Race to the clouds: Gillet’s connected high-performance race car

Connected equipment isn’t just for factories

The advantages offered by Industry 4.0 technologies aren’t just for manufacturing companies. In fact, plenty of other niche businesses relying on connected equipment are also pushing the boundaries of Industry 4.0 to improve performance and generate richer experiences for their customers.

One example is Gillet, a Belgian supercar manufacturer that has been known for its record-breaking high-performance vehicles since 1992. This year – the 25th anniversary of its Guinness world record for fastest accelerating production car – the firm is taking its newest model, the award-winning Vertigo, to the cloud. The goal is to use data to optimize car performance and delight race spectators at the Pikes Peak Race to the Clouds on 24 June.

Real-time assistance and historical analyses for drivers

Officially named the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, this race is an annual invitational car and motorcycle hill climb to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. Organized for the first time in 1916, the race is 19.99 kilometers (12.42 miles) long, features 156 tight corners and ascends to a staggering altitude of 4,302 meters (14,115 feet). There’s no question why it’s also called Race to the Clouds.

Designed and built from the ground up, the new Vertigo is equipped with extremely accurate sensors to measure performance and environmental metrics. Gillet turned to delaware to develop an SAP-driven, cloud-based platform capable of gathering, analyzing and visualizing vehicle data to paint a comprehensive picture of its performance.

“The visualizations assist the driver during qualifications, enabling him to make better decisions in real time on the track,” explains Bruno Mommens, emerging technologies business developer at delaware. “After qualifications, the data gathered can then be analyzed, comparing performance differences across multiple competition rounds on specific tracks, in specific conditions.”

Delivering advanced functionalities to race enthusiasts

The technology was validated earlier in May 2018 at the technically demanding Circuit Zolder in Belgium. During track time, delaware worked with the Gillet team to fine-tune the system’s parameters while the car was on the track. This ride constituted the Vertigo’s first kilometers ever logged. Based on the results, the supercar will be further optimized and enhanced with new functionalities.

“For Race to the Clouds, several GoPro cameras will be fitted to the car,” Bruno continues. “The video feed will be enhanced with vehicle data taken from the cloud platform, which is overlaid onto the image, enabling spectators to get in-depth insights into the driver’s and the car’s performance on the track.”

In the future, delaware will help Gillet identify additional business value to deliver through the connected platform. For example, Vertigo owners may incorporate this extension into their supercars, enabling them to follow up on performance during race circuits and upload detailed information to the cloud or social media.