Greg Moore (racing driver)

Gregory William Moore was born in New Westminster in the Canadian province of British Columbia on April 22, 1975.[3] His father, Ric, owned a Chrysler dealership in Maple Ridge, a city close to Vancouver,[3] and raced Can-Am cars at the club level.[4] He divorced his wife Donna when Moore was five years old and the boy lived with his mother until the start of his karting career.[3] He had two siblings: a brother and a sister.[5] Moore was first educated at Meadowridge School. He was transferred to Pitt Meadows Secondary School for the final two years of his education,[6] where he graduated with honours in 1993.[lower-alpha 1][3][4]

He often climbed into his father's race car and pretended to race by gripping the steering wheel.[3] That encouraged his interest in auto racing,[3] and his father gave him a go-kart at the age of six.[8] Moore drove the go-kart with a minivan's plastic bodywork around it in the parking lot of his father's dealership. He developed vehicular control on dry slick tyres on a wet track.[9] He began competitive go-kart racing at the age of ten,[10] and joined the Westwood Karting Club soon after.[9] It was there Moore was issued with his car number 99 because he was the club's 99th member; he used it throughout his career.[lower-alpha 2][12] His father acted as his manager, tutor and financier and adopted a "no-nonsense" approach to his career.[9]

While he had an inclination towards racing, he also played ice hockey.[3] From the age of ten, Moore was a goalie and drove go-karts. He was twice named Maple Ridge Athlete of the Year and he won the British Columbia Hockey Provincial Championship.[13] Moore played on the same minor ice hockey team as future professional player Paul Kariya.[14] When he was 14, his father urged him to choose between ice hockey and racing if he wanted to further develop in sports. Moore ultimately decided to focus on racing.[13] His sporting idols were ice hockey player Wayne Gretzky and three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna.[3]

In 1989 and 1990, Moore won the North American Enduro Kart Racing Championship. His father wanted to know whether his son's achievements were down to his driving abilities or the equipment.[3] He took Moore to the Spenard-David Racing School in Shannonville, Ontario, in August 1990,[3] where racer David Empringham instructed him.[15] He won a race over 40 drivers.[16] Track owner Richard Spenard was impressed by Moore's ability and invited him to return later that year to partake in a "Top Gun" series.[17] He got a special waiver to enter the school,[18] and won against almost 800 fellow drivers at the conclusion of the school's three-day run-offs.[17] Moore learnt how to select a lower gear, where to locate the apex of a corner, and how to avoid an accident.[4]

He made the decision to progress to car racing in 1991,[17] and was assigned Steve Challis as his race engineer and adviser.[19] Moore competed in the eight-round Canadian Formula Ford Championship in a Van Diemen RF91-Ford.[20] He won the Shannonville Motorsport Park round, and took a further four top-ten results to finish fourth in the final points' standings with 120 accrued.[20] He was named the series' Rookie of the Year.[17] Moore moved to the higher-tier USAC FF2000 Western Division Championship in 1992 after plans to enter the Canadian F2000 Championship fell through when that series folded.[17][7] He took four pole positions and four victories en route to taking the championship.[17] Moore was voted Rookie of the Year at this tier after advancing at the start of the season,[17] and was inducted into the series' Hall of Fame in 1999 as a 1992 graduate.[21] For winning the title, he drove a Formula Atlantic car in California and tested for Van Diemen at Snetterton Circuit in England.[7]

During the off-season, he was employed in the service department of a dealership in Duncan, British Columbia.[22] For 1993, his family believed a progression to Formula Atlantic would help his career develop.[16] The series' sanctioning body, the Sports Car Club of America, refused to grant Moore a racing licence because he was under the age of 18 at the time.[17] Moore's father talked to the president and CEO of Indy Lights Roger Bailey in Vancouver, who agreed to grant Moore a provisional racing licence for the 1993 season's first two rounds at Phoenix International Raceway and Long Beach. Because he was 17, he was obliged to remain in his car in the pit lane until he was towed into the paddock, and was then allowed to vacate.[16] Around this time, Moore asked permission from Brian Stewart, owner of Brian Stewart Racing, to retain race number 99 after it was assigned to Stewart's team for the 1992 season.[23] He sought to win Rookie of the Year and finish in the top five in points.[24] In twelve races, Moore took seven top-ten finishes, with a best result of third at Portland International Raceway, and placed ninth in the points' standings with 64 points.[25] He was one of the fastest drivers on oval tracks but was slower on road and street circuits.[26]

