46 replies to this topic

[kevthedrummer]

I just thought I'd post a link to this excellent Youtube tribute to Greg for anyone who would like to see it. He was one of my very favourite drivers of recent times. The sport could do with more like him.

[Rainer Nyberg]

It does not seem like it was eight years ago.
I remember it as yesterday.

[COUGAR508]

How time flies. I remember waking up to the news in the UK, and just feeling numb.

[Greatest]

After eight years, I still remember how I learned about his accident and his death... Remembering that day still brings to the surface those feelings I felt that terrible day. It felt so final, and still does... R.I.P., Greg!

I also want to remember 'Gonchi', who was so tragically lost in that freak accident at Laguna Seca. I really would've wanted to see him in Formula 1...! R.I.P., Gonzalo!

[nivola]

I still remember where I was and what I was doing at both sad times.

I really felt sorry for the "captain" as well cause it was about to be the new dawn of Penske.

What should of Greg Achieved???

[Gokart Mozart]

What should of Greg Achieved???

See Helio Castroneves' results, but increase the winning percentage by 20%, and overall WOW factor by 100%.

As well, you might have not seen so many of the top CART teams switch over to the IRL. When Greg died, so too did much of the brightness of CART's future.

Red gloves forever...

Jacques

[Kitman]

I was fortunate enough to have been able to meet Greg at the Molson Indy Toronto in 1999 and spend some time talking to him. He was as genuine a person as he was talented behind the wheel. He is missed very much.

John Kit.

[B Squared]

I thought I would take a moment to remember a fine talent that left us 9) years ago today. I'll try to post some photos when I return home later in the day. Any thoughts & rememberances would be appreciated.

Brian

[Greatest]

9 years ago... What a waste of talent and young life!!! At least, I was lucky to have seen him racing once... Greg, R.I.P.!

[lustigson]

A sad loss, indeed. If only he'd have lived to move to Formula One.

Requiescat in pace.

[ex Rhodie racer]

So, so sad. I loved his approach to racing and his zest for life. RIP Greg.

[Risil]

Nine years. There could've been no better ambassador for the sport, had he lived.

[Jones Foyer]

I was at the race in Fontana when he died. I remember that he had gotten into an accident the day or two days before the race when a girl driving a catering truck (delivering flowers as I recall) hit him on his scooter in the paddock. His hand was bandaged and it was not a for sure thing that he would race. I always wondered if that was a contributor to the accident.

The accident happened on the other side of the track, so I was fortunate enough not to witness it.

He was a great driver and a real nice guy, it's a shame that his career could not go further. We still remember him and every time I see the blue Players livery, it is 99, Greg Moore that I immediately think of.

[Gokart Mozart]

I am racing in Riverside this weekend for a kart race, but before I left Wisconsin this past week I made sure to affix a Greg Moore "See you up front" decal to my helmet in his memory. RIP #99...

[B Squared]

"I recall) hit him on his scooter in the paddock. His hand was bandaged and it was not a for sure thing that he would race. I always wondered if that was a contributor to the accident."

I wonder also, but, & please realize I mean zero disrespect to his memory - he reportedly mentioned to his friends & competitors at the sharp end of the grid that he'd see them shortly. A friend of mine was working as corner captain at station 1. On the lap prior to the accident , he'd keyed his mike to call "yellow, yellow, yellow" as Greg made it four wide, with a move to the very far outside. I've a picture from On TRACK magazine at home that depicts this move. Joe didn't need to make the call, as Greg got around the trio successfully by the closest of margins. My personal feelings are that he was simply trying very hard, very early in a 500 mile race. He made a mistake and extenuating circumstances (the car tripping over a piece of tarmac) made the situation as bad as it could possibly be. He was doing what race drivers do, he was pushing a ground based rocket to it's limit. It was a very sad day for the entire racing community. I personally think he would have had a career that could have set many standards for years to come. He had it all in terms of talent. With all due respect to his memory,

Brian

[jdanton]

Red Gloves Rule. RIP Greg.

[Rob]

The safest bet for a future champion. Taken before his time. RIP Greg.

