90 replies to this topic

[jeze]

It was one of Indy racing's worst days, a bit like Imola 1994. One of the sport's stars died while racing, and even though he hadn't reached that far yet, one could only imagine what he'd beeen able to do in a Penske the latest decade. I salute you Greg, R.I.P. forever

Share your memories about Greg as well. I never watched him drive, since I was just a kid back then, but my favourite story is about him snatching pole at Homestead in 1998, by three tenths on an intermediate oval!

[FormerF1Driver]

Brilliant driver who is sadly missed. A true gentleman racer.

[Levike]

Time is flying...10 years!
Rest in Peace, Greg !

[H0R]

Yep. One of the biggest losses for international motor racing. And one of the few Indy drivers I would have expected to succeed in F1. As far as I remember Forsythe was running Merc engines in 99 and I still think he would have had a shot for a McLaren seat. Major shame, huge tragedy and I still feel bad when I remember Greg. :-(

[Jimisgod]

Rest in peace Greg. Champcar died that day, or at least the fever set in that would finally kill it. One could only wonder where we would be had Greg not gone.

[e34fanatic]

It was really a sad day. Greg Moore was one of those guys who made you to watch the race at Sunday evenings. Really talented driver.

I guess it was in Rio 1998 or something like that, when he won. He really handled those 1000 hp monsters. One time he excited on the front straight completely sideways, in ovals it usually ment crashing, but not with Greg. He simply corrected the slide, the track-side camera on the barrier catching the whole thing. Otherwise great race too.

http://video.google....ed=0CCEQqwQwAw#

[THE "driverider"]

1999 was such a year in CART Greg Moore and Gonzalo Rodriguez RIP the both of you.

[Tony Matthews]

CART provided some of the best motor racing on the planet, I miss it still. Greg was a star, and seeing his accident, knowing that it was unservivable, was a terrible moment.

[potmotr]

I've still got the Autosport at home from the week of Greg Moore's death.

Has Johnny Herbert winning at the European Grand Prix on the cover.

The obituary and column about Moore is an incredibly moving read, even now.

[postajegenye]

I didn't really know what CART was back then, I was young and had just started following F1 ... but I still remember when I read about Greg's death. It seems incredible that it's been 10 years already.

The obituary and column about Moore is an incredibly moving read, even now.

I've already heard how good written that obituary is, but I've never had the chance to read it; could it be possible that you scan it or something like that?

[metz]

Watched him duel for the lead at Michigan.
Got pushed, spun to the inside grass, did a 360 sliding turn, powered back onto the track and won the race.

One time, I was carting at a Toronto indoor track.
In walks Greg with a doz or so underpriveledged kids.
No media, no fanfare, just doing good for a bunch of kids.

Every fan letter he got was answered.
His mom would read them all, and the ones he could, he'd answer himself.

A very savvy driver. Smart, quick and error free.

Oh, how I wish .................

[The Ragged Edge]

I've still got the Autosport at home from the week of Greg Moore's death.

Has Johnny Herbert winning at the European Grand Prix on the cover.

The obituary and column about Moore is an incredibly moving read, even now.

I remember watching the crash live. The crash live looked horrific, but when they showed the replay and the state of the car, it looked even worse. The chassis and the way he was positioned. Sad sad day for motorsport.

[Rob]

I remember the race vividly. I was 15 at the time and hadn't yet seen a fatality in motor racing. Somewhat luckily, I'd missed the race a couple of years earlier in which Jeff Krosnoff had perished. Gonzalo Rodriguez had died a month earlier, but it was in a qualifying session and these were not broadcast in the UK. Although sad, it didn't have the effect on me that Greg's accident did. Probably because with Greg's accident, I saw it on television as it happened and went through the range of emotions as we received more updates from the broadcasters.

As soon as I saw the accident I knew it would be bad, but you always hope for the best. In the UK, it was late and I had school the next day so I had to go to bed before the end of the race. I was told by my mum the next morning that Greg hadn't survived the crash. Deep down even though I knew there was little chance of him surviving, it still hit me like a ton of bricks when I found out for certain. It was so hard watching Dario Franchitti and Adrian Fernandez having to deal with their grief in a very public arena. All the drivers were obviously upset, but I vividly remember interviews with Dario and Adrian afterwards. Adrian was very choked up about it and was overcome with emotion. I just wanted to give the poor guy a hug.

If ever there was a driver who looked like a future champion, it was Greg. With a Penske contract in his pocket, the world was at his feet. It was tragic that he never got the chance to fulfill his potential. Even though one should try and look forwards, one can't help wondering, "What if?" The racing world lost a very special talent - a shining star in open wheel racing. He would certainly have gone on to do great things.

Rest in peace Greg, we all miss you.

[Henri Greuter]

January '99 a friend and I were visiting the Canada Pavillion in Disneys Epcot Ceter, at Orlando.
We had dinner in the Canadian restaurant in the pavillion and the waitress noticed I was from Europe so I explained that I and my American friend were here last weeked too because of the IRL race (on the Mickyard)
She told us she had a cousin who raced in another sries and if we had ever heard of Greg Moore
That was her cousin.
We instantly informed her that her cousin was something specuial on the tracks and that we both were a fan of him. Which we were.
We left her our addresses with the request if she could get us a signed promocard or so by Greg
Regrettably that never happened.
And less than a year later came Fontana.

Rest in peace Greg, The Good Lord really treated Himself that day when he took you away from us.

Henri Greuter

[gerry nassar]

I cant believe its been 10 years already. It was extremely sad to lose both Moore and Gonzales. Both great talents too. I was a fan of his back then even though we were all riveted by the Montoya v Franchitti battle that year. Another member of this site has some amazing yet emotional video footage in the paddock/pits from that weekend and you can see the melancholy mood amongst the drivers. Greg Moore RIP

[Sith]

I was at Fontana that day.. (Along with Bumper..) We were actually down on the start/finish line with all the drivers as they were being introduced to the crowd before the race.. It was like all the drivers were saying goodbye to him.. (they were asking about his hand, as he had hurt in Q the day before.) I had only just been speaking to him minutes before asking him about his hand as well.. Chatting with him, he seemed very confident about coming through the field from the back of the grid.. I've got some home video footage of all the drivers talking to him, it's just so ire to watch.. i might put a link on here.. I was only watching it 2 weeks ago..

31/10/99 The 10 year anniversary...

R.I.P Greg!

Edited by Sith, 27 October 2009 - 12:01.

[Muzzyf1]

That was a really bad crash just like Zannardis carsh very disturbing..

Greg Moore was a true champion a real talent lost forever


Rest in Peace bud too bad you never got to live out the dream...

[jeze]

I found out something like two days later, when I talked with my dad about my CART game from the 1997 season. I was eight years old back then, and he asked me which driver I was. I said; Greg Moore, coz' he's the best! Then my father said "Greg Moore died in an accident last weekend". I had no idea about it, and I never saw him race, but there was something that touched me by the photography in the game. Turned out he was such a fantastic charachter as well, which has further enhanced my emotions towards him!

[Alfisti]

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was a huge CART fan at the time with their big HP engines and varied tracks. I saw Senna's crash but you always thought he'd be fine, Greg's though ..... I mean ... I had never seen a fatal crash but I knew there was no way to survive that. It was an EPIC impact, the violence of it was startling. You knew he was gone. Seemed a great blok from all reports.

Since then only one crash in any formulae has made me sit up and think "gee this could be bad", not as bad as Greg's but I thought Sarah Fisher was in trouble at Elkart Lake, that was a nasty one.

[Hames Junt]

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was a huge CART fan at the time with their big HP engines and varied tracks. I saw Senna's crash but you always thought he'd be fine, Greg's though ..... I mean ... I had never seen a fatal crash but I knew there was no way to survive that. It was an EPIC impact, the violence of it was startling. You knew he was gone. Seemed a great blok from all reports.

Since then only one crash in any formulae has made me sit up and think "gee this could be bad", not as bad as Greg's but I thought Sarah Fisher was in trouble at Elkart Lake, that was a nasty one.

Do you not mean Katherine Legge?

[Henri Greuter]

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was a huge CART fan at the time with their big HP engines and varied tracks. I saw Senna's crash but you always thought he'd be fine, Greg's though ..... I mean ... I had never seen a fatal crash but I knew there was no way to survive that. It was an EPIC impact, the violence of it was startling. You knew he was gone. Seemed a great blok from all reports.

Since then only one crash in any formulae has made me sit up and think "gee this could be bad", not as bad as Greg's but I thought Sarah Fisher was in trouble at Elkart Lake, that was a nasty one.

The nasty thing about Greg's one was that two years before we also saw a horror crash at Fontana that appeared to be fatal. When Luyendyk had taken over a Ganassi ride for an injured zanardi/ I remember seeing that crash and believed Arie was gone. Yet he survived.
Arie and Greg at Fontana was to me kind of what I had seen before at Imola in '89 and 94. In '89 I believed I had seen Berger have a fatal one yet he survived.

Another one of which I knew he was gone but was wrong after all: Forgot the location and when but when Memo Gidley in a Target-Ganassi car slamed againt the ramps of a fly-over at the track, was it Elkhart lake? That was a volent one too.

And strangely, I still recall the 90's within CART as such a wonderful era of racing....


Henri

[Mark Bennett]

I remember vividly that we were sat watching and hoping against hope that somehow he would be ok - We'd seen the accident and the hope was still there that somehow he managed to survive.
When the Doctor came on with the statement and started "Sadly, the Driver Greg Moore..." we knew.

Such a great loss. As was Gonzales.

RIP

[molive]

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was a huge CART fan at the time with their big HP engines and varied tracks.

Me too, I used to attend the races in Toronto, it was very nice to be able to walk around and talk to the mechanics and drivers without any trouble. I had many great encounters, but sadly I've never met Greg. He seemed like a nice bloke, and very talented too.

RIP

[potmotr]

I've already heard how good written that obituary is, but I've never had the chance to read it; could it be possible that you scan it or something like that?

I'm afraid it is at my parents place which is on the other side of the world.

I actually read it when I was home at the start of the year.

I've just used the Autosport search function to find it but no luck I'm afraid.

[teejay]

I was 17

In Australia, the telecast's were delayed by 18 or so hours - so I avoided all tv/media to not know the result.

I watched in terror as it happened.

I wept when they announced it during the race. I did not want to go to school the next day.

RIP Greg - so much talent gone way too early.

And strangely, I still recall the 90's within CART as such a wonderful era of racing....

Because it was - but lets not argue that sort of stuff here. Way too much disrespect for Greg.

Edited by teejay, 27 October 2009 - 13:12.

[Garagiste]

Wow, ten years. It's strange - on the one hand it seems so recent that we lost Greg, on the other it seems like such a long time ago that CART was any good.

[Alfisti]

Do you not mean Katherine Legge?

Which ever one ploughed intot he wall at Road America when her rear wing fell off. That was a big one.

[ex Rhodie racer 2]

What a sad, sad day. RIP fella.

[postajegenye]

I'm afraid it is at my parents place which is on the other side of the world.

I actually read it when I was home at the start of the year.

I've just used the Autosport search function to find it but no luck I'm afraid.

OK, thanks anyway!

[Desdirodeabike]

It was really a sad day. Greg Moore was one of those guys who made you to watch the race at Sunday evenings. Really talented driver.

I guess it was in Rio 1998 or something like that, when he won. He really handled those 1000 hp monsters. One time he excited on the front straight completely sideways, in ovals it usually ment crashing, but not with Greg. He simply corrected the slide, the track-side camera on the barrier catching the whole thing. Otherwise great race too.

http://video.google....ed=0CCEQqwQwAw#

Could you say where exactly in the video this happens? Couldnt see the slide.

