Not your Father's riding mower

[Roger S]

I know this thread isn't aatv, but it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to know this basic vanguard is shared with most max and argos. I want a max II with this engine

Heat Race, moving up from last place:

http://s41.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid41.photobucket.com/albums/e276/speeddemon0308/WOO%20Races/Thedford%20Aug%203/outlawheat2.flv&fs=1&os=1&ap=1

[Roger S]

For those of us who like the sound of performance briggs.. an encore of the little blue machine. This is a 14/16 hp vanguard. He prefers the little short stroke engine.. turns 10,000 rpm easier.

[Roger S]

Another one for us armchair racers. This is Jason Mikula from Michigan. Jason is the kawasaki man in lawn mower racing. He and his Dad have a power equipment business, I think north of Grand Rapids. Helmet cam is a Go Pro Hero and his engine is a kaw twin air cooled.

[Roger S]

Here's a typical vanguard build, valvetrain, billet rods. A little more cam than mine. Think it needs a two stroke clutch and set down into a max II. Also has a billet lightweight flywheel.. safe, and allows revs to climb and fall quickly.

[mudbug3]

You can really hear the cam lope in the engine. Sounds sweet! It also revs out nice and smooth too.

[Roger S]

My briggs vanguard Guru's latest creation. A Tecumseh twin, over 50 cubic inch, HP not advertised, with twin modified Tillotson carbs. Untold internal modifications. Probably over $5000 for engine, retail. George Herrin, from EC Distributing

[Mike]

I wouldn't want to get that one dirty.

[Roger S]

The above engine in action. The other racer is a dear friend, a woman. The camera is a Go Pro Hero.. somethiing. Go Pro is going to sponsor George and give him an HD model camera.

[Mike]

Blip the throttle, let off, blip the throttle, let off ...

It sure seemed to have plenty of power.

[Roger S]

This weekend, Nov 5,6,7, is a National Finals race near Cleveland, Tn. If anyone near wants to see and talk about performance briggs and kohlers, and see some screaming fast "mowers", this would be a time to do it.

2010 4th ANNUAL ALL AMERICAN

[hydromike]

I was just reading through the older posts on that thread, and they said they had 155 mowers there last year! That's incredible. That's what we need to turn Ashtabula into. I view the racing mower phenomenon in the same sort of light that AATV racing likely was. Started slowly, and then just exploded. I hope the ARMA races don't fade into obscurity like the NATVA rally's did. I wish there was a way to get more races together for all of us. A cross-country style ralley would be great. Come to think of it, I would love to see a Watkins Glen style event for the ARMA races would be incredible. The boys and girls would have to learn to turn right for a change.

~m

[Roger S]

An AATV cross country rally, woohoo!

[hydromike]

Yeah. Some shallow water crossings, through the woods, across fields. Looooong straightaways, with some nice tight turns. We could hold it in the early spring when it's still wicked crappy out. Mud, rain, slop. Tracks are fun and all, but let's put the "AATV" part to the test. The veterans have had the chance to do this, and I'm WAY jealous.

[Dirty Harry]

Round & round can get pretty boring, but I'm thinking that a multi-terrain Grand Prix-style race like you mention, with a nice mix of old school 2-strokes and modern machines... something like this would be interesting enough from a visual standpoint to perhaps get interest from one of those "extreme" sports shows for TV coverage. They do the dirtbike freestyle show off jumps & such now, so why not an AATV Rally??? Especially if the course includes some floatable water traps/crossings that no other quad/side-by-side ATV could touch. Man, who knows what that could lead to??? Excuse me while I mop the drool off my keyboard!!!