[anbeck]

9 years... I still remember the moment the TV footage switched to this beautiful blue car, skidding over the grass.... it was the first accident in a long time where I knew what had happened and I wanted to switch off. But then I continued to watch, irrationally hoping that they would say he'll be fine for the next season...

I think the only time after this accident I felt the same way was Zanardi. To see him so joyful, enthousiastic and powerful is a bit of consolation for the drivers we've lost.

[B Squared]

photo: B2 Design

This is from Michigan in either 1996 or '97.

Brian

[B Squared]

photos: B2 Design

Greg & a good friends then 9) year old son at the CART season ending banquet in 1996. Matt was racing quarter midgets at the time. Greg & Adrian Fernandez were his favorites, Greg always had time for him, as did Adrian. When Greg died, he was upset to the point that he decided that racing wasn't the fun that it once had been, and rarely drove the kart that his dad had purchased. Now 21, he still recalls these priceless moments fondly.



The drivers group photo before the 1997 St. Louis CART race the day before the Indy 500. The great smile that so many remember.

[B Squared]

photo:B2 Design

Greg Moore @ approximately the midpoint of Michigan's back stretch 1996. Great paint scheme & colors, in my opinion. Too bad Player's can no longer be involved. They really gave great support while in the sport.

Brian

[Der Pate]

Is there anything known, what cause this accident could have...???

I remember, that there was some discussion because of his hand-injury...was it a human error or a mechanical-failure...???

[kevthedrummer]

Originally posted by Der Pate
Is there anything known, what cause this accident could have...???

I remember, that there was some discussion because of his hand-injury...was it a human error or a mechanical-failure...???

From what I remember of that race Greg was pushing very hard right from the start, having started from the back. There exists a wonderful picture of him passing two or three other cars on a corner, perilously close to the top retaining wall. The cameras did not catch the beginning of his accident. I think the general consensus was that the car got away from him exiting turn two. He tried to save the situation by accelerating. His fate was sealed by the infield grass, which started at the edge of the track but was a couple of inches lower. This caused the car to get airborne and flick up sideways. I seem to recall there was another driver in the same race who had a similar incident but escaped unscathed. Greg was a wonderful driver.

[Mark Bennett]

My recollection was that there was an access road part way accross the grass, and it was that that flipped the car.

[Henri Greuter]

Greg would have been the only reason for me to look forward to Penske victories from 2000 on.
I truly enjoyed seeing Penske fall on hard times after dominating Indy between 1988 and 1994. And I hoped he would never ever win there again so other team owners finally also had the opportunity to have that pleasure that he had had 10 times already.
As much as I respect Penske and his efforts: he had won more than enough to my liking and I hoped he would not win at Indy anymore for a long, long time. And in CART for that matter because at that time he wasn't entering Indy anymore.

Until I heard he had signed up Greg....

You're not forgotten Greg, how could we.



I remember back in 2000 when I was in a model shop in my country (the Netherlands) that there were 1:43 scale models of Greg's car for sale.
There were three of them. I was in the shop for an hour and had made my choise about what to buy. I wanted one a car of Greg as well.
I had the last one left on the shelf......


Henri

[Nigel Beresford]

Originally posted by Henri Greuter

Greg would have been the only reason for me to look forward to Penske victories from 2000 on.
I truly enjoyed seeing Penske fall on hard times after dominating Indy between 1988 and 1994. And I hoped he would never ever win there again so other team owners finally also had the opportunity to have that pleasure that he had had 10 times already.
As much as I respect Penske and his efforts: he had won more than enough to my liking and I hoped he would not win at Indy anymore for a long, long time. And in CART for that matter because at that time he wasn't entering Indy anymore.

Until I heard he had signed up Greg....

You're not forgotten Greg, how could we.

Well Henri, it reflects badly on you that you wish to see people who work extremely hard to achieve success fail. I worked for Penske for 16 seasons and every member of the team does whatever it takes to win, and makes many personal sacrifices because they know that whatever effort they are putting in, RP is working harder and longer.

[Henri Greuter]

Well Henri, it reflects badly on you that you wish to see people who work extremely hard to achieve success fail. I worked for Penske for 16 seasons and every member of the team does whatever it takes to win, and makes many personal sacrifices because they know that whatever effort they are putting in, RP is working harder and longer.

