Swoop gangs making use of the Mos Espa Circuit
Situated near Mos Entha on the desolate planet of Tatooine, the Mos Espa Circuit, also known by names such as the Mos Espa Raceway and the Mos Espa Podrace circuit, and later as the Old Mos Espa Arena Circuit, functioned as a track for both podracing and, in later times, swoop racing.
The Boonta Eve Classic podrace took place annually at the Mos Espa Circuit. The course fell into disuse as podracing's popularity waned, spectacle declined, and Jabba Desilijic Tiure, Tatooine's most influential Hutt gangster, shifted his operations from the port city of Mos Espa to the burgeoning Mos Eisley. During the Galactic Civil War, local swoop gangs adopted the track for their own racing competitions. In 8 ABY, Han Solo performed a test run of the Novastar swoop at the circuit in an attempt to locate Kitster Chanchani Banai, who had absconded with an Alderaanian moss art piece.
The Mos Espa Circuit made its debut in the film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. The Circuit is portrayed in differing ways across various Star Wars media. A map of the Mos Espa Circuit, drawing from the course depicted in the film, is provided in the 2000 reference book Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Episode I. However, the track featured in the Racer Rush video game is a simplified version compared to the one shown in The Phantom Menace: it lacks the tunnel segment, and a single lap can be completed in just 2 minutes. Conversely, the Mos Espa Circuit in the Star Wars Galaxies video game aligns with the layout presented in Inside the Worlds of Star Wars: Episode I. The Old Mos Espa Arena Circuit was incorporated into Star Wars Galaxies through "Publish 9.2," which was released on July 27, 2004.
