lawn mower racing blog... I just learned of it. They have good coverage! Worlds fastest mowers type coverage

Above images are from http://www.letsmow.com and this blog is titled, The Cutting Edge. Pretty cool!

Learned about it from the event calendar on http://www.goldeagle.com/event_marketing/engine-answerman-tour.aspx and also borrowed the bottom photo to show you what a Monster Truck treatment does to a lawn mower

FYI, the worlds fastest lawnmower is claimed by the Dixie Chopper Jet Mower built in 1991 by Dixie Choppers owner Art Evans and was on a 1993 episode of Tim Alllen's sitcom Home Improvement. The fastest at Bonneville is the black one above (not the monster truck one) which clocked at 96.529 in 2010

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Terrific sports car racing movie now available on DVD for giving as a Xmas gift!

This movie was made over 18 months at over a dozen East coast race tracks events and show a great variety of racing cars, from extremely expensive to very affordable (less than 10 thousand dollars) and is arranged in chapters that cover the race tracks, getting into racing, growing up in racing families, and the overall story line is that the movie maker went along with the Zapata racing team to these various tracks.

this Bugatti was imported into the US when new, and stayed int he US racing ever since. Not restored, just raced. 1930 something type 37

a lot of humor is covered by the movie, the various off track moments,

the three wheel around corners traction ability of several cars

Even on two wheels around a corner... without lifting off the accelerator.. wow.

 the feeling of being on the track, the thrill of racing, and the real emotional reaction to the cars getting in the way of the car that the camera in mounted to... "Get out of the WAY!"

I yelled at my screen.

 I did.

Slow drivers upset me.

 Great rare expensive cars

even the ones that are racing against Pintos! Dan Gurney drove this Denzel in 1959

 these are Denzel 1500 International Sports cars

I was surprised to learn that some of the race track events include the towns they are at with parades and race cars driving through or stopping in for lunch so the locals can check out the cars. Good free advertising to get people interested in the racing and buy tickets to the tracks. You'll add Elkhart Lake, Road America, Sebring and Watkins Glen to your life list / Bucket list if you are anything like me, once you've seen this movie. Yeah, you've been warned you'll like it that much

the above nun is "Partial to Porches" when interviewed on camera

 from the chapter on growing up in a racing family

 from the chapter on racing as a lifetime hobby

 damn, Corvairs can look really cool in full racing battle gear

 a bit of a look around in the pits shows innovation like the above engine hoist

 and the only Shelby signature I've seen on a hood (wow cool)

and there is a chapter on how to get into racing cars, advice on buying cars like where.. . Bring a Trailer and Wirewheels dot coms, Vintage Motorsports and Grassroots Motorsports magazines, and looking around at the racetrack in the paddocks and clubhouse

the movie is made by Ben Cissell http://www.vintageracingtoday.com/

 with the generous time commitment and racing of the Zapata racing team http://www.vintageracingtoday.com/pages/zapata-racing

 the tracks that they went to

 the racing sanctioning bodies that operate the race tracks

the wonderful sponsors that helped the filmmakers get this movie produced, filmed, etc!

the hobby of vintage racing, focuses on the Zapata Racing Team. Director Ben Cissell follows the team to 17 events in the span of 18 months, capturing the excitement and sense of community that has hooked thousands of drivers and spectators to this riveting sport. Rather than put their race cars behind museum velvet ropes, these car owners have opted to race their historic cars the way they were designed and purposed...at over 100 mph around world- famous race tracks. Vintage racing is a unique and captivating sport, one that gets in your blood and carries a life-long love.
http://www.vintageracingtoday.com/pages/the-film

In review, the music is mellow, well editted, and perfectly timed to the action, the movie editing is great, the action is damn good, and plenty of it with a good variety of the trackside culture like parts helping, a bit of wrenching, some camaraderie, and after watching the movie lock up your checkbook... the desire to get a Formula V is overwhelming. The need to go to your local track and get involved is huge. Damn good movie.

