The sun sets as the mowers fly round the track at speeds reaching up to 50mph. The bizarre sport was founded in a pub in 1973 by Irishman Jim Gavin and his friends. Gavin wanted to start a motorsport that didn’t require lots of money; as the conversation evolved and the pints were downed, they looked across to a groundsman mowing the nearby village cricket pitch and the concept of lawnmower racing was born.

Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian