By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

Despite negotiations with Saco town officials and a neighbor complaining about the noise produced by racing lawnmowers on the tracks at the Saco Pathfinders Snowmobiling Club on Heath road, the club was forced to find a new home to host their summertime source of income.

Race announcer Charlie Gassett, 62, of Shapleigh, said Acton has welcomed them with “open arms,” and they’ll be racing on the Acton Fair Grounds every Sunday through Nov. 2 with the hope of resolving the neighborly dispute by next year.

Lawnmower racing season usually starts in May, but Sunday’s races were only the third of the season due to the setback of complaints, Gassett said. In the past two years, lawnmower races have become a source of income for the non-profit club during the snow-free months, raising up to $900 a night.

“But we had one lady next door complain the noise [of the lawnmowers] was too loud,” Gassett said. “Other neighbors said it wasn’t a problem. We worked with the town until July, but where it stands we will be able to run there next year if we put up sound barriers.”

He said the sound barriers would be constructed of two-inch Styrofoam boards, costing $15 per 2- by 8-foot board, an added cost to the $10,000 it takes to maintain the club and snowmobile trails each year.

As Gassett announced racers to the starting line, seven men drove their “souped-up” lawnmowers, lining up in pairs behind the pace mower, onto the racetrack. 

Most racers have modified their lawnmowers for speed. Randy Philpot of Windham won last year’s championship, but wouldn’t share exactly how he “souped-up” his tractor. 

“Those are speed secrets. I’ve got my tractor going between 25 and 30 miles per hour,” he said. “We have a blast out here and it doesn’t cost us a lot.”

Owner of Pluffybuilt racer Bruce Plouffe of Saco said he has modified 13 lawnmowers for racers in the past year. Before the races began, Plouffe tested three lawnmowers on the track to make sure they were in working condition and to get a feel for the modified track.

Due to heavy rain Saturday night, the back leg of the track was flooded, creating a deep mud pit.

Philpot and Plouffe helped re-route the track away from the majority of mud, creating a bend in the back straightaway as Norman Dakin of Hiram drove his lawnmower to test the new course. 

“It’s a short track, and they’re going to get muddy out there, but they won’t get stuck,” Plouffe said. 

Races were divided into two divisions, with three racers in the modified group Dakin took first and of the nine in the sportsmen class Dale Gregory came in first. 

Gassett’s son-in-law Roni Galik raced for the first time Sunday. Before the race, he made some last-minute adjustments to his new lawnmower. 

“Last night we finished welding on the bumpers and moved the seat,” Galik said. “The seat is so far to the left because you want to keep your weight on the inside so it won’t roll.”

Gassett said Galik told him after the race that he was sore from the pressure pulling at his arms and legs during the race. Even though the seats on all the lawnmowers were shifted to the left, racers sat halfway off the seat to the left even more, throwing their body weight into the turns, he said.  

“He said he didn’t know if he could do it again next week, but I know he will. He had fun,” Gassett said.

The lawnmowers will race starting at 1 p.m. every Sunday through Nov. 2 at the Acton Fair Grounds. The entrance fee to race is $10 per lawnmower plus $5 per driver. A spectator ticket at the entrance gate is $5.