[potmotr]

Which ever one ploughed intot he wall at Road America when her rear wing fell off. That was a big one.

That was Legge.

Road Atlanta, 2006

[Alfisti]

Road America you mean?

[potmotr]

Road America you mean?

Oh yeah!

[Scotracer]

I missed his last race and I remember the next race was quite the solemn affair.

RIP.

[BMW_F1]

Could you say where exactly in the video this happens? Couldnt see the slide.

That was kind of a dangerous move but the thing is that the CART drivers back then really knew how to control those powered machines and could avoid getting into a massive accident.. I can’t imagine the drivers from the indy league today capable of avoiding a collision with that move Greg pulled on Zanardi. When someone tries to do something like that today it always ends up in a crash and the drivers blaming each other for dangerous driving or coming down on them.

About Moore, how could I forget this tragic moment.. I was way more into CART in 99 than F1 and this was the last race of the season.. . The racing was spectacular and JPM/Franchitti/Kanan/Tracey/Andretti battles were impressive.

Moore was very highly rated by all of his peers – they always mentioned how he someday would be the top driver of the league.. Unfortunately he did not have the equipment to challenge for wins consistently.

Although I was thrilled to see JPM become champion I was very sad the season hand to endure two tragic deaths - Gonzalo Rodriguez had perished in Laguna Seca during a test session for Penske.

[Henri Greuter]

Because it was - but lets not argue that sort of stuff here. Way too much disrespect for Greg.

I'm sorry if my comment offended you. That was not the intention.
But one of the reasons why I was so excited about CART in the late 90's was Greg's presence.
Brazil is already mentioned.
But how about Homestead when he spun and ran the front straight backwards without hitting anything?
And numerous other acts of bravado?

For me, Greg was one of the reasons that made watching CART time well spend from '96 to '99.
I hope that clears the situation?

Henri

[byrkus]

In those days I used to watch CART races on Eurosport, whenever it was possible. On that particular race I missed first 20 or 30 minutes, and when I finally switched to race, both German commentators sounded somehow macabre, and were constantly mentioning an incredibly hard crash. But there was no replay of it. I got curious what exactly happened, until somewhere mid race they showed official Doctor, who said something like "I regret to say that Greg Moore was declared dead..." After that I was in pure shock, and the race just passed by me. And what a race it eventually became; both Champion and Runner-Up finished with same points tally, but there was simply no celebration of any sort. A fantastic race, and a fantastic finish for a fine season - if not for Moore's crash...

Only the next day did I see the replay of the crash, and then I realised why there was no replay at the race itself. It was just... Horrible. Simply horrible. Not something I wish to see again. Ever.

Hard to believe that it's 10 years already...

[AcuraF1]

Was my 30th birthday, so didn't get to watch the race. The news flashed along the bottom of the screen later and it stopped me in my tracks. One of my worst birthdays ever. I thought Greg would be in F1 alongside Jacques guaranteed. We lost a true racer that day.

[Alfisti]

This is a decent video of the events that day.



Again, the angle and speed he hit the wall, you almost felt it through the TV. TBH i am not convinced open wheelers belong on superspeedways.

[teejay]

I'm sorry if my comment offended you. That was not the intention.
But one of the reasons why I was so excited about CART in the late 90's was Greg's presence.
Brazil is already mentioned.
But how about Homestead when he spun and ran the front straight backwards without hitting anything?
And numerous other acts of bravado?

For me, Greg was one of the reasons that made watching CART time well spend from '96 to '99.
I hope that clears the situation?

Henri

Yeah not a problem - no offense was taken, just didnt want it to turn into a cart vs indycar argument.

Imagine how different the o.w racing world would have been for Helio if it wasnt for Gregs untimely death.

[tweiss]

RIP Greg

[BMW_F1]

Yeah not a problem - no offense was taken, just didnt want it to turn into a cart vs indycar argument.

