40 replies to this topic

[kapow]

It's 19 years to the day since Greg Moore was tragically taken from us.

Do you have any memories of Greg? How good could he have been?

[messy]

First time I'd ever witnessed a driver die live, and it traumatised me a bit given I was only like 13 or 14. The moment the camera cut to his car flipping through the infield, the commentators' obvious shock etc, won't forget it in a hurry. Haven't yet anyway.

My CART favourites were always Jimmy Vasser and whoever was driving the Forsythe cars because I loved the Players livery. Moore, I'm disappointed really in hindsight that I didn't start watching until '99 because after winning the first race at Homestead (ahead of Andretti? First race I watched) it was a pretty difficult season for him but the commentators kept waxing lyrical about how brilliant he was and how much potential he had. But I don't have any real first hand memories of that, just what I've read about, much like with Senna really.

He was obviously a very, very special talent and if his '99 team-mate Tony Kanaan is still driving to this day, I figure Greg could have been too. Same age, I think?

[Boxerevo]

First words that always comes in my mind with Greeg Moore is Blue car.

Edited by Boxerevo, 31 October 2018 - 15:54.

[HeadFirst]

Greg Moore was fast from Day 1. Had he lived I think he would have won the WDC, at some point in his career.

[sopa]

Memories are already hazy, but he seemed like a promising talent, who despite obviously very good results was still yet to fulfill his full potential. His 1999 season I think hadn't been as good as I had hoped. And to get killed on top of that was an utter blow.

[Currahee]

Watched it live and feared the worst as soon as it happened. As did the commentary. Sadly we were proved right.

[John B]

Given his strength on ovals, he would likely have thrived with Penske's move to the IRL.

[BuddyHolly]

19 years already? dear gods doesn't time fly!

 

My memories are mixed, the good is that he was a really nice guy who was very talented and had a bright future (so I thought), I would have loved him to come to F1.

the bad is that crash is deeply etched into my memory, I've seen lots of crashes over the past 40-odd years of watching motorsport and I've sadly seen lots of fatal ones but his was one of the most brutal and horrific ones I've had the misfortune to see, just truly a horrible crash. 

[eibyyz]

19 years already? dear gods doesn't time fly!

 

My memories are mixed, the good is that he was a really nice guy who was very talented and had a bright future (so I thought), I would have loved him to come to F1.

the bad is that crash is deeply etched into my memory, I've seen lots of crashes over the past 40-odd years of watching motorsport and I've sadly seen lots of fatal ones but his was one of the most brutal and horrific ones I've had the misfortune to see, just truly a horrible crash. 

 

I was watching TV when Chip Ganassi had his deal at Michigan 1984, and I was sure that he was dead.  So there was the smallest of hopes that Greg was ok, given fifteen years worth of safety advances.  But when the announcers didn't mention Greg as the race went on...horrible day.  

[P123]

19 years... already.

 

I'm sure he'd have been a champion for Penske (as far as I recall he was already signed for '97?).

[Alfisti]

I was 24 when Greg died but in reality still a kid. I'd stay up until all hours (in Australia) watching indycar, right through university. I always retain hope in accidents, i never seem to fear the worst, but that night, you knew it right away, either Moore or Carpentier wasn't surviving that. 

 

He was a similar age to me and by far it's the crash i remember the most vividly. I can still hear the commentator say "we're going to hold on naming the driver". 

[Alfisti]

19 years already? dear gods doesn't time fly!

 

My memories are mixed, the good is that he was a really nice guy who was very talented and had a bright future (so I thought), I would have loved him to come to F1.

the bad is that crash is deeply etched into my memory, I've seen lots of crashes over the past 40-odd years of watching motorsport and I've sadly seen lots of fatal ones but his was one of the most brutal and horrific ones I've had the misfortune to see, just truly a horrible crash. 

 

This.

 

it wa sso, so bad. The speed and the angle, the two combined, never seen anything like it since to be honest. Krosnoff the closest. It's the only crash ever that i was 100% sure, instantly, the driver didn't make it. 