Nigel,

I can understand you saying this, honestly I can.
But can you understand that for people who have nothing to do with Penske, it became boring to see team Penske win that often between 1984 and 1994?
I don't say the team didn't deserve it because they did work hard for it.
But there were years in which Mr. Penske and his team had the unfair advantage and kept it for himself only, and geve other little if any chance anymore.
For certain, the team worked very hard and because of that, they deserved their success.
But there were years in which Team Penske was not really belonging into CART anymore because it had such an organisation behind it (courtesy Mr's Penske's business might behind him) that it truly overwhelmed every other competitor. It became a kind of overkill.
Which, I am pretty sure did influence (among other things) Tony George about setting up IRL and all that came because of that.

Again, I respect mr. Penske's efforts and that of his team over the years. I hope that within the future I can prove that.
Pity he never gave F1 a decent shot because if there ever had been a chance to see a successful American F1 team in the 80´s and therafter, then it would have been if Mr. Penske had organized it.
And believe me, I would have loved to see it and supported it too!

By the way, It was never personal or against the drivers. I should have been even more of a fan of Rick Mears had he also driven for other teams. And I saw him win in ´88 and ´91 and that were awesome performances.

Your comments are taken serious and I must agree that you certainly have a point.

Nigel,
I am gonna PM you shortly. Keep an eye on your PM please.

Best regards,

Henri

[fines]

I always admired teams like Penske, and men like RP, Frank Williams or Ron Dennis, for that matter. It takes so much to get to where they are, and it takes so little to be dismissive of success.

[Tony Matthews]

Originally posted by Nigel Beresford



Well Henri, it reflects badly on you that you wish to see people who work extremely hard to achieve success fail. I worked for Penske for 16 seasons and every member of the team does whatever it takes to win, and makes many personal sacrifices because they know that whatever effort they are putting in, RP is working harder and longer.

[Henri Greuter]

Originally posted by Tony Matthews

Tony, and to everyone who feels offended because of my comments about Team Penske.

I hereby apologize to everyone who feels offended because of what I said
It was the race fan Henri who spoke out here.
The race fan who admits that he rather won't see Penske win at Indy anymore so that other team owners also may have the joy to be in victory lane. Sometimes I think Indy is too cruel on other team owners who also went beyond the call of duty in order to win the big one even it was only a single time. I think about men like Lindsey Hopkins and Al Dean. I can mention Lew Welch too though I am one of the first to know that he went further then many (like Roger Penske) but in a wrong direction.

But also the race fan henri who does acknowledge that Team Penske certainly has done more than enough to secure the wins of the past and earned them there were not many lucky flukes among those 14.
(Nigel's comment to which Tony gave thumbs up is correct and I agree with that. And I am not too stubborn and to proud to acknowledge when I am wrong.)

The very same race fan Henri who knows that he hasn't seen the last Team Penske win at Indy yet.
The very same race fan who, even when he had no sympathy for Penske when they had their bad spell in CART late in the 90's was upset by the loss of Gonzalo Rodriguez because that kind of mishaps for any team was too hard and too upsetting.
Rest In Peace Gonzalo, you are not forgotten either by me.

The historian in me, and I hope some of you have recognized that in me, no matter my feelings I have vented, the historian in me has respect for Team Penske efforts to secure victory.
Be assured of the fact that if there will be a decent book with detailed information about team Penske's Indy efforts: I buy it instantly.
Because I have seen the team write history with my own eyes and I like to read about that.

I hope that for the time being this has been enough humble pie I've eaten and all of you understand where I stand.


