“I regret to announce that driver Greg Moore has been pronounced dead at Loma Linda hospital. He died of massive head and internal injuries. He was pronounced dead at 21 minutes past 1 o’clock.” These were the words of a sombre Dr Steve Olvey outside the medical centre at Fontana raceway, on 31st October 1999

Anyone who saw Moore’s Players Forsythe #99 smash into the infield retaining wall at over 200mph, before breaking apart and launching into a series of violent barrel rolls, would have expected the sad but inevitable outcome. But the loss of the supremely gifted 24 year old shocked the world of motor racing, not just in CART.

The extremely personable and well liked young man from Maple Ridge in Canada was destined for great things. He was very much on the radar of Mercedes motorsports boss Norbert Haug, and that of Frank Williams, the founder of the Williams F1 team. Indeed, contract negotiations with Frank Williams had already allegedly taken place. It seemed likely that Greg would have ended up in F1 sooner rather than later.

Greg signed a deal to join Penske for the 2000 CART season, a season he would not live to see. The next stop would have been F1. The man who replaced Jacques Villeneuve at Players Forsythe had the potential to emulate his fellow countryman and win the F1 world title, but a promising career and life were cruelly and violently ended on the Fontana infield that October afternoon.

The last weekend of his life started badly for Greg; knocked off his motor scooter by a paddock vehicle, he suffered cuts that required 15 stitches and a fractured right hand, making him doubtful for the race. He was not even able to take part in qualifying on the Saturday. Determined to race, he set out to prove to the doctors that he was fit. With his injured hand in a brace he completed half a dozen laps in his Forsythe with a best time that would have put him on the front row of the grid. He was duly passed fit to race, but had to start from the back of the grid as he had failed to set a qualifying time.

Moore was a majestic oval racer, a man truly in his element on ovals and, despite having to start 26^th, few doubted his ability to carve his way through the field and emerge as a front runner when the chequered flag marked the end of the 250 lap race.

By lap nine he was already in 12th place having made up 14 places, despite his broken and badly cut right hand. Lap 10 saw him incredibly make up five places, including three in one pass. On the exit of turn two Greg lost control of the car and headed into the infield grass. Instead of doing what most drivers would do =slam on the brakes to reduce speed -Moore tried to save the slide and didn’t lift. Even with his supreme ability behind the wheel he was unable to save the car; it tripped over in the infield and smashed - cockpit side first - into the retaining wall at over 200mph. What followed was terrifying as the car disintegrated, and the drivers tub began a series of violent barrel rolls before coming to rest upside down. Everyone feared the worst, such was the magnitude of the impact.

The medical team extracted him from the car and airlifted him by helicopter to Loma Linda Hospital for resuscitation efforts, but it was to no avail and he was pronounced dead at 13.21 from his injuries. He was just 24 years old.

To quote a song by the rock band Queen: “The show must go on”, and go on it did. As is the custom when a driver perishes, the Forsythe team withdrew Moore’s team mate Patrick Carpentier from the rest of the race, and flags around the circuit flew at half mast. The rest of the drivers were not informed of Moore’s death until after the race, as there was still a championship to settle. Mexican driver Adrian Fernandez took the chequered flag and Juan Pablo Montoya took the championship title from Dario Franchitti, but there were no celebrations, no champagne, and no happiness, and the tears were of sadness not of joy.

At the request of Greg’s father Rick the customary end of season dinner to celebrate the championship went ahead, and instead became a celebration of Greg’s life

Greg Moore was a young man with the world at his feet; blessed with charm, charisma, good looks, infectious enthusiasm and a phenomenal driving ability, he was loved by fellow competitors and fans alike. Cruelly taken from us at 24, he will never be forgotten by anyone who met him, raced against him or watched him race.

Greg Moore 1975-1999