| Théodore Pilette | |||||||||||||||
| Birth Name: | Théodore Eugène Pilette | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 8 September 1883 | ||||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Saint-Gilles, Brussels, Belgium | ||||||||||||||
| Death Place: | Steinfort, Capellen, Luxembourg | ||||||||||||||
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Théodore Eugène Pilette (8 September 1883 – 13 May 1921)[1] was a Belgian racing driver. He started racing in 1903 and was the first Belgian to race at the Indianapolis 500. Competing in the 1913 event with his works Mercedes-Knight, Pilette was among the first Europe-based drivers to travel from overseas for the race. Despite having the smallest engine, he took fifth place, averaging 68.148 mph (109.674 km/h) over the 500 miles (800 km).
Pilette was the importer in Belgium for Bugatti and Mercedes. His concession, Etablissements Pilette, was located Rue Veydt in Brussels.[2]
Pilette died on his way back from the Mercedes factory in a road accident near Capellen with his mechanic, Bruyère. He was the father of auto racer André Pilette, and grandfather of racer Teddy Pilette.
| Year | Car | Start | Qual | Rank | Finish | Laps | Led | Retired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 23 | 13 | 75.520 | 27 | 5 | 200 | 0 | Running | |
| Totals | 200 | 0 | |||||||
| Starts | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles | 0 | |
| Front Row | 0 | |
| Wins | 0 | |
| Top 5 | 1 | |
| Top 10 | 1 | |
| Retired | 0 |