The Incredible, The Astounding,
The Amazing 'Lawn Mower of the Century'.
"It Floats on Grass"
It could only
'happen in Australia'
We invented
the Rotary Hoist (clothes line)
The Rotary
2 stroke Victa Lawn Mower
The Boomerang
(returnable throwing stick)
The Owen Sub
Machine Gun
The Wine Cask
- also known as 'the bag in the box'
The 'Black
Box' flight recorder
The Electric
Drill
The automatic
Letter Sorting Machine
The Cochlear
Implants (to assist the hearing impaired)
The Stubby
Holder (to insulate cold beer when drinking)
The Pop-Top
Can
Pavlova (yummy)
Lamingtons
(also yummy)
Vegemite (acquired
taste of course)
The Winged
Keel (onya Ben Lexcen)
Counterfeit-proof
Bank Notes
Rubber Gloves
And of course
the Ute
But now................
Wait for it..............
Drum roll please..............................................
Ta Daaa..................................
The 70 MPH
Austin 1800 Lawn Mower!!!!
Photo courtesy Mad Ron
Laycock (c)
(St Christopher Medal or
good luck charm required by driver / rider - not to mention a crash helmet)
Mad Ron Laycock's story:
The first ride on lawn
mower race in Darwin was held in 1986 at the Freds Pass Rural Show, it
was a fairly quiet event with the local ride on mowers.
1987 saw a collection of
handbuilt hotted up specials including MAD's Austin 1800.
1988 the race got bigger
including Bob Koiks 'Lindy Chamberlain' V8 Tractor which attracted
the ABC TV 'COUNTRY WIDE' program to run a national screened film titled:
"KILLER MOWERS".
With the mowers getting
faster, several roll overs, a mower at full throttle with no driver going
through the Show Dog Exhibit and 'Lindy Chamberlain' going through the
crowd, the event was deemed to dangerous and cancelled.
The Ron (Mad) Laycock Austin
1800 and Bob Koiks 'Lindy Chamberlain' tractor will always be the 2 mowers?
to remember.as the highlights of lawn mower racing in Darwin.
Pics and story
kindly permitted by Ron (MAD) Laycock - Darwin (c)
----------------------------------------------------
Thanks Ron for the wonderful
and fascinating story and delightfully different pics of our beloved Landcrab.
Most of us knew that when
you removed the power unit from the Austin 1800 you only needed to hook
up a can of petrol and away you go... but we didn't realise you could
cut grass with it (ha ha ha).
For more unbelievable stories
and pics visit Ron's MADV8 Bike site. (turn up your sound)