Podracing / Legends Podracing was a popular sport in the less - developed regions of the galaxy and was one of the most dangerous sports ever invented . Racers losing their lives during competitions was commonplace . Podracers were small , one - man repulsorcraft , composed of an anti - gravity pod propelled by one or more pairs of large turbine engines . The engines were not physically connected to each other , being linked instead by power couplings consisting of plasma discharges . The engines were connected to the pods themselves by means of long , Steelton cables . Podracers were custom - built , and were only as safe as the mechanic and pilot made them . Characteristics . Besides housing the racer ' s pilot , each pod contained a repulsorlift engine that kept the craft at a specific , low - level altitude . The turbine engines were incredibly powerful , and were connected by an energy binder that kept them from flying apart . Podracing was popularized in the Outer Rim Territories during the last decades of the Galactic Republic . Its underground nature , great excitement , and almost gladiatorial propensity for carnage held immense appeal to all manner of folk living on the fringes of society . Because of the reflexes needed to control the pod as it raced around the course at breakneck speeds , as well as the dexterity needed to control the Podracer , human Podracers were uncommon on Tatooine by 32 BBY , apart from Anakin Skywalker , being dominated by non - humans . Inhuman physical attributes , as well as extra pairs of hands , came in handy when trying to control the pod at its top speed of around 900 km / h . History . Birth of the sport . While the first race and racers are lost to history , Podracing traced its roots back to the days of animal - drawn carts , on many different worlds . On Tatooine , these cart races evolved to incorporate hanno speeder s . These events were held by Boonta the Hutt himself after his victory over the Parliament of Moralan and continued after his death . Developing across the Outer Rim and developing at pace with that of galactic technology , various sports were reported to exist at multiple times in the history of the Galactic Republic , with Czerka Arms being recognized as having produced some of the first engines for an early version of the sport . Modern concept development . The concept of modern day Podracing was born circa 100 BBY on Malastare by alien racer Gustab Wenbus . Wenbus had entered himself in a race with a super - fast prototype pod designed by a mechanic named Phoebos . Standardizing the Podracer ' s configuration and promoting the first circuits , Wenbus ' rules were simple : build a racer , make it fast , and race . Prizes usually consisted of parts or credits and were awarded to the first to cross the finish line or the last surviving racer . One of the most famous Podraces was the Boonta Eve Classic , held on Tatooine in 32 BBY . The spectacular race was especially notable for being won by a Human , nine - year - old Anakin Skywalker . Other popular races at the time included the Vinta Harvest Classic on Malastare , the Ando Overland on Ando Prime and the Aleen Classic . Although technically illegal , but often controlled by the Hutts , Podracing flourished during the rule of the Galactic Republic , particularly among planets in the Outer Rim and on worlds such as Malastare and Ando Prime . With hundreds of thousands of circuits in operation on just as many worlds , Podracer pilots were often venerated athletes and were known for their swaggering , jockeying demeanor . The sport was also watched by citizens from the Core Worlds ; large viewscreens in seedy establishments such as the Outlander Club on Coruscant relayed Podraces from all over the galaxy . Podracing ' s popularity reached an all - time high following Skywalker ' s win , but as the political situation in the Republic deteriorated , so did the appeal of Podracing . Many of the sport ' s generally - accepted criminal activities were exposed , and some of the most famous racers were arrested for a variety of crimes . Podracing was soon outlawed in the Core . Shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars , it was reported that attendance had dropped more than fifty percent from the era of the Battle of Naboo , although betting transactions remained at an all - time high . Podracing soon gave way to swoop racing and other forms of extreme sports . Imperial crackdown . With the Declaration of a New Order and the rise of the Galactic Empire , Podracing became outlawed across the galaxy , and under the Empire ' s far more stringent standards of law enforcement , the sport fell out of popularity altogether . The sponsorships , acclaim , and cash - flow that venues and racers received was brought to an abrupt end , and due to its largely non - Human appeal , racers were disappeared or arrested at a staggering rate . Imperial agents seized and auctioned off Podracers , the arenas , and all equipment they could locate , and within a few years of the Empire ' s rise , Podracing was effectively ended . Despite the Empire ' s best efforts , not all of the sport ' s racers or fans were destroyed . Racers that survived the initial purge went underground and the popularity of the sport was rekindled . Spreading to the fringes of the Outer Rim and creeping into the Unknown Territories , races popped up over night and vanished just as quickly , avoiding Imperial intervention . During one race of the Boonta Eve Classic in 1 BBY , a Star Tours - owned " StarSpeeder 1000 " inadvertently got entangled in the race due to having recently escaped from being caught by the Empire at the Star Tours space station for having a Rebel spy onboard . It then briefly rode alongside the racers before flying back out of the planet ' s atmosphere and making contact with the Alliance High Command for their next destination . Broadcast in some entertainment venues like the Vapor Room , a bar on Cloud City on Bespin in 2 BBY , the fans of Podracing found ways to circumvent Imperial law . The racers themselves became even more cocky , seemingly invincible after repeatedly evading Imperial agents . New teams developed in the wake of the crackdown , and continued to thrive throughout the Galactic Civil War .