GPE-3130

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The GPE-3130 was a bizarre Podracer designed by Galactic Power Engineering prior to the Invasion of Naboo.

Characteristics

Designed by Galactic Power Engineering, the 3130 was crafted with straight-line speed in mind, powered by two GPE ThrustMaster 9000 aerospike rocket engines. These engines were augmented by two smaller ramjets that provided short bursts of boost and powered the Podracer's attitude thrusters. The cockpit had a flat nose, and the wedge-shaped engines with their outrigger mounted ramjets gave the Podracer and overall awkward design. The rocket engines were known to require seemingly endless maintenance and the fuel needed to power them was highly volatile and prone to exploding. Hard to control in turns due to the power of the engine, the attitude thrusters did nothing to assist this. Coupled with the unintuitive design of the control layout and the cockpits uncomfortable seating, the design of the craft was almost universally panned by critics.^[1]

History

Debuted by Galactic Power Engineering as a state of the art model, the company began an aggressive marketing campaign to build up the craft's popularity. Despite their efforts, the 3130 was a failure on the market and did not bring in the high profits expected. Because these flaws kept the prices low, smaller racing teams purchased the Podracers for their speed aspects.^[1]

Mawhonic used this model during the Boonta Eve Classic of 32 BBY.^[3] Sebulba, however, slammed him into a rock during the first lap. One of the small ramjets broke off, and Mawhonic, unable to control the craft, crashed it in the desert.^[3]

During 1 ABY,^[4] when the Galactic Civil War was intensifying, a spacer acquired a podracer that looked very similar to the GPE-3130.