I too took out the spinning of Anakin's pod. It seems totally ridiculous that before then he'd never even finished a race - now he stalls, spins out of control and loses power to one engine - and still goes on to win! The Jedi are meant to be skilled, but it seems too much of this movie relies on good/bad luck. That's why I cut the entire bongo sequence - you've got these 'invincible' Jedi who have to rely on the bigger fish coming to rescue them (twice)!
SOLO