Brits Designing 100mph Lawn Mower to Break Guinness World Speed Record

A group of British enthusiasts are designing a special lawn mower based on a Countax product hoping to break the record for the world's fastest grass cutter. The project is the brainchild of Stephen Vokins from the Beaulieu Estate which is widely known for being the home to the National Motor Museum. The Brits aim to break the current record of 81 mph (130 km/h - see video after the jump) set in 2006 by Bob Cleveland from the USA by creating the first lawnmower to reach 100mph.

"I saw a video of American, Bob Cleveland on YouTube setting the record for lawnmowers at an impressive 80.792mph on Bonneville Salt Flats," said Vokins. "I was greatly impressed, but felt with the right team, 100mph should be possible."

"This is a proper record, and building a lawnmower capable of speeds well into 3 figures is no easy feat undertaken in an afternoon. For a start, it still has to be a lawnmower, capable of cutting grass properly. And then it has to obey the laws of physics that will try to stop it going so fast, both through drag and also aerodynamics. There is a real danger that if the aerodynamics are wrong, it will flip up in the air, with disastrous results", Votkins added.

The modified lawn mower will be driven by Don Wales at the Pendine Sands on February 27, 2010.

In order for the team to qualify the lawnmower in the Guinness World of Records, the regulations state that it has to be a proper lawnmower, built by a recognized (lawnmower) manufacturer, using mostly lawnmower parts, and it has to cut grass on the day of the record.