WE REMEMBER // GREG MOORE 1975-1999

At Fontana Raceway California 10 years ago today, racing lost one of it's most promising and friendliest stars. 24 year old Canadian Greg Moore was tragically killed while racing in the 1999 Cart Championship Final round the "Marlboro 500" at the speedway venue.

By race end the terrible news had filtered through to the paddock and all flags were flown at half mast. The podium presentations were cancelled amidst a very sombre atmosphere as the whole of the Cart racing community came to terms with the incomprehensibly tragic event that taken the life of one of the series most popular drivers.

Greg was born in New Westminster, British Columbia before moving to Vancouver. His motorsport career had started just as with so many others in Karts. His first title success came at the age of 14 with him winning The North American Enduro Karting title in both 1989 and 1990. While in karts he always raced as #99 the same number that he would then take with him all the way to the top of the sport in later years... [read more]

Through Formula Ford and Formula 2000 he had modest success before joining the Indy Lights Championship in 1993. 1994 saw the 18 year old became the youngest driver ever to win a CART-sanctioned race when he won the Indy Lights season-opener at Phoenix. He would go on to finish third in the championship with three wins. In 1995 he joined Players-Forsythe Racing and duly took the Indy Lights title with an astounding ten wins during the twelve race season.

1996 saw Greg move up into the Cart series, again with Players-Forsythe Racing and by season end he placed ninth in the championship just missing out on rookie of the year to Alex Zanardi.

During the 1997 Cart season Greg became the youngest driver in Indycar racing history at that time to win a race, when he scored his first CART victory in June at Milwaukee at the age of just 22.

After claiming 7th place in the 1997 Cart standings he improved to finish 5th in the final table at the end of 1998 with two wins.

His final season the following year started well with a win at Miami in the opening round. He led the standings after the opening rounds but fell foul to engine reliability issues later in the season. The summer of 1999 brought Greg his big chance as he was offered and duly signed a contract to race for Penske in 2000. Obviously he never had the chance to show off his talents in one of Roger's cars but with the red and white Penske's taking the title in 2000 and 2001 it is widely acknowledged that he would almost certainly have gone on to much greater things.

Besides his obvious talents behind the wheel Greg was an extremely well liked driver in the paddock along with a firm fans favourite. His funeral in his home town of Maple Ridge was attended by over 1500 people and saw TV screens erected outside the church for the crowds who had come to pay their respects. As one fan that day said "Greg was a natural, but beyond all that he was "One of the good guys"

Greg Moore April 22nd 1975 - October 31st 1999.

Photo: CART/C.Hogan/Neil Tozer
Editorial: Neil Tozer