yellow  sports car with delaware logo on it is racing on the road in the middle of nowhere

delaware as co-pilot of the Vertigo, right to the top of Pikes Peak

May 29, 2018
  • press release

Waver, 29 May 2018 – delaware Belgium proudly announces its partnership with sports car maker ‘Automobiles Gillet’. The return to the race of this gem of a Belgian car is the ideal opportunity for that. Nearly 25 years after the famous ‘Vertigo’ broke the acceleration world record for a mass-produced, standard car, Gillet will be on the starting grid in Colorado, on 24 June next, for ‘Pikes Peak’.

This hilly race in the Rocky Mountains, also known as 'The Race to the Clouds', is a veritable sprint of almost 20 km to the summit at an altitude of 4,031 meters.

delaware will line up as Vanina Ickx’s co-pilot. She’s returning to the race at the wheel of a Vertigo which is more flamboyant than ever. In this scenic and sporting adventure, delaware is not only sponsor but also technological partner to Automobiles Gillet.

A connected Vertigo

Indeed, delaware’s aim is to incorporate part of its hi-tech know-how in IoT (the Internet of Things) in the Vertigo. The racing car will, for example, be equipped with sensors for the exact indication of the tire pressure, engine temperature, vibration level, etc. This raw data will be converted into relevant information on the screens of the engineers of the Gillet team, via an infrastructure in the 'cloud'.


“delaware is going to harness all the potential of the 'cloud' and of the IoT to beef up the performance of the Vertigo. The nickname 'race to the clouds' is, therefore, more than fitting. For us, this ‘Pikes Peak’ is also a unique opportunity to excel, both in sport and technology,” said a clearly delighted partner of delaware, Vincent Lechien.

This partnership is also – and, above all, – the result of a shared passion for the car-making business. For almost 15 years now, delaware has amassed a unique expertise in implementing software solutions, expressly tailored to the needs of the car industry. The company is noted, you see, for its experience in installing SAP software and, in particular, of its FAST Automotive model that complies with the specific characteristics of the sector.

Belgian know-how

Last but not least, this joint race is the ideal opportunity to promote Belgian know-how in hi-tech at the highest international level. Besides the fact that they are based geographically in each other’s backyard, both companies share the same ambition to be crowned champion, each in his own category: right from the assembly plant in Gembloux, Gillet will take advantage of the mediatisation of Pikes Peak in order to announce new avenues of product development for the marque. delaware, for its part, has just moved to new and more spacious offices in Waver, in support of its strong growth in Wallonia.   

“We are delighted to be able to count on the technical support and expertise of delaware. For us, this race represents both a return to our roots and a new start,” said Tony Gillet, founder and CEO of Automobiles Gillet.

The story unfold of rally driver Vanina Ickx