This week marked the 20th anniversary of the death of Greg Moore.
The iconic Maple Ridge race car driver was killed in a crash on Oct. 31, 1999 in Fontana, Calif. The Marlboro 500 was the last event of the season, and Moore, 24, was killed in a violent collision where his airborne car hit a concrete barrier.
He had been a rising star on the CART series, with 17 podium finishes in 72 races, including five wins.
Grief-stricken Maple Ridge residents gathered at an impromptu memorial set up at Maple Ridge Chrysler, which was his family’s auto dealership on Maple Meadows Way. A pickup was covered with flowers, pictures and messages, reported The News.
He is being memorialized by the writers of auto racing.
Autosport.com wrote of him: “The talented young Canadian was on the cusp of greatness, having signed to drive for the mighty Team Penske in 2000. And even now, the thought of Moore competing at the Indianapolis 500 with the full might of the Penske team behind him raises that most tantalizing of questions: what if?”
“While it was a singular moment that stole him away at just 24 years of age – a devastating 10th-lap crash in that year’s season finale, at the racetrack known today as Auto Club Speedway – there are millions more moments that define the man he was, from his immense talent and zeal for driving to his devotion to his family and many friends, not to mention his ineffaceable smile,” wrote Stephanie Wallcraft of wheels.ca.
NTT Indycar Series put all five of Moore’s wins in Indycar into an Instagram video.
His father Ric owned the Chrysler dealership, and after Greg graduated from Pitt Meadows secondary in 1993 they threw their efforts into his racing career. Ric Moore left Maple Ridge about 16 years ago.
Moore’s car number 99 was retired from CART. He was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame and the BC Sports Hall of Fame the year after his death.
The Greg Moore Youth Centre in Maple Ridge keeps his name alive for young people in the community where he grew up.
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