Mike Wilds, the Pilette Family and Slot Car Racing

[Peter Mallett]

In an effort to combine two topics and maybe confuse both issues. I read the two threads, one concerning Mike Wilds and the other, the Pilette family. The common denominator here is the final days of BRM and the 1978 to 1980 Aurora AFX championship. Aurora AFX was (is) a slot car racing system.

Teddy Pilette drove the BRM P207 F1 car in F1 (1977) and its F5000 guise. The team had been through a disastrous 1977 with the car due to engine problems caused by valve failure. They decided to concentrate on F5000 in an effort to resolve the problem. I suppose costs being what they were they failed to buy new valves and continued with the same batch and therefore Pilette hardly gained any success with the car.

The car reappeared in the Aurora AFX championship in 1979 in the hands of (I believe) Tony Trimmer, who had won the championship the previous year in a McLaren M23. After a couple of races (when it failed again) the cash strapped Trimmer gave up. (Where is he now?).

And Mike Wilds? Well to correct what I said in the Mike Wilds topic. He actually ran a Formula 2 Ralt RT1 in the Aurora AFX championship in 1978.

The championship featured some notable achievements.

In 1980 Desire Wilson became the first woman to win a formula one race.

The peculiar looking Kauhsen made its only race start in the 1979 season opener at Zandvoort.

Jim Crawford appeared in a Chevron B45 F2 car in 1980 (the championship's final year). He went on to great things in Can Am running a Ralt RT 2 with all enveloping body. He later ran in the Indycar championship, before it was re-named Cart.

I've got some fond memories of these races but I've actually used a well-worn copy of the March 2001 Motorsport magazine for reference. Its well worn because I just keep picking it up and reminiscing.