[FNG]

Yup happened on my Birthday. Was watching it with my girlfriend and as soon as the impact happened I walked straight out of the room and outside. She kept asking me what was wrong, I was pretty emotional, I said he was dead. She kept telling me they haven't said anything yet etc etc. But I knew. I'm a Vancouver boy and so was Greg. He was the hero of the city and then in mourning by the city.

 

Shame, he had a contract for Penske the next year and pretty sure was F1 bound at some point.

[Henri Greuter]

I didn't see that race live, I was injured and staying at my sister's place who was not into racing but was OK with me taping the race so I could look the following day while she went to work.

I wacthed that following morning and saw the crash.

To confirm, I looked at the Dutch verion of Ceefax what was known and read it was indeed fatal.

Didn't bother to watch the rest of the race any longer. I didn't give a damn about JPM so really no need to see the race in which he became champion after all anymore.....

After the serious mishaps of Zanardi and Luyendyk in '97, both driving Target #4, I was through with Fontana.

 

 

Edit: I have no idea if he would have gone F1 but seeing the ressurection of Penske from 2000, and knowing Costro Neves took the seat that Greg had, I think the conclusion is simple. Greg would have become a legend in his own rights at and with Penske.

 

 

Last Summer I was in California in the Ontario area.

Driving around my friend pointed out in which direction to look for some sings and posts of the Fontana track.

I turned away, I just didn't want to see a single glimse of that damned currsed track that tried to `eat` drivers I liked so often.

 

Rest in peace Greg, Thanks for the memories.

Edited by Henri Greuter, 31 October 2018 - 20:01.

[H0R]

I am in the second half of my fifties. I am following motor sports since the late 1960s. Throughout these years we have witnessed quite a lot fatalities, each a tragedy by itself.

Strangely enough my favourite drivers always seemed to have a guardian angel. I "lost" only two - Jochen Rindt and Greg Moore.

I was a kid when Rindt crashed, but quite a grown up man when Greg Moore died. It hit me even more. I stopped watching any kind kind of motor racing for about two years and hold an open hatred for the track at Fontana until today. (Although I know that freak accidents can happen at any given track).

Yeah, Greg Moore - what a talent, what a driver and what a likeable personality.

See you up front, 99. 

Edited by H0R, 31 October 2018 - 20:19.

[Grippy]

Greg Moore was my OH's favourite. She was out and I was watching while recording, Still vivid in my mind and going to put the kettle on, rather than continue watching. We've still got the tape but never watched it, and I can't bring myself to get rid of it.

 

Jochen Rindt I asked my dad what ' posthumous' meant when it was announced after the show that he was posthumous world champion.

[Christbiscuit]

I used to stay up to watch a lot of those races on Eurosport at the time. Moore was definitely touted as the next big thing, even if he never fully realised his potential. I thought the Penske move would be the making of him. That crash remains the most violent, horrible impact that I ever saw, even more-so than Krosnoff. It was clear he had no chance and was gone even before what was left of the car stopped rolling. Utterly brutal.

 

That was a tough time for Penske, losing both new driver Gonzalo Rodriguez and future driver Moore within a couple of months of each other.

[djparky]

I remember Greg Moore, and unfortunately I remember watching the Fontana race on Eurosport as well. I think he'd signed for Penske the following year, given his ability on the ovals he could have been an Indy 500 winner.

[Loosenut]

I video taped that race because I was working that night. Was looking a big fan of JPM at the time, really excited to get home and see the race.
I've never seen anything like that before or since. Hope I never do again. I felt truly gutted, he was a really good guy.

He was a rising start for sure, a lot of talk about F1 interest in him, altho he maintained that Indy was always his dream. It was the easily best OW series at the time anyway.

Zanardi even said at the end of 97 that even if Greg does go ahead and take 1998, he wants to at least give him a good hard fight. I guess that shows how much Alex rated him..

Well he's a legend now, just wish he was a 43 year old one.. :/

[FLB]

 But I knew. I'm a Vancouver boy and so was Greg. He was the hero of the city and then in mourning by the city.