Before the 1994 season, Moore did a conditioning program to lose weight and improve his stamina, and his car was rebuilt following analysis.[26] His team had a small budget of US$380,000 and the family home and dealership was mortgaged to allow Moore to continue racing. Their financial situation forced him to drive conservatively to preserve tires three times longer than other drivers, and not strain mechanical parts, since his family lacked the capital to purchase additional equipment.[16] Nevertheless, in the season's opening round at Phoenix, Moore surpassed Paul Tracy's record as the youngest Indy Lights pole position starter at age 18,[27] and became the youngest driver in history to win a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART)-sanctioned event.[3] He won two more races (at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Nazareth Speedway) to finish the championship with 154 points and take third in the drivers' standings.[28] In November 1994, Moore undertook a two-day test session with Penske Racing's CART team on a test-specific road course at Nazareth Speedway.[29]

His reputation and recognition of his ability (and lobbying by his father) attracted the attention of Forsythe Racing owner Gerald Forsythe, who sought a Canadian driver for his Indy Lights team in 1995.[23][30] Forsythe was willing to relieve Moore's financial burdens by incorporating them into the team,[30] and signing Moore to a five-year contract.[31] Three of Moore's mechanics transferred from his family's team to Forsythe Racing. While his father remained his manager, he did not join the organization as an employee.[32][33] Driving a Lola T93/20-Buick 3800 V6, he dominated the championship, winning ten of twelve races.[3] He broke the record for consecutive wins at the season's start with the first five races and the most victories in an Indy Lights season, both held by Paul Tracy from the 1990 championship (nine out of fourteen).[34] Moore led a total of 375 out of 583 laps over all twelve races,[35] covering 847 miles (1,363 km) en route to winning the drivers' championship with 242 points.[3]

Frank Williams, the founder and principal of the Williams Formula One team, asked about Moore's services as a test driver, but was told he was under contract to Forsythe Racing.[16] Moore was asked by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to fill in for commentator Jackie Stewart for its broadcast of the 1997 Canadian Grand Prix. Formula One officials forbade it because he was a CART driver.[72]

In late 1997, he drove for AMG-Mercedes in the FIA GT Championship at the season's final two rounds, the Sebring 3 Hours and the Laguna Seca 3 Hours, sharing the No. 12 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR with Alexander Wurz in the GT1 category. Their car finished in seventh place in both races.[73] Moore was one of twelve drivers invited to compete in the four-race International Race of Champions (IROC) stock car racing series in 1999.[74] Driving a Pontiac Firebird, he finished 12th (and last) in the points' standings with three top-ten finishes and earned 25 points.[75]

The Marlboro 500 at California Speedway on October 31 was the final round of the 1999 season, and was scheduled to be Moore's last race with Forsythe Racing before moving to Penske in 2000.[76] On the morning on the day before the race,[77] he was knocked off his motor scooter by a paddock vehicle in the hospitality area because its driver was blinded by the rising sun.[78][79] Moore suffered a deep laceration to his right hand that required fifteen stitches, bruising to his right hip,[30][76] and a fractured index finger on his right hand.[79] Uncertain whether Moore would participate, Forsythe Racing employed Roberto Moreno as an emergency reserve driver in the event doctors deemed Moore unfit to race.[80] After a six-lap on-track test session, which he was judged to have run at a sufficient pace later that day, and two medical consultations with Steve Olvey, CART's director of medical affairs,[76] he was permitted to drive in a protective hand brace and use a modified steering wheel.[81] Officials required him to start at the back of the grid because he missed qualifying.[77]

