Skytrak

**Skytrack**, also known as *Skytrak*, was an event played in several incarnations of the television series *Gladiators*. In this event, contenders and Gladiators race on an inverted figure of eight course suspended from the ceiling. The contenders are in a straight race against each other whilst being pursued by Gladiators.

## Rules

On the whistle, both contenders and Gladiators race upside down along the Skytrack ceiling on all fours. The contenders are in a two-pronged race, racing against both each other and against the Gladiators behind them. The Gladiators initially start 10 yards behind the contenders. 10 points are awarded for the first contender who crosses the finish line without being tagged, 5 for the second past the finish line. The Gladiators job is to hit a detonator that is being trailed by the contenders which would set off a small explosive charge on the contenders backpack, signalling they were out of play. If a detonator is hit and malfunctions, then it is deemed as a Gladiator win. A contender may not deliberately kick a Gladiator nor must a contender or Gladiator deliberately attempt to block the path of a participant in the other side of the track.

## International differences

The original American version of the event saw a straight race between two contenders and a Gladiator in between them. Upon reaching one end of the track, participants would have to hit a button and turn back and return to the starting post. Contenders and Gladiators had their hands and feet covered in velcro to assist with movement on the Skytrack course which was layered with velcro. 10 points would be awarded for the first contender to reach the finish line ahead of the Gladiator, 5 for the second to finish before the Gladiator. Should the Gladiator finish first, then the first of the two contenders to finish would receive 5 points. The Australian version had an onscreen clock counting upwards to time laps. The name given for the event in America was 'Sky Track', whereas Australia used the spelling 'Skytrack', and Britain used the alternate spelling 'Skytrak'. In Britain, the track bore resemblance to a giant Scalextrix track.

## Event History

### America

* Years active: 1992-1995, 2009

Sky Track first appeared in the fourth series and was retired before the final series of the original run aired. For the second series of the 2008 revival, Sky Track is being brought back, albeit in the format used by Britain and Australia. Starting near the crossover, contenders and Gladiators race round the figure of eight heading for the finish line, indicated by a hanging wall of lights. The revival track is a lot more skeletal in structure compared to the flat original track and gameplay appears to involve participants using their arms to race along rather than their feet. If a Gladiator catches with their contender, they must pull a cord on the contenders trailer, causing them to be released from the carriage and drop approximately twenty feet, leaving them hanging vertically.

### United Kingdom

* Years active: 1993-1998

Skytrak debuted in the second series, being the most technologically advanced event at the time. Its appearances declined from series three, onwards due to the inclusion of more events to the event roster. The gameplay starkly differed from the American version, in that it was **not** a straight race. The Gladiator's job was to hit a buzzer trailing behind the contender. Should that happen, the contender's vest will shoot a shower of sparks. When that happens, the contender scores no points. In 1994, a cheque area was painted onto the course where the game started and ended to make the finish line more clear. This was also the removal point for participants. In a show in which Skytrak featured, the event would be set up before filming commenced. It was not always televised as the first event in that show though. Skytrak was modified for the junior Gladiators series Train 2 Win in which a member from each team raced round half the course, tagging their Gladiator team captain who would race the other half. 10 points were awarded for the first across the finish line, 5 for the second. Skytrak did not return for the 2008 revival.

### Australia

* Years active: 1996

Skytrack debuted in the final series of the original run of the Australian series. The course resembled the one used in Britain, with red and blue lines marking the lanes ran by the respectively coloured challengers. Unlike other events in the Australian series, the theme music was not the same as that used in Britain, as the Skytrak theme was already in use for the Whiplash event. Instead the theme music for Tilt which had been axed after series two was used. A Skytrack match once had to be replayed due to a successful Gladiator getting in the way of a contender still running on the crossover point. Only the two participants still in the race at that point restarted. Skytrack did not return for the 2008 revival.