 

Shame, he had a contract for Penske the next year and pretty sure was F1 bound at some point.

The TSN coverage was amazing, They truly made you feel that a Canadian hero had been lost.

[Dolph]

When I started following CART in 1995 I was just a kid and I did not know anyone who raced there, except for Michael Andretti and Christian Fittipaldi. My favourite was Villeneuve because he drove the blue car. He ended up winning the championship and moved to F1 in 1996. I picked a new favourite - Greg Moore, as he then started driving the blue car. I saw the crash live late at night watching from bed. I knew right the moment it happened he had died. The feeling of unfairness of it all was very big. Hearn had just crashed there moments ago and walked away and Greg had a problem with his hand - he shouldn't have even raced, I thought. I printed a small black sign on my printer and took it to school next day keeping it in my pencil box. It was just very sad. My dad couldn't believe it when I told him early next morning after waking up. 

[teejay]

Due to the late night coverage in Australia I had taped the race.

 

I remember waking up keen to watch it, for the accident and death to come up on the news. 

 

I was shattered. Greg would have no doubt been a talent in indycar for a long long time. 

 

[DN5]

I really saw it live - one of the saddest things I have seen was when Dario was told the news abot Greg at the end of the race - via body language from the stands

 

As others have said he was pretty special and seemed destined to be a star.

[E1pix]

Still gutting.

RIP, Kid.

[jonpollak]

You and me both Eric.
Jp

[JacnGille]

 

the bad is that crash is deeply etched into my memory, I've seen lots of crashes over the past 40-odd years of watching motorsport and I've sadly seen lots of fatal ones but his was one of the most brutal and horrific ones I've had the misfortune to see, just truly a horrible crash. 

Same for me.  

[Andrew Hope]

Saw it live. That year coincidentally enough, my grade 5 school teacher in Hamilton, Ontario was also named Greg Moore. I thought it strange that the universe generally and my parents specifically spent a good chunk of my waking moments barking at me to focus at school, while simultaneously forcing me to think about car racing every time I heard my teacher speak.

I have in the 2 decades since then, probably 4 or 5 times, set off with a fresh bottle of whiskey intending to dive down pleasant racing rabbit holes on Youtube and as one video leads to another, ended the night a blubbering wreck like I just found out my parents were dead, reliving Paul Page holding, because there were two cars like it in the field. Well, there's only ever gonna be one f-u-c-k-i-n-g car like it in my heart.

Edited by Andrew Hope, 01 November 2018 - 04:46.

[Bleu]

From what I remember, Moore wanted to go to F1 but not before he had won CART title. De Ferran obviously won titles in 2000 and 2001 so Greg would have had chance on those too.

 

But then another question when and which team he would have made the move had he taken titles? McLaren's choice instead of Kimi in 2002? One of Honda powered teams? (Jordan/BAR)

[PayasYouRace]

I always remember him for being exciting and fast, but there wasn’t any consitency. But how much of that was him and how much was Forsythe Racing we’ll never know.

His death is something that I must have managed to blank out quickly. I was 12 when I watched that race, but my overriding memory of it was the Montoya/Franchitti title battle.

It wasn’t until Dan Wheldon that I saw another live death, and that one really affected me.

I was watching some classic IndyCar/CART from 1996 to 1998 a few moths ago. Great memories of him.

[YoungGun]

1982 and 1999 remain vivid in my mind to this day as low points. 1997 sort of eased that pain. 

[Peat]

I was 14. I'd only been following CART since '96 and he was instantly 'my guy'. Fontana 99 was the first time I was able to watch a race live on tv, as I was on a family holiday in a hotel that had the channel. It had been a long day as I had got up early to go to 'Bubba's Sports Bar' to watch the Japanese GP that morning. 

Senna's death was the moment that moved the needle in my world and made me aware of motorsport. Before that, it was just that boring/annoying thing that my dad watched. So, Greg's death was my first, first hand, lesson in how brutal this sport can be. That cut shot to him flipping roll-hoop first into the concrete barrier told you all you needed to know. He was gone. 