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the movie Thunderbolt - Jackie Chan 1999, stunt direcotr Sammo Hung. Good movie, kung fu and sports car fusion, with racing scenes in a Herbie the love bug style

Great garage couch, a 70's Ford LTD or Lincoln Town Car maybe, cut at the dutchman panel, with the rear seat in the truck, trunk lid attached and raised... very impressive! The main character's family business is a junkyard in Hong Kong. The coffee table is a couple of racing tires with a glass top, corners are safety protected with cut tennis balls.

Wouldn't it be great if your team sponsor showed up with a trailer FULL of tires? on the left is the race car transporter, sides and top are gull winged out of the way to provide shade and rain shelter, the cars are on a 4 corner full hoist for working on or under, and allows for 4 cars in the trailer. Superb

Here's examples of the Herbie the love bug style racing cinematography. Not bad, just derivitive.

Or maybe Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Don't be concerned, the movie is well paced, decently acted, fun and a great mix of Jackie Chan martial arts/gymnastics and sports car racing

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Carroll Shelby in bib overalls, waiting for his race car to get fueled up, in the 1958 Cuban Gran Prix

photo from http://www.cubagreenscreen.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=14818 thanks to Kurtis Grant! 

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a '67 Camaro "Mayhem" by name, wins the Optima Challenge by one point. Do you realize the competition he beat? A GT-R, new Camaros, new Mustangs, etc

2012 OPTIMA� Ultimate Street Car Invitational

Mark Stielow and his high-performance �67 �Mayhem� Camaro wins 2012 OPTIMA Invitational by one point margin (Mark's 1969 Camaro "Red Devil" was just on the cover of a magazine vs a new Camaro)

877hp, new LS9 from a Corvette ZR1, and paint by Murray Pfaff. Photo from http://www.redlineoil.com/news_article.aspx?id=310

 Nov. 7, 2012 (MILWAUKEE) � The fifth annual OPTIMA� Ultimate Street Car Invitational, presented by K&N Filters and Royal Purple, brought in massive crowds with a sold out event, more thrilling moments and record times, ultimately crowning Mark Stielow and his custom 1967 Chevrolet Camaro as the 2012 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car.

It was a year for close competition with the top two participants separated by a single point and a tie for third place overall. Additionally, nearly 20 percent of the field was in the import category.

The main race events of the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational took place Saturday, November 3, following the close of the SEMA Show Friday, November 2.

 Final Results The 2012 OPTIMA Invitational top 25 ranking participants are listed below and additional final results can be found online at optimainvitational.com.
1. Mark Stielow (1967 Chevrolet Camaro)
2. Brian Hobaugh (1973 Chevrolet Camaro)
 3. Todd Earsley* (2003 Mitsubishi Lance Evolution 8 GSR)
3. Bret Voelkel* (1933 Ford Coupe)
5. Travis Hill (2013 Nissan GT-R)
6. Steven Rupp (1968 Chevrolet Camaro)
7. Danny Popp (2010 Chevrolet Camaro L28)
7. Kyle Tucker (1970 Chevrolet Camaro)
7. Karl Dunn (2007 Ford Saleen Parnelli Jones Mustang)
10. Brian Finch (1972 Chevrolet Camaro)
10. Jim Holloway (2013 Ford Mustang RTR)
12. Phil Gerber (1970 Chevrolet C10 Pickup)
12. Ryan Mathews (1966 Ford Mustang)
14. Bob Bertelsen (1971 Chevrolet Camaro)
15. Rob McGregor (1970 Chevy C10 Pickup)
16. Chris Smith (1967 Chevrolet C10)
17. Joey Seely (1986 Porsche Carrera)
18. Dale Akuszewski (1964 Sunbeam Tiger)
18. Jeff Cleary (1967 Chevrolet Corvette)
20. David Brandt (1969 Chevrolet Camaro)
20. Todd Foust (1965 Ford Mustang Convertible)
22. Todd Rumpke (2010 Chevrolet Camaro)
23. Curt Hill (1972 Chevrolet C5 Blazer)
24. Brad Coomer (1970 Chevrolet C10)
25. Stacy Tucker (1969 Chevrolet Camaro)

 *Third place was a tie;
Per the rules, Todd Earsley earned the official third place because of his placement in the BFGoodrich Hot Lap Challenge

 The Strength of Stielow With only a point to spare, Mark Stielow, known to some as the �Godfather of the Pro-Touring movement,� claimed his second OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational title in four attempts.

Stielow scored a total of 83 points, out of a total 110 possible across all events, beating second-place finisher, Brian Hobaugh. Both Stielow and Hobaugh picked up 10 points each in the Detroit Speed & Engineering/JRI Shocks Road Rally. Stielow saw a 16-12 advantage in the Lingenfelter Performance Design Challenge and a 25-22 edge in the RideTech Autocross. Hobaugh topped Stielow 25-22 in the BFGoodrich Hot Lap Challenge and 13-10 in the Wilwood Disc Brakes Speed Stop Challenge. �For a car I just got running four weeks ago, I felt we did better than I dreamed of in the OPTIMA Invitational. I give a lot of the credit to my partners on assembling the car, and a cast of friends that really helped out when the timing was tight. The thing that pushed this car over the top to win was its styling and the street usability of the car,� said Stielow. Finally, Stielow acknowledged how much the event has evolved saying, �This event is an incredibly fun yet competitive experience, and the versatility and performance of the vehicles are better than ever.�

OPTIMA Invitational Automotive Celebrity Integrations New this year, OPTIMA Batteries welcomed a number of well-known automotive celebrity racers to run in the event exhibition class including
NASCAR racer Dylan Kwasniewski,
Freightliner racer Mike Ryan
and Erik Buell Racing rider Geoff May.

 Up-and-coming NASCAR favorite Dylan Kwasniewski set the tone for the day with a pace lap of 1 minute 38 seconds on the OPTIMA Invitational road course, with the next best participant coming in at 1 minute 46 seconds.

At 17 years old, Kwasniewski has already been named NASCAR�s Next 9, an elite list of top NASCAR prospects. For the past two years he has piloted the No. 03 Rockstar Energy/Royal Purple Ford for Gene Price Motorsports in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

 A favorite with spectators was professional race driver and Hollywood stuntman Mike Ryan driving a Freightliner on the road course as part of an exhibition round.

 Another first in OPTIMA Invitational history was a battle of two-wheel vs. four-wheel. The exhibition match-up featured Mark Stielow�s high-performing 1969 Chevrolet Camaro and a 2013 1190RS Erik Buell Racing (EBR) motorcycle, which was street-prepped and driven by Geoff May.

Stielow beat May by one split second, and the thrill of the competition got the crowd to their feet with excitement.

 Charitable Elements Many of the OPTIMA Invitational participants teamed up for a never-been-done-before, heart warming charitable effort. Beginning at the SEMA Show Pro-Touring dinner, Rob McGregor initiated the movement by committing a designated dollar amount to the Wounded Warrior Project for every participant he placed ahead of in the OPTIMA Invitational. The group learned that the cause is near and dear to McGregor�s heart as his nephew is currently serving in Afghanistan. Several other participants followed and together OPTIMA Invitational participants raised more than $20,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project over the weekend. Additionally, OPTIMA Batteries and the Golden State Foods Foundation wrapped up their final OPTIMA Build-A-Bike event of the year at the famed Shelby Museum, a stop on the Detroit Speed and Engineering/JRI Shocks Road Rally. The OPTIMA Invitational participants cheered along as volunteers assembled bicycles along with 50 children from the local Boys & Girls Club chapter.

 For more information on the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational participants, official rules and more, visit http://www.optimainvitational.com/.

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Closest to the wall without scraping award goes to Les Werling in his Mercury Capri

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