Motorcycles, Snowmobiles, Go-Carts, ATV's and Golf Carts - Racing Mower help

I have an older craftsman 15hp mower with the hydrostatic 6 speed shift on the right rear fender. I would like to make this a rather "tame" racing fun thing for the kids, but safe. Can anyone help? Do I change the rear pully to a smaller one? Remove govenor. Any help appreciated

I would repost this in the lawnmower section. Cheese has worked with racing lawnmowers and Craftsman brand equipment. He's a good source of information on the subject.

Many people have posted in this section about racing mowers so you should get some advice over the next several days, but it sounds like you have the right idea. A larger front/engine pulley and a smaller rear/driven pulley for speed. Removing the govenor will also allow faster speed but at the risk of increased engine wear and breaking the connecting rod. I would also get rid of the dash throttle control and install a "gas pedal" that is spring loaded to return to idle.

My big concern is a racing mower for your kids to play with. Keep in mind that a mower has a high center of gravity and can roll over rather easily. Not the safest of toys. A go cart would be much safer for kids to play with.

Is it a hydrostatic or a 6 speed? Provided it is in fact a 6 speed gear driven transaxle, changing pulleys will change your top speed. If it's a hydro, changing pulleys will result in a tractor that doesn't move.
Being that it's for the kids I'd stick to a mild re-gearing, adding a hand or foot throttle, and not bypassing the governor.... this way you won't worry about the engine coming apart.
Like Pilot Dane, for stability reasons I think a kart is the better choice for a kid's toy.