Mirage Raceway

The Mirage Raceway (or Mirage Racetrack)Gadgetzan Times/Mailbag was built by the goblin Pozzik and gnome Fizzle Brassbolts as a result of their rivalry to prove the superiority of their respective race. The two also built rocket cars and enlisted teams to drive them.Ultimate Visual Guide, pg. 152
it was a race track, deep within the dry lake bed known as the Shimmering Flats.[[Lands of Mystery], pg. 150 After the end of the Third War, both the goblins and gnomes decided that the large alkali desert known as the Shimmering Flats near Thousand Needles would be a perfect place to test their new rocket designs. The natural animosity between the two engineering teams created the perfect opportunity for races to see once and for all whether Goblin Engineering or Gnome Engineering was superior.
==Background==
The Mirage Raceway eventually become a unique draw for both the Horde and the Alliance, as supporters came to cheer on their respective favorites. Races between the gnome and goblin drag cars took place daily, as both teams scrambled to come up with improvements that would give their side an edge. The track also drew a number of seedy types, attracted to the prospect of gambling on the winner.
In the RPG and early WoW, a crowd pummeler raced for the gnomish team.
===Cataclysm===
During the Cataclysm, the whole of Thousand Needles was flooded by the ocean as a crumbling canyon wall collapsed into the Shimmering Flats. The Raceway, therefore, was submerged. Fizzle and Pozzik built a "Speedbarge" to float above the ruined raceway.
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==In the RPG==
Goblin and gnome tinkers labored constantly to perfect the ultimate racing machines. At regular intervals, they participated in trials of their creations, and twice monthly the Mirage Raceway hosted a series of events to determine which side was the best. While no prizes were officially awarded, being "the best" was usually enough. Besides, there was plenty of betting going on behind the scenes to make a shrewd gambler a tidy fortune — or break the bank if he chose poorly.
At the start of each month, the Mirage Raceway Independent Oversight Committee (MRIOC) announced the parameters for the next race (length, vehicle class, special rules, and so on). The first race was considered the "preliminaries", while the final race of the month determined the overall winner. The side that achieved victory then lorded it over the losers for the next month.
==Notes and trivia==
*The goblin racer that crashed into the cliff still remains in Cataclysm still attached to the cliff in the water.
*The Mirage Raceway is rumored to be a homage to the desert planet of Tatooine from the Star Wars saga. Some of the Goblin racers (namely the model used for the Goblin Racer) have a slight resemblance to podracers from Episode I: The Phantom Menace, added to the fact that the track is set in the desert.
*The name of the raceway is a reference to the El Mirage Lake in California, and the track a reference to the Bonneville Salt Flats where land speed racing events are held at Bonneville Speedway in Tooele County, Utah.
*During the beta, some manner of gambling was apparently planned in connection to the race as seen in Gnomes Win! and Goblins Win!
==Speculation==
Since MEGA sponsors the Fizzle and Pozzik's Speedbarge annual boat race and races similar to that,Traveler: The Spiral Path, pg. 234 it can be speculated that they sponsored the races of the Mirage Raceway before it was flooded and replaced by the Speedbarge.
==Gallery==
Gnome carcrash.jpg|Gnome Drag Car crashed as far away as Tanaris.
Goblin carcrash.jpg|Goblin Drag Car crashed into the cliff of Shimmering Flats.
Shimmering Flats - Crash03.jpg|Gnome and goblin collision result.
Mirage Raceway track.jpg|Mirage Raceway Circuit Diagram
==References==
==External links==
Category:Classic subzones
Category:Lands of Mystery
Category:Destroyed settlements
Category:Gnome territories
Category:Goblin territories
Category:Neutral settlements
Category:Villages