Custom Suzuki GS450 Racing Lawn Mower/Go Kart Takes on the Track

In May 2023, the team at Cars and Cameras embarked on an exciting project: building a Suzuki GS450 racing lawn mower/go kart. The vehicle is powered by a 448cc air-cooled parallel twin engine and six-speed gearbox from a Suzuki GS450. While it features a vintage Lawnflite mower hood, the rest of the build is custom go-kart, with no mower parts included. Despite this, the team still refers to it as a racing mower and is eager to test its performance on the track.

Cars and Cameras is based in northern North Carolina, so it was convenient when they were invited to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) to test their projects. VIR is located on the southern border of Virginia, making it easily accessible for the team. They packed up the GS450 Mower and their King Midget build, hoping to get permission to take the King Midget for a lap around the big track at VIR. The main event, however, was testing the GS450 Mower on the VIR Kart track and comparing its speed to the rental karts available for visitors.

During the test, the team found that the GS450 Mower is both fun and reasonably quick, with some areas that need tweaking. It also proved to be a capable drift machine, as demonstrated by C&C's Ike on the track. As the day went on, the team discovered that the steering on the mower was exhausting, resulting in arm pain and soreness. Despite this, the mower was faster than the rental karts, at least with the drivers involved. The team is excited to see how they can further improve and evolve the GS450 Mower in the future.