Regards,

Henri

[Tony Matthews]

[Nigel Beresford]

Henri, thanks for your thoughts and comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and the nature of sport is such that one wants to see a favourite win and someone one perceives in some way as a "villain" lose. I guess I'm too sensitive and I now wish I hadn't gotten drawn in to this. I understand where you were coming from. Team Penske is often cast as a team people like to dislike, because people think we had more money and therefore we somehow didn't deserve our success. They naturally believe the polished image and somehow think that success was simply ordered and paid for. Well, I have to be careful not to come across as an apologist for the team in any way, but the reason we had better resources was because Roger went out and built the track, or invested in Ilmor, or did a good enough job that companies like Philip Morris and Mobil wanted to be associated and invest with Penske Racing. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth - he worked for everything he's got. And whatever your definition of hard work is, I'll guarantee that RP's will blow your mind. And remember, it's one thing having resources or funding, it's quite another using them effectively, and we worked very, very hard for the results we achieved, and even harder when things went wrong in the late 90's.

This had been an interesting debate, but we should remember that the origin of the thread was to remember Greg Moore. He was a super young man who was tremendously courteous and exciting driver and it's still brutal to recall his loss. I was fortunate to spend a fair amount of time in his company and he was unpretentious, friendly and extremely excited at the prospect of joining Penske Racing.

In many ways Gonzalo Rodriguez was similar - a very personable man who in his brief time with the team had us really excited as "the real deal".

Thanks

Nigel

[Rob]

Originally posted by Nigel Beresford
In many ways Gonzalo Rodriguez was similar - a very personable man who in his brief time with the team had us really excited as "the real deal".

Gonzo was definitely the real deal. His win in Formula 3000 at Monaco was so dominant it led the commentators to ask, "Does he have a larger engine than everyone else?" I'm sure he would have gone on to great things.

[Henri Greuter]

Originally posted by Nigel Beresford
Henri, thanks for your thoughts and comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinions and the nature of sport is such that one wants to see a favourite win and someone one perceives in some way as a "villain" lose. I guess I'm too sensitive and I now wish I hadn't gotten drawn in to this. I understand where you were coming from. Team Penske is often cast as a team people like to dislike, because people think we had more money and therefore we somehow didn't deserve our success. They naturally believe the polished image and somehow think that success was simply ordered and paid for. Well, I have to be careful not to come across as an apologist for the team in any way, but the reason we had better resources was because Roger went out and built the track, or invested in Ilmor, or did a good enough job that companies like Philip Morris and Mobil wanted to be associated and invest with Penske Racing. He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth - he worked for everything he's got. And whatever your definition of hard work is, I'll guarantee that RP's will blow your mind. And remember, it's one thing having resources or funding, it's quite another using them effectively, and we worked very, very hard for the results we achieved, and even harder when things went wrong in the late 90's.

This had been an interesting debate, but we should remember that the origin of the thread was to remember Greg Moore. He was a super young man who was tremendously courteous and exciting driver and it's still brutal to recall his loss. I was fortunate to spend a fair amount of time in his company and he was unpretentious, friendly and extremely excited at the prospect of joining Penske Racing.

In many ways Gonzalo Rodriguez was similar - a very personable man who in his brief time with the team had us really excited as "the real deal".

Thanks

Nigel

Thanks a lot for your comments too Nigel.
You say you wished you hadn't gotten drown into it.
To some extend I'm glad you did because it made me learn a lesson ar two.
And maybe some others over here as well.

I did send you a PM, I really, really hope that you will read it and hopefully react.
And I know what kind of reaction I hope for because it is related with and about the things you mentioned and should now be put aside so we concentrate on Greg Moore again.

Thank you too.

Regards,

henri

[doohanOK]

So it's been ten years since Greg Moore, CART World Series driver, died at the California Speedway, at Fontana, CA, USA, on October 31st, 1999.

Cannot believe how quickly time has gone.

I'm wanting to find out if anyone knows where Greg is actually buried?

regards,
doohanOK.

p.s. http://www.theprovin...7389/story.html
Brings back some fond memories....

[Robin Fairservice]

Yo the best of my knowledge Greg Moore was buried in Maple Ridge B.C., his hometown.

As for memorials this is a quote from Wikipedia:

"Moore is remembered in his hometown. Banners in tribute to him hang in the schools he attended, Meadowridge School and Pitt Meadows Secondary. The Maple Ridge youth center, opened in 2003, was named the Greg Moore Youth center in his honor. The McDonald's on the Lougheed Highway in Maple Ridge has a trophy case with memorabilia dedicated to Moore. His father Ric Moore, an active member of the community, continues his legacy through the Greg Moore Foundation."