I felt like i'd watched a friend die. My enduring memory was staggering down the beach after the race with a beautiful, idyllic sunset and I just couldn't stop crying.  

Red Gloves Rule!

[messy]

Fontana 1999 and Las Vegas 2011 are easily the most horrifying things I've ever seen in Motorsport.

I honestly still occasionally have dreams that are clearly based on memories of the latter accident. I dream that there's a huge accident, a plane crash basically, with mangled cars everywhere, the panic, the shock.....it involves different cars, sometimes recognisable, sometimes not, but always based on the images and memories from that day.

Motor Racing can be brutal.

Edited by messy, 01 November 2018 - 12:22.

[Enzo308]

I was fortunate enough to meet Greg in '96 before the Toronto race; i have pictures somewhere. Was very friendly and nice; talked about how he liked Lamborghini's and fly-fishing when he had free time. Unfortunately a few weeks later i was at the same race when jeff Krosnoff was killed....

both very sad stories....

thanks for the reminder....

[Newtsche]

Greg caught my eye in Indy Lights, he really seemed to have it all.  I hitched my wagon to his star, counting on many years of him.  I'm still confused as to how hard his passing hit me, I was haunted for months.

 

I wore my Forsythe hat to the Gateway Indycar race this year, no one noticed but I cared.

[Berner]

I first saw Greg in the mid-nineties, racing FFord at Mont Tremblant, sponsored by his dad's car dealership. Very nice and approachable guy.

[BuddyHolly]

I am in the second half of my fifties. I am following motor sports since the late 1960s. Throughout these years we have witnessed quite a lot fatalities, each a tragedy by itself.

Strangely enough my favourite drivers always seemed to have a guardian angel. I "lost" only two - Jochen Rindt and Greg Moore.

I was a kid when Rindt crashed, but quite a grown up man when Greg Moore died. It hit me even more. I stopped watching any kind kind of motor racing for about two years and hold an open hatred for the track at Fontana until today. (Although I know that freak accidents can happen at any given track).

Yeah, Greg Moore - what a talent, what a driver and what a likeable personality.

See you up front, 99. 

I can totally understand that, I have an utter loathing of Watkins Glen for robbing me of my hero when I was 11 back in 1973, I know it's stupid and these things happen anywhere but still it's not something I can shake off to this day.

[Afterburner]

This was (is?) a great article about Greg that James Hinchcliffe wrote a few years ago:

https://racer.com/20...es-hinchcliffe/

I didn’t even start to watch racing until four years after Greg passed, but reading this after going through the thread caused me to tear up. What might have been...

[bargeboard]

I met Greg once at the Molson Indy Toronto. He was signing autographs for a bunch of us Greg-crazy Canadians. I remember him being cool as a cucumber. He had a pair of cool looking white and black dress shoes on, so when he grabbed my ticket to autograph it, I was sure to say "I like your shoes, Greg. They're really cool". He gave me a smile and a chuckle, signed my ticket and handed it back. That was my Greg Moore experience. He seemed every bit as cool as everyone describes him as being.

 

Edited by bargeboard, 01 November 2018 - 17:18.

[Dave Ware]

I was paying attention at the time (following CART pretty religiously) and it was my understanding, based on what I read, that Greg Moore was an exceptional talent.  Won 10 of 12 races on his way to the Indy Lights championship in 1995 (One better than that Paul Tracy character, who was no slouch.)  Went to CART in '96 and was immediately fast and comfortable (fastest lap at his first race, the Homestead oval.)

 

IIRC, which I think I do, his team used Mercedes engines, which were not quite the measure of the Hondas and Fords.  Close but not quite.  So his true potential was tempered by that. 

 

Moore, Dario, Papis and Kaanan were great friends.  I read an interview with Papis 4 or 5 years ago; he said he still has the last message Greg Moore left on his answering machine. 

[teejay]

They had their "rat pack" if I recall correctly. 

 

I am sure they had a lot of fun. 

[D28]

1982 and 1999 remain vivid in my mind to this day as low points. 1997 sort of eased that pain. 

Likewise for me, I understand completely.