Just watched this recently for the first time. The final race begins almost exactly like the opening of the Podrace sequence in The Phantom Menace. It's almost shot for shot with the Flags being walked across the track and the sputtering car as the race starts.
Then I looked at the full credit list and George Lucas is listed as an additional camera operator. That was just freaky. But very cool.
Old Georgie has got some form on this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058947/board/thread/181378498
His early drafts for Star Wars were called "Journal of the Whills."
Fwd 59:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4gVcHE2HcU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yixG8pfncOs
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... George Lucas is listed as an additional camera operator.That is a really interesting anecdote and you're right, it is THE George Lucas. I'm surprised I've never read it any where else.🐭 share
There's one second in the movie where during a race it shows a billboard with the word LUCAS on it. Not Lucas oil.
Hmmmmm - I wonder if it's an Easter egg?