Edited by Robin Fairservice, 30 October 2009 - 15:46.

[Shatterstar]

Every time Max Papis signs a racing contract, he insists on a caveat allowing him to wear red gloves, no matter what the team's livery.

"You have to fight for that [clause]," Papis said from his home in Mooresville, N.C., after a recent Sprint Cup race.

"Believe me, it causes problems sometimes."

Papis, a former F1 and Champ Car driver now in NASCAR, wears the red gloves because his beloved friend Greg Moore wore them, despite racing in the baby blue Player's car.

Moore died in his last race for Player's, 10 years ago Halloween at Fontana, just as he was about to join a resurgent Penske team that went on to win championships and Indy 500s.

Papis's gesture is just one of dozens that keep Moore's memory alive, like the youth centre in Maple Ridge named after the late native son, the Greg Moore Foundation, the Greg Moore Legacy Award, the Greg Moore Gallery at the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.

And, wouldn't you know it, beside one of the three race-worn pairs of red gloves on display in the Moore Gallery is a small sign: "Red Gloves Rule" -- Greg Moore.

"His mom, Donna, asked us if we could include that," said Jason Beck, the Hall's curator.

"Of course we could."

The Moore gallery is impressive, housing an old Maple Ridge hockey jersey, a Fender Telecaster autographed by the boys in Metallica, the blurb to Brendan Morrison in their Pitt Meadows Secondary year book, a Player's car donated by owner Gerry Forsythe, Moore's Westwood go-kart donated by his dad and step-mom, Ric and Donna.

"It doesn't seem like 10 years because Greg lives in my heart," Papis said, the words becoming more difficult by the moment.

"Every day when I put on my gloves and my helmet, he's with me.

"Talking to you I have tears in my eyes and a heavy voice. I'm not sure my words are enough to describe who Greg was."

The Root of It All

He was a pretty good goalie who also emulated his race-car driving father, sitting in his dad's sports car trying to get his feet to reach the pedals and making engine noises, and later whipping around Ric Moore's Chrysler dealership in a go-kart, denting drain pipes.

After Greg chose pedals over pucks, he and Ric were almost inseparable on race weekends, father and son hugging and saying how much they loved each other before every start.

Greg hung out with Jason Priestly and Ashley Judd, introducing her to his racing buddy Dario Franchitti, who married her. He introduced Jimmy Vasser to some of the more interesting venues in Vasser's adopted hometown of Las Vegas.

Paul Kariya and Larry Walker he counted among his buddies.

Yet Greg Moore still lived at home in Maple Ridge, in the bedroom where he grew up with the Ayrton Senna poster on the wall. Where in 10 minutes he could be at fishing holes, bike trails or Roosters, where he'd take his visiting driving buddies on Whip 'em Off Wednesdays.

Moore, at 22 years, one month and 10 days, was the youngest winner in CART history when he won his first race, the Milwaukee Mile.

He won races five times in 72 CART starts, had signed a three-year, $10-million deal with Penske starting in 2000 and, on the day he died, was racing with a splint on a finger he broke in a paddock accident the day before.

Cleared by CART's medical staff to race, he was forced to start at the back of the pack and had zipped his way up to 10th, telling his team over the radio how much fun he was having before he lost control, skidded through the grass infield then flipped before hitting an unyielding concrete wall at 350 km/h.

Ric was as devastated as a father could be when Moore died.

He sold his dealership four years ago, moved to Coal Harbour and adopted a new lifestyle.

"I've got my own deal; I really don't need to be reminded of it," Ric said shortly after Thanksgiving.

"I've always felt that way and that's the way I prefer to keep it, you know?"

That's true, that's how he's always preferred to keep it.

But close friends of his, and the drivers like Papis and Franchitti who stay in touch, say he's doing really well, enjoying retired life, his boat, and travel.

The brat pack

In a sport necessarily dominated by individualists, the Canadian kid brought together a Scot (Franchitti), Yank (Jimmy Vasser), Italian (Papis), Brazilian (Tony Kanaan) and Mexican (Adrien Fernandez).

