Greg Moore

22/4/1975 - 31/10/1999

Record updated 22-Apr-20

In his 13-year career, Greg earned various titles and honours, and quickly reached the heights of professional racing. He was the youngest full-time Indy Car driver in 1996 and a year later he became the youngest winner in CART history.

Greg Moore was born in New Westminster, British Columbia. He lived in Maple Ridge, a suburb of Vancouver and growing up, his racing hero was Ayrton Senna. He started racing karts at the age of 10, winning the North American Enduro KART Championship four years later in 1989 and again in 1990. He graduated to Formula Ford in 1991 and following year he was named the Esso Protec Formula Ford 1600 Rookie of the Year after winning one race and placing fourth in the overall championship.

In 1992, Greg won four races and took four pole positions. He was the USAC Formula 2000 West Champion and Rookie of the Year.

The following year, Greg began racing in the Indy Lights circuit. Despite racing with an under-funded, family-run team, he placed ninth in the 1993 Indy Lights Championship. At the age of 18, Greg became the youngest driver ever to win a CART-sanctioned race when he won the 1994 Indy Lights season-opener at Phoenix. He won three Lights races in 1994 and finished third in the championship.

Greg joined Jerry Forsythe's Player's team and won the 1995 Indy Lights Championship with a spectacular record-setting season that saw him win 10 of 12 races, including five in a row.

At the age of 20 Greg graduated to Indy cars. His rookie season included a second place finish at Nazareth, third at Cleveland and fourth in Toronto. Greg became the youngest driver in Indy car racing history to win a race when he scored his first CART victory in June 1997 at Milwaukee at the age of 22. He won again in Detroit the following week.

In 1998 Greg won in Rio de Janeiro and took the U.S. 500 at Michigan. He finished the season fifth in overall points.

In 1999 he won the season-opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway and led the championship after the first three races. He then struggled with the uncompetitive Mercedes engine and later in the year, he signed a three-year contract to drive for Roger Penske starting in 2000.

The during the weekend of the season-ending Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, Fontana, Moore was knocked off his motor scooter and injured his right hand. After a medical consultation, and an in-car test, he was allowed to race, starting from the back of the grid after missing qualifying, with a brace on his hand. On lap nine Moore lost control at the exit of turn two and spun onto the infield grass at over 200 mph. His car hit an access road and was flipped over, hitting the infield concrete wall upside-down at unabated speed. He suffered massive head and neck injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 24.



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