The Gauntlet The Gauntlet was one of three Podracing courses located on the barren moon Oovo IV . Like all of the Oovo IV Podrace courses , The Gauntlet sped through the maximum security prison Desolation Alley , but was otherwise the only course that sped outside of the prison facility and onto the moon ' s rocky surface . The outside portions of the course were only weakly protected by a energy shield , which put pilots in the path of oncoming meteors ; The Gauntlet was specifically hosted during meteor showers , courtesy of the prison wardens . During the year 32 BBY , the crowd favorite was the Xexto pilot Gasgano , who performed in his " Ord Pedrovia " Podracer and scored record lap and race times . Like all Oovo IV courses , events on The Gauntlet were hosted by Warden Fenn Booda . The entirety of Desolation Alley was destroyed during the intergalactic Yuuzhan Vong War , which lasted from 25 to 29 ABY . Description . Located on the barren moon Oovo IV , which orbited the gas giant Oovo , The Gauntlet was one of three race courses built in the Galactic Republic ' s Correctional Authority prison Desolation Alley that was used for the sport of Podracing . While the other two courses , Vengeance and Executioner , wove through the prison , The Gauntlet was the only track that sped outside of the well protected facilities and onto the moon ' s rocky surface . The track began in an arena inside the prison , where all of the Oovo IV races began , and quickly sped into an opening stretch of track that all of the courses wove through . However , The Gauntlet split from the previous routes near a large gate , which pushed pilots through a straight , transparent hex tube that connected the shielded facilities to the moon ' s surface . Although the surface was protected by a weak energy dome , this area of the moon ' s surface was known to be pelted by an annual meteor shower that consisted of marble sized rocks smashing into the ground at high - velocity speeds . The prison ' s wardens , headed by the governing warden and race host Fenn Booda , primarily hosted The Gauntlet during these showers , to provide the competitors with an extra challenge . Once outside , pilots could take on of two paths to reach the next stage of the course . Pilots could either choose to head back inside of the protective facility , or they could veer to the right before reentering the facility and remain on an outside path . The outside path was considerably shorter , but it was not connected to the main course , forcing pilots to fly over unpaved terrain which greatly slowed down their pods . In addition , there were far more obstacles , such as rocky outcroppings , to avoid when remaining outside . For pilots who had gone back into the shielded facility , there were two paths that could be taken to reach the next stage . Pilots could either go up a ramp between two watch towers that would lead to a bridge , or pilots could simply avoid the ramp and continue straight through the concrete and metal path . All three roads met at the same spot , however , which was another , yet briefer , tenure outside of the protective facility . The second outside portion of the track wove around and under several large rock towers . The meteor shower , however , did not reach this portion of the track . Pilots who were able to navigate the rocks would then speed through a large , constructed tunnel that led into a small pit that veered right , where pilots entered another tunnel . After that , Podracers would , once again , fly outside for a brief flat stretch of uphill roadway before entering a circular , pit - like Cell Block D that spun back into Desolation Alley . After a series of bridges and wall - hugging roads that sped past several prison facilities , pilots took on the last stretch of the course , which sped through the track ' s only anti - gravity tunnel . Like the anti - gravity tunnels on the other Oovo IV courses , this one had been stocked with chunks of ore , courtesy of Booda and the other wardens . Any pilots who had survived the tunnel were shot back out into the starting arena . A standard tournament race on the course would last for three consecutive laps . History . The Gauntlet was constructed on Oovo IV by or during the year 32 BBY , and was the second to last course on the Invitational Podracing Circuit , following the track Abyss on the planet Ord Ibanna , and preceding the track Inferno , located on the world of Baroonda . Only pilots who had successfully beaten the Boonta Eve Classic on the planet Tatooine could participate in The Gauntlet . One such pilot was the Xexto Gasgano , who eventually scored record lap and race times on The Gauntlet . Ultimately , Gasgano was hailed as the crowd ' s favorite pilot for the course . Flying his green " Ord Pedrovia " , Gasgano ' s records included a lap time of " 02 . 13 . 076 " minutes and a record race time of " 06 : 44 . 576 " minutes . Just like the other Oovo IV races , The Gauntlet was hosted by warden Fenn Booda . It has been suggested that pilots should equip their Podracers with good coolant pumps and repair modules if they wished to race The Gauntlet . During the intergalactic Yuuzhan Vong War , which lasted from 25 to 29 ABY , Desolation Alley and its facilities were completely destroyed . Behind the scenes . The Gauntlet first appeared in the 1999 video game " " , and was chronologically the third race to be held on Oovo IV . The course could only be unlocked after placing first place in every race for the Galactic Podracing Circuit . Information and history of the course was detailed in the game ' s two accompanying , which were released alongside the game . Although The Gauntlet was not mentioned by name , 2008 ' s " The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia " revealed that Desolation Alley was completely leveled during the Yuuzhan Vong War , an event first introduced in the 1999 novel " " , written by R . A . Salvatore .