The Brat Pack they called them, a brash group of young men who owned the world.

"Greg was a lovely person, always up and in a good mood," said Kanaan, the 2004 IRL champion.

"He got us together."

Like many people I contacted about Moore, 10 years on, Kanaan's voice cracked while we were talking.

"To be honest, it's even tough to talk about," he said. "If he were still alive? We would get our butts kicked so bad if he was still around.

"He'd be one of the most hated drivers because he would have won so much."

Kanaan's joking, it was always pretty well impossible to dislike Greg Moore.

The media were perhaps the only group in his circle (and, at that, on the periphery) who felt they didn't get enough time from the young man with the constant smile (DNFs aside), who was but 24 when he died.

"He and I had a couple of battles," said Paul Tracy, who with Player's won the Champ Car championship that eluded Moore. "But even if he cut you off or squeezed you, you couldn't get mad at him he was so happy-go-lucky out of the car -- sort of the opposite of me."

Tracy pointed to a 1998 race at Portland where Moore tried to go from 14th to seventh on the opening hair-pin.

The move caused Tracy, Papis, Christian Fittipaldi, Michael Andretti, Mark Blundell and Robby Gordon to crash.

"A hero to zero move," Moore told me as he walked through pit road.

"But nobody got mad at Greg," Tracy said from his home in Vegas.

"If I'd done that, they would have hung me from one of those trees in the infield."

Champion in waiting

Helio Castroneves had never won a CART race, and in fact was out of work when he took Moore's seat with Penske in 2000.

Yet the Dancing With the Stars champ went on to become a three-time Indy 500 winner.

Papis, who keeps Moore's number programmed in his cell phone, believes Moore would have been a champion in NASCAR by now.

Gil de Ferran, Castroneves's teammate who won two Champ Car titles and an Indy 500 with Penske, swore to me that Moore, an oval specialist, would have been his biggest competition.

Franchitti, a two-time IRL champ and '07 Indy 500 winner, concurs.

"He's probably the best oval driver I ever drove against," he said a few days before he won the 2009 IRL championship at Homestead, dedicating his win to Moore at the last track his friend had won at. "I've got no doubt that with Greg teaming up with Penske and with Gil as a teammate he would have won just a s**t-load of races, including the Indy 500 and the championship.

"There's times Tony Kanaan and I will be sitting there, we'll have done a race and we'll look at each other and say: 'Can you imagine what Greg would have done at this place today?' It's a real shame we never got to see that."

The bald truth

Jimmy Vasser, who last bumped into Ric Moore as they pulled their boats into Campbell River to gas up a couple of years back, is as laid back as a surfer from his native California, despite winning the 1996 CART championship and now running a team in the cut-throat race business.

Addressing the 1,200 mourners at Moore's funeral at St. Andrew's Wesley Church in Vancouver's West End, Vasser said: "We know what a great race-car driver Greg was -- he was 10 times that as a person. He taught us to love life and not waste a single day."

It's a message Vasser carries with him still.

"The thing is how you imagine Greg 10 years on; an Indy 500 winner and series champion several times over," Vasser said.

"He'd be 34, maybe he'd be a little grey, balding a bit. That's funny to think about.

"I look back and I think it was forever I knew Greg Moore, but it was actually such a short period of time.

"People drift apart over time, but no one forgets about Greg Moore."

At Moore's funeral his favourite song was played, Courage by the Tragically Hip.

Vasser had never heard of the Canadian icons, although the band probably had blared from the CD in Greg's Hummer or Viper or Mercedes with Vasser a passenger.

"I can go on and on about Greg's courage," Vasser said.

"Then not long after he died, in the U.S. I started to hear Courage here and there in the weirdest of places.

"I think that was Greg letting me know he felt cool, that everything was cool."

Up in Lights

It was last Thanksgiving, the weather wasn't as nice as it has been this fall.

Franchitti's wife was filming a movie in Maple Ridge, of all places, and Franchitti was able to fly up, spend some time with Ric and Donna, Greg's siblings James and Annie, Greg's schoolboy chum Al Robbie.

