Podracer/Legends



"They have podracing on Malastare. Very fast, very dangerous."

- Qui-Gon Jinn

A podracer was a repulsorlift racing vehicle piloted during podraces across the galaxy, though specifically in the lawless Outer Rim Territories. The term "podracer" was also used in reference to a being who piloted these racers.

Design


A podracer was essentially comprised of a one-pilot cockpit attached to two racing engines via strong cables, such as those produced by Steelton. Energy binders projected from each engine connected both turbines together, forming a loose triangular configuration with the pod itself, dragged behind the engines, at the highest point. A racer could commonly achieve speeds in excess of eight hundred kilometers per hour. Because of this, podracing required lightning-fast reflexes, and only species with a wide range of sensory organs and multiple limbs or durable bodies were known to race pods. Species such as Humans rarely took part in races, and never won&mdash;with a single exception.



Podracers were commonly customized by their owners, whether to achieve greater speed or agility, or simply to end up with a unique-looking racer. The infamous Sebulba piloted one of the largest podracers on the Outer Rim circuits, replete with numerous hidden features and secreted weaponry, while young Anakin Skywalker built a custom racer in his yard in Mos Espa. Many podracers were painted by their owners to symbolize different things or just to look good.

History
The podracer evolved from the animal-drawn carts used in racing sports, and later, the swoop racers commonly seen in competitions on Taris, Manaan, and Nar Shaddaa following the Great Sith War. It was a daring mechanic called Phoebos who designed the first podracer, and a pilot named Gustab Wenbus took this machine for its first experimental flight. Since then, podracing became widely popular on the Outer Rim Territories, and though it was outlawed when the Galactic Empire came to power (although some continued it illegally), the sport enjoyed a resurgence following the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Notable models

 * BT410
 * Quadrijet 4-Barrel 904E
 * TurboDyne 99-U
 * FG 8T8 Twin Block2 Special
 * GPE-3130
 * J930 Dash-8
 * KRT 410C
 * KV9T9-B Wasp
 * MARK IV Flat-Twin Turbojet
 * Plug-2 Behemoth
 * Plug-F Mammoth
 * Plug-G 927
 * Titan 2150
 * Vulptereen 327

Notable custom podracers

 * Anakin Skywalker's Podracer
 * By't Distombe's podracer
 * Scatalpen

Notable podracer manufacturers

 * Balta-Trabaat
 * Bin Gassi Racing Engines
 * Collor Pondrat
 * Elsinore-Cordova
 * Farwan & Glott
 * Galactic Power Engineering
 * JAK Racing
 * Keizar-Volvec
 * Kurtob
 * Manta RamAir
 * Vokoff-Strood
 * Vulptereen

Appearances

 * Urchins
 * Podracing Tales
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace novelization
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars: Episode I Racer
 * Deep Spoilers
 * Outbound Flight
 * Star Wars Republic: Emissaries to Malastare
 * Star Wars: Racer Revenge
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization
 * The Last of the Jedi: A Tangled Web
 * Star Wars Galaxies
 * Sand Blasted
 * Tatooine Ghost
 * Dark Tide I: Onslaught
 * Dark Tide II: Ruin
 * The Unifying Force
 * Star Wars Legacy: Claws of the Dragon
 * The Unifying Force
 * Star Wars Legacy: Claws of the Dragon