed. Maximum frame width will be 13 inches, maximum rear fender width from outside to outside will be 42 inches and the maximum wheelbase from center to center will be 67 inches. The mower must still appear stock from front to back, with all body parts (i.e. fenders, hoods, grills, running boards, etc.) on the mower.

IF NOT STATED IN THESE RULES, IT IS NOT APPROVED.



A few old NDRLMA video's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bj1MP99wJE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m56HmZEmvxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccyYdlxhGmk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eB4dUX-74A
Old NDRLMA drag racing lawnmower rules. http://www.heymow.com/index.php?topic=23210.0

Offline mrmowitall

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Re: National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2012, 11:24:02 am »
Good to see you here!  I remember the fun we had in Mendota, Illinois 1998 filming you guys for TV - TNN Motor Madness.  You guys loaded your mowers into a giant trailer and came in all the way from San Antonio with about 20 machines!  What a party!  Then, I remember the 2000 Big Stinkin' Comedy Festival in Austin with you guys in the City Park where the creators of King of the Hill were honored.  A giant Hank Hill on one of your mowers, cool! 

Is Scott Evans still around?  I remember Scott and what a gentleman he is, and his mower was faaaaast!

Mow on!   
Bruce Kaufman
Mr. Mow It All
Founder & Past President
U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association
Founded April 1, 1992

LetsMow.com
facebook.com/USLMRA

Offline Kenneth S

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Re: National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2012, 11:25:13 am »
Scott Evans is still around, I haven't talked to him in awhile though. I sure miss racing those mowers.
Old NDRLMA drag racing lawnmower rules. http://www.heymow.com/index.php?topic=23210.0

Offline Small Engine Doc

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Re: National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2017, 09:51:00 pm »
Since the NDRLMA is disbanded in Texas, does that mean all chapters are gone?
Is there another Drag Racing Association for lawn mowers?
Also who is the new chapter leader for the Illinois chapter of lawn mower racing?
Todd Tornow's info is no longer correct.
Thank you.

Offline mrmowitall

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Re: National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2017, 10:52:54 pm »
Todd Tornow is still Illinois Chapter President

IL-Illinois Lawn Mower Racing Association 
Todd Tornow
E-Mail: tofasttodd@gmail.com
Cell Phone:  1-815-718-9119
Home:  815-438-2845

USLMRA also has an Illinois Affiliated Club


Apple River Mowtor Speedway
Old School Racers
Jerad Bennett:  President
815-541-1668
jeradwbennett@gmail.com
Track: 301 West Hickory
Apple River, IL  61001
https://www.facebook.com/AppleRiverMowtorSpeedway/

Bruce Kaufman
Mr. Mow It All
Founder & Past President
U.S. Lawn Mower Racing Association
Founded April 1, 1992

LetsMow.com
facebook.com/USLMRA

Offline LawnGears

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Re: National Drag Racing Lawn Mower Association rules (NDRLMA)
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2017, 03:52:46 am »
I haven't talked to him in a while though. I sure miss racing those mowers. remember the fun we had in Mendota, Illinois 1998 filming you guys for TV - TNN Motor Madness. for best lawngears reviews visit here https://lawngears.net/

 

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