And Franchitti, very late at night, took a drive around the town where Moore had often acted as guide when he suddenly slammed on the brakes.

"I pulled into kind of the main part of Maple Ridge and I saw Greg's name in huge lights at the centre of town there, on a sign," Franchitti said. "I just cracked up.

"I thought, 'Greg's name in lights,' he would have loved that.

"It struck me as the funniest thing. I took a picture with my cell phone, I sent it to Tony, I sent it to Max."

Sometimes when he sees 'Spiderman' Castroneves climb a fence, Franchitti thinks of his friend and what might have been, and Franchitti hopes a new generation of drivers and racing fans don't forget who Greg Moore was, don't forget his skill and fearlessness as a driver.

"But I think about him much more as the person he was, the laughs we had, just missing his personality, his love of life."

http://www.canada.co...5/story.html#at

[Kitman]

Ten years ago today, a great loss of a great driver and a great person.

Red gloves rule.

John Kit.

[jonnyspa27]

"Red gloves ALWAYS rule" -Max Papis

[Mig007]

Here is my DB entry for Greg Moore, as a tribute of the 12 years of his accident, a race I will sadly remember forever:

* Moore, Gregory William “Greg” (CDN):
b. 22/04/1975 (New Westminster) – d. 31/10/1999 (Loma Linda, USA)


198?-1990 – Kart Racing;
1991 – Canadian FFord 1600 (Van Diemen RF91), 4th, 1 win;
1992 – USAC West FFord 2000 (Swift DB6-Ford), Champion;
1993 – Indy Lights (Greg Moore Motorsports Lola-Buick), 9th, 64 pts;
1994 – Indy Lights (Greg Moore Motorsports Lola-Buick), 3rd, 154 pts, 3 wins;
1995 – Indy Lights (Forsythe Racing Lola-Buick), Champion, 242 pts, 10 wins;
1996 – CART (Forsythe Racing Reynard 96I-Ford), 9th, 84 pts:
Homestead 6th 7th
Rio 4th ret/116/engine
Surfers’ Paradise 8th 3rd
Long Beach 8th ret/47/collision
Nazareth 13th 2nd
US 500 17th ret/225/engine
Milwaukee 18th 5th
Detroit 14th 20th
Portland 8th ret/12/electrical
Cleveland 4th 3rd
Toronto 5th 4th
Michigan 3rd 17th
Mid-Ohio 7th 9th (ret/82/accident)
Road America 11th ret/13/collision
Vancouver 13th ret/38/oil leak
Laguna Seca 6th 6th
1997 – CART (Forsythe Racing Reynard 96-Mercedes), 7th, 111 pts:
Homestead 4th 4th
Surfers’ Paradise 4th 2nd
Long Beach 9th ret/60/fuel pump
Nazareth 10th 16th
Rio 8th 2nd
Gateway 4th 13th
Milwaukee 5th 1st
Detroit 7th 1st
(Reynard 97-Mercedes):
Portland 9th 5th
Cleveland 13th ret/67/engine
Toronto 9th ret/69/accident
(Reynard 96-Mercedes):
Michigan 21st ret/19/turbo
(Reynard 97-Mercedes):
Mid-Ohio 3rd 2nd
(Reynard 96-Mercedes):
Road America 10th ret/33/spun off
Vancouver 9th ret/63/accident
Laguna Seca 7th ret/64/engine
Fontana 6th 13th (ret/240/engine)
1998 – CART (Forsythe Racing Reynard 98i-Mercedes), 5th, 141 pts:
Homestead 1st 2nd
Motegi 5th 4th
Long Beach 14th 6th
Nazareth 2nd 3rd
Rio 7th 1st
Gateway 1st 3rd
Milwaukee 2nd 13th
Detroit 1st 5th
Portland 14th ret/0/collision
Cleveland 12th ret/3/collision
Toronto 12th 11th
Michigan 14th 1st
Mid-Ohio 6th ret/52/accident
Road America 8th ret/18/transmission
Vancouver 4th ret/54/collision
Laguna Seca 4th ret/70/spun off
Houston 1st ret/3/collision
Surfers’ Paradise 9th 8th
Fontana 9th 2nd
1999 – CART (Forsythe Racing 99i-Mercedes), 10th, 97 pts:
Homestead 1st 1st
Motegi 6th 4th
Long Beach 8th 8th
Nazareth 10th 12th
Rio 10th 8th
Gateway 6th 6th
Milwaukee 3rd 2nd
Portland 13th 13th
Cleveland 7th ret/64/exhaust
Road America 8th 4th
Toronto 10th ret/66/cooling system
Michigan 21st ret/63/transmission
Detroit 6th 3rd
Mid-Ohio 25th 11th
Chicago 11th ret/62/turbo
Vancouver 9th ret/52/accident
Laguna Seca 4th ret/32/transmission
Houston 13th 16th
Surfers’ Paradise 12th ret/46/electrical
Fontana 27th ret/9/fatal crash

