The Gauntlet

One of the Series 2 Gauntlet combinations

"In the olden days, a gauntlet was a type of glove. Right, roboteers, I challenge you to be more interesting than that."

— Jeremy Clarkson to The Blob

The Gauntlet was a challenge set in the first round of each heat in the first two series of Robot Wars. The six robots would compete in an assualt course to get as far as possible in the time allowed with the robot that travelled the least distance (or completed the course in the slowest time) being eliminated. In Series 2, obstacles in the Gauntlet would alternate each week whereas in Series 1, the course would be largely the same each episode. This version brought some upsets, after the third seed Bodyhammer became a victim of the Ramrig and was placed last. The Gauntlet was scrapped after the second series of the show when the format was changed to a straight knock-out competition.

The basic idea of an assault course was used in Techno Games, another show similar to Robot Wars and produced by the same makers.

Series 1

Each robot would start on a turntable and would then have three choices of which route to take.

The route on the left of the competitors was largely clear of obstacles except for a but was patrolled by the House Robots, making it very difficult to get past. Skittles and tank traps also featured in this route as well as a grille near the beginning of the course. Choosing the middle route meant a robot had to climb over a seesaw ramp, negotiate the corkscrew lances and make its way over a second ramp that issued smoke from the middle. Robots with a low ground clearance struggled with this route, such as when Vector of Armageddon became stuck on the second ramp, placing it last in Heat D. The route on the right of the competitors started with a labyrinth maze, but was rarely chosen due to the fact that it required a large amount of driving skill and manourability on behalf of the robot. After the maze the route opened up to grilles, corkscrew lances, 'landmines' (large weights designed to slow robots down), spikes that would raise from the floor and spings that could lift a robot off of its wheels if they were put onto one like Killertron. A small spiked mace would swing back and forward over all three routes just in front of the end zone, but this had little effect, only slightly throwing robots off course in the worst circumstances, as happened to Nemesis, mainly working for atmospheric value.

Series 2

"It's fine when you watch someone else do it, but when you've got to do it, you just think "I want to go home"."

— Chris Weeks of Tantrum

Each robot would start in three-sided pen and had a choice of three routes to choose from.

The route on the left consisted of the Ramrig which would ram a robot into many Angle Grinders positioned opposite, if the robot managed to get past this, they would then have to beat one of the House Robots excluding Sir Killalot, as well as the Flame Pit and Tank Traps (most of the time). In later episodes a large spiked pendulum blocked the path after the Ramrig or the "Sphere of Doom". The centre route alternated between a breezeblock wall, floor spikes, a see-saw and a house robot. In some episodes the breezeblocks were replaced with another Ramrig or Barrels in its place. In the semi-finals two ramps were placed in the middle route with the Pit of Oblivion in the centre, one ramp was replaced by the "Sphere of Doom" in the second Semi-Final. The third route was a relatively clear route at the start of the series with only two Pits either side and usually Sir Killalot, but in Heat G The Sentinel was added between the Pits and Dead Metal usually patrolled this route. Also during the semi-finals, The Sentinel had a full 360 degree range, thus allowing it to reach into the middle route. This cost Mace its place in the next round during its race-off with Panic Attack, after both robots achieved exactly the same distance in their first run