The Boonta Eve Classic, also known as the Boonta Eve Podrace or simply Boonta Eve, was the most significant annual podracing event within the galaxy and a major cultural celebration on Tatooine. This event was staged at the Grand Arena located in Mos Espa, utilizing the Mos Espa podrace circuit. The Hutt Clan organized the competition to celebrate the Boonta Eve holiday, and it was documented by numerous Hologlide J57 cam droids. Notably, this race was infamous for having the highest fatality rate of all podracing events across the galaxy.
One particular race, which took place in 32 BBY, was famously overseen by the grandmaster host of the Boonta Eve Classic, Jabba the Hutt. During this race, Orr'UrRuuR'R and his tribe launched an attack, firing slugthrowers at the racers. Anakin Skywalker emerged as the victor, completing the race in 15 minutes and 42 seconds. Only 6 racers managed to finish, representing 33% of the original 18 participants. Tragically, Ratts Tyerell perished in a violent head-on collision at the Laguna Caves during the first lap. In subsequent years, Jabba reduced the number of laps to two and introduced Dune-Pipes to the Hutt Flats with the intention of increasing the event's profitability.
The Boonta Eve Classic was featured in the 1999 movie Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which served as the inaugural film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
According to concept artist Doug Chiang, director George Lucas desired a course that was both recognizable and unique. Consequently, Chiang and the production team combined and condensed real-world locations, exaggerating the scale by 20% to achieve a distinctive terrain. Topographical maps were created to allow Lucas to define the route and establish canyons and plateaus as recognizable landmarks. Utilizing these maps, the race was timed to determine the number of laps that could be completed in eight minutes at speeds exceeding 900 kilometers per hour, thus establishing the course's length. Subsequently, obstacles were added to less visually active sections, while other areas with greater visual clarity were simplified.
In the audio commentary included on the Episode I DVD, visual effects supervisor John Knoll notes that in one particular shot depicting Sebulba closely trailing Anakin Skywalker, with Anakin's head positioned near the connecting current between the pod engines, it is noticeable that Sebulba is not actually present within his pod.