Wellington -
A motor lawn mower race in New Zealand erupted in violence as rival riders traded punches after one shunted the other about 10m sideways, news reports said on Monday.
The race at an agricultural show at Lake Hayes in the South Island had been “very entertaining and at first the crowd probably believed it was a stunt”, eyewitness Andrew Wallace told the Otago Daily Times.
“However, it was soon obvious it was lawn mower racing's ugly underbelly at full clip. It was lucky the guys involved were wearing helmets.”
Show chairman Mike Smith told the Southland Times the punch-up appeared to be the result of a feud between two men that organisers knew nothing about. - Sapa-dpa