Moore's memorial headstone at Robinson Memorial Park Cemetery

Following an early race rolling restart, on lap 10, Moore was 15th when he lost control of his car exiting turn two,[82] possibly due to losing the slipstream of a car ahead of him.[83] He attempted to regain control but left skid marks on the track[84] as he spun almost 500 ft (150 m) down the circuit,[85] and into the infield grass at more than 220 mph (350 km/h).[78] Moore hit an access road lower than the grass,[86] went sideways into the air for about 30 feet (9.1 m),[2][12] barrel rolled and slammed into a concrete barrier lacking a tire wall to absorb the impact at unabated speed at a 90-degree angle.[30][87] The impact, registered at 154 g₀ (1,510 m/s²) by the vehicle's black box,[12][86] split the car in two, scattered a plethora of debris as the open-cockpit compartment seating the driver disintegrated.[76][88] Moore's helmet struck the ground multiple times before the car rested upside down after spinning four times.[82][88] He was extricated from it and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation by circuit medics before being transported by helicopter to Loma Linda University Medical Center. Moore was pronounced dead at 13:21 Pacific Standard Time (UTC−08:00) with severe head and internal injuries.[89] He was the second driver to die from injuries sustained in a crash during a CART race that season: Gonzalo Rodríguez died in a practice accident at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca three races earlier.[77]

At the pronouncement of Moore's death, chief steward Wally Dallenbach Sr. ordered all track flags to be lowered to half staff and no post-race celebrations occurred.[78] The other drivers were not informed of the situation until the event's conclusion.[12] At the request of Moore's father, the CART end-of-season awards banquet at The Century Plaza Hotel continued as scheduled the following night;[lower-alpha 5][82] its format was changed to include a 15-minute tribute to Moore and Rodríguez.[90] Makeshift memorials were built at Pitt Meadows Secondary School and his father's car dealership.[91] The Canadian Motor Sports Hall of Fame had a book of condolence for fans to sign for later delivery to the Moore family.[92] He was cremated on November 2. A private memorial service was held at St. Andrews Wesley United Church in downtown Vancouver, attended by 1,200 family members and close friends on the following day.[93] On November 4, a second public memorial service took place at Maple Ridge Baptist Church in Moore's home town of Maple Ridge attended by 1,500 mourners.[94]

CART impounded what was left of Moore's car for an investigation into the cause of the accident, and would review footage of the event.[2] On December 20, CART stated its investigation of Moore's crash found there was no single cause for it. CART engineers obtained and analysed a plethora of data from equipment installed in Moore's car, discovering he began losing vehicular control halfway in turn two but not why it went airborne on the asphalt access road.[85] Tim Mayer, CART's vice-president of racing operations, commented, "I think the answers we know show that there isn't a clear-cut answer, but he was reacting to a situation that started in the middle of Turn Two, and there's nothing there that seems unusual. We're confident that there was no mechanical failure. The cause of the accident is something of a mystery. I mean that the initial factor that set the chain of events in motion is unknown."[85]

Moore was described as having "Gilles Villeneuve-esque car control" that accompanied "his fearless style, and his incredible determination."[95] In his CART career, he was known as an oval track specialist,[12][19][30] locating the optimum amount of grip as he drove near to oversteering.[30] Moore refined this ability after having difficulty on oval tracks in his first two years in Indy Lights. He drove the car correctly, always wanting to retain control of the rear end of his car. He learned to drive a "loose" car after his father entered him in some ice races on the advice of race engineer Steve Challis.[19] During practice for the oval track races, he focused on the set-up of his vehicle believing he could pass other drivers; he did so by steering to the right of a track.[30]

Moore's Indy Lights helmet design featured a mixture of lightning bolts and a checkered flag. Upon moving to CART, Forsythe Racing's primary sponsor asked for a more subtle and corporate helmet design.[96] Regardless of the blue colour of his team's primary sponsor Player's, Moore wore a pair of red racing gloves to emphasise the pride in his Canadian nationality.[97]

Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun described Moore as "tall and fair-haired with wire-rimmed glasses" and someone who "possessed a wholesome, innocent bearing and boyish enthusiasm that was infectious."[98] Race car driver Mario Andretti described him as articulate, a meaningful speaker, and considered him "very professional and mature for his age".[99] Moore was cordial with the media,[100] and CART fans and fellow drivers regarded him with affection because of his occasional "wacky and over-the-top sense of humour",[101] particularly with children.[100] He was serious while driving,[101] was positive career-wise,[102] played practical jokes on others outside of his profession,[101] and was devoted to his family and fans.[9] Moore admitted to errors he had made,[102] established friendships with several drivers and organized social gatherings.[99] From August 1998 until his death, he led a four-man international group of drivers called "The Brat Pack" with Max Papis, Dario Franchitti, and Tony Kanaan.[lower-alpha 6] The quartet had an energetic longing for enjoyment, going to all-night parties, discussing life, and for maintaining close contact with one another.[103][104]

As a mark of respect, CART, Indy Lights and Formula Atlantic retired Moore's car number 99 from the list of those available to drivers in all three series.[106] On September 1, 2000, CART established the Greg Moore Legacy Award to honour "the driver who best typifies Moore's legacy of outstanding talent on track as well as displaying a dynamic personality with fans, media and within the CART community."[106] A maximum of four or five drivers were nominated by a panel of experts with at least one competitor representing CART, Indy Lights and Formula Atlantic.[106] Hélio Castroneves was its first recipient in 2000. Others to receive the award include Dario Franchitti in 2001, Sébastien Bourdais in 2003, Ryan Hunter-Reay in 2004, and J. R. Hildebrand when it was limited to Indy Lights drivers in 2009.[80] The 2010 award was presented to James Hinchcliffe,[107] a driver who idolizes Moore and put a pair of Moore's red racing gloves in his race suit in qualifying for the 2012 Indianapolis 500.[108] Others to list Moore as a role model include Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy competitor Stefan Rzadzinski and sports car driver Scott Hargrove.[102]

The Greg Moore Foundation was established by his father to continue his son's legacy through charitable work.[109] It supports scholarships for young people to continue their education after graduating from secondary school, provides funding to five health charities and local hospitals, aids in the development of amateur athletes and works against drunk driving.[109][110] Moore was posthumously awarded the Jack Diamond Award, which honours "an individual who consistently demonstrated a competitive and co-operative spirit, who excelled in sport and who made a positive contribution to the community".[57] It was collected by his family at a dinner ceremony in Vancouver's Jewish Community Centre on February 15, 2000.[57] He was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame that year.[111][112] In 2007, Moore's stepmother opened a glass case gallery containing his racing artifacts in the BC Sports Hall of Fame.[113] A go-kart track in Chilliwack,[114] a youth centre in Maple Ridge established in October 2001,[115] and the Emergency Department at the Ridge Meadows Hospital inaugurated eight years later by British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and the Minister of Health George Abbott are all named after Moore.[116]

Moore was honoured by the organizers of the Molson Indy Vancouver with the words "Courage, Greg Moore No. 99" written in large white block letters across the start/finish line of the Concord Pacific Place temporary street circuit in 2000.[110] Starting from that year's race until its discontinuation in 2004, the pole position starter received the Greg Moore Pole Award.[109] A book Greg Moore: A Legacy of Spirit written by journalists Dan Proudfoot, Jim Taylor and Gordon Kirby was published by Whitecap Books on August 30, 2000.[117] The following year, a documentary to complement the book Greg Moore – A Racer's Story, was narrated and hosted by actress Ashley Judd. It was shown twice on The Sports Network in 2001 and had a subsequent release on VHS.[118] Dario Franchitti dedicated his 2002 Molson Indy Vancouver win to Moore,[119] and again after his 2009 IndyCar Series championship victory.[120] A second documentary, A Hero's Drive: The Greg Moore Tribute, was shown on Sportsnet in May 2013.[97] Two months later, Autosport magazine named Moore one of the 50 greatest drivers to have never raced in Formula One.[121]

• List of Canadians in Champ Car

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greg Moore (racing driver).

• Official website (Archived)
• Greg Moore career summary at DriverDB.com
• Greg Moore driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Greg Moore at IMDb