Imagine how different the o.w racing world would have been for Helio if it wasnt for Gregs untimely death.

Helio had a guarantee prosperous future in the series as well.

[RV_Canada]

Yeah his death pretty much ended my interest in that series.

RIP Greg, you were a star.

[John B]

Imagine how different the o.w racing world would have been for Helio if it wasnt for Gregs untimely death.

And for the oval-friendly IRL once Penske moved there - Moore would have plenty of opportunities to win championships and the 500.

They may not have shown it again on the race broadcast, but I remember ESPN running replays of the crash during breaks of the Sunday night football game. That was the day football legend Walter Payton also passed on IIRC.

Edited by John B, 27 October 2009 - 15:22.

[Bouncing Pink Ball]

Greg Moore's final race was the first, and only, fatal motor sport crash I watched as it was happening, on television. I was quite the CART follower in those days and had been looking forward to Fontana because, back then, it was the open wheel cars on big, high speed ovals that had caught my attention. Since I had no classes that day, and I was home alone, I'd expected to enjoy an uninterrupted afternoon of racing. I had just come back from fetching a bag of microwave popcorn from the kitchen when the cameras were showing the crash. You just knew; it was immediately obvious that he was gone. I can remember standing there, in front of the television, watching most of what was left of the race while I tried to call my mother, who was a Greg fan, and let her know what had happened.

Besides the crash, the reaction from race winner Adrian Fernandez, hearing the news as he climbed out of his car, and slumping back down, stuck with me as well. The race hadn't been stopped, and though it was clear to some at the track that Greg was gone when the flags were lowered, the drivers were too busy to notice such a detail. Most, IIRC, learned the full extent of what had happened only after the checkered flag. The post-race podium finishers press conference was heartbreaking.

[MegaManson]

While death does tend to inflate a driver's reputation/ability I honestly believe Greg would have made it in F1, he had that natural gift and flair about him, him dying was to me way worse than Senna dying, Senna had achieved everything and was at the tail end of his career, Greg was just starting his and had probably 15 years of racing ahead of him, Greg dying reminded me of the deaths of Tony Brise and Paul Warwick in terms of the impact they had on me

[Risil]

God, was it only 10 years ago? Like Henri said, the second half of the 1990s was a magical time for racing in America. There's such a chasm between racing then and now, that it hardly seems believable that we're watching the same sport, though many of the drivers and teams are the same. Greg's death was a part of that. In some ways his career reminds me of the other great Canadian, Gilles Villeneuve's. Few other drivers made such an outsize impression on a sport they clearly loved but were only briefly a part of, as those two.

[ebin]

I met Greg at an autograph signing when he was still in Indy Lights, I attended the public memorial service as well which was attended by thousands. He was a nice guy and watching him race you could see had massive talent - he was dragging that Mercedes motor up the grid every race. He was definitely F1 material and with his Merc connections it wouldn't have been a stretch to see have seen him in a McLaren a few years after that race.

[Newtsche]

I've always been confused by just how hard Greg Moore's death hit me. I see I'm not alone. At that time CART was clearly the best show out there and Moore was my guy. The only times I ever worried about him was pit stops, my heart would pound and sometimes I couldn't even watch. Back on track, I knew he was in control. I already had years invested in his career, expecting many, many more. Then he was gone. For some weeks after, I'd wake up in the middle of the night as if I'd just found out "Greg Moore is dead!"

Greg loved Peter Sellers/Inspector Clouseau.

Clouseau: "I thought you said your dog didn't bite".
Man: "That's not my dog".

CART was never the same. We know what the following years brought to US OWR, not this accident's fault but the series lost a lot of heart that horrible day.

Edited by Newtsche, 27 October 2009 - 17:16.

[fastlegs]

Greg's hometown of Maple Ridge, BC is not far from where I live.

Greg's dad owned Maple Ridge Chrysler and also managed Greg's racing career.

I got to see a lot of Greg on local TV, Vancouver Indy, etc. during his racing career.

He was so such a class act and a very nice guy.