[Tim Murray]

Today is the nineteenth anniversary of Greg’s death. A tribute thread for him is currently running in Racing Comments:

Greg Moore

[Henri Greuter]

Today is the nineteenth anniversary of Greg’s death. A tribute thread for him is currently running in Racing Comments:

Greg Moore

 

 

I was in California this summer, in the Ontario area, During a ride on a highway my friends pointed out where to look to see something of the Fontana track.

I looked the other way, I couldn't and didn't want to see a glimse of that place.

 

RIP Greg, How would Indycar history have looked if only....

Edited by Henri Greuter, 31 October 2018 - 19:28.

[Tim Murray]

Now it’s twenty years. RIP Greg.

[JacnGille]

Still remember it like it was yesterday. 

[F1matt]

He was a breath of fresh air, motorsport is worse off without him. 

[Berner]

I posted a photo of him in FF at Mont Tremblant on Racing Comments.

[E1pix]

Written the night of Greg's death, and posted elsewhere hereabouts some time ago.

 

Thanks for that day, Kid, you simply couldn't have been nicer to me. RIP.

 

 

A Day in the Life of Greg Moore

 

In 1992, my friends Bob and Buddy Lazier secured their first major CART sponsor in Viper Auto Security, and graciously included me in their program as photographer and graphic designer. In March of 1993, I received a call from my client at Viper asking if I could fly to PIR to shoot publicity photos of the first CART test of a young, unlicensed Canadian they were sponsoring in Indy Lights. I was surprised to have never heard of this driver, and wondered how Viper had discovered him. That driver was Greg Moore.   

 

I arrived at the track bright and early, and could not believe my eyes when I met the freckled, 17 year-old Greg. He looked all of 15, and he could hardly believe the journey before him. I asked his father Ric Moore and Greg’s career-long Team Manager Steve Challis if we could take a few “insurance” photos of Greg with the car before he went out, but they assured me that Greg was taking it easy and they needed a few laps to test a chassis change before the desert heat invalidated comparison. Greg went out on spent tires, took 0.8 sec. from the track record and promptly pounded the wall, damaging both ends of the car badly enough to send them packing. Luckily, Greg was okay and the Viper logo on the sidepods was intact. I was able to crop out the damage to photograph Greg with the car.   

 

Before I left with my rental car, Ric asked if I’d mind taking him and Greg to the airport. They sat in the back seat together, and we enjoyed talking of a career to come. There was a brief silence of a few seconds, during which I saw a dejected Greg in the mirror with something on his mind that a teenager can’t hide. He looked sheepishly at his father, and remarked, “I hit the wall kinda hard, huh Dad?” Ric assured him it’s part of the game, and no big deal. The sad irony of those words are more than a little haunting now.

 

Not only did Greg lose his life on Halloween, but Buddy Lazier turned 32 that day.

 

Why did the end of ‘99 have to mean the end of #99? 

 

Godspeed, Greg.

 

 

Edit: I had a lengthy bit of a meltdown writing this that day, and right then on came this favorite song from my youth. I still cannot listen to it without choking up, that will never change, and it wasn't until much later I realized the irony of its words — and even its title.

 

I hope posting it doesn't change the song for anyone else here as it has for me, though not forgetting is still best:

Edited by E1pix, 09 November 2019 - 22:34.