Greg Moore Killed - ESPN
Friends, family, foes remember Moore
Hundreds of Moore's fans pay respects
Moore's hometown mourns loss of local hero
CART championship series awards banquet
Greg Moore was killed Sunday in the season-ending CART race when he lost control of his car at 220 mph and crashed into a wall, spinning wildly and slamming into the ground several times.
The 24-year-old Canadian, a budding star in the open-wheel circuit, was airlifted to a hospital and declared dead of massive head injuries about an hour after the wreck at California Speedway.
He almost missed the race after he hurt his hand when a car hit him Saturday while he was riding a scooter in the paddock area.
Moore was the second driver in the CART FedEx Series to die this year. Rookie Gonzalo Rodriguez of Uruguay, preparing for only his second race, was killed instantly in a crash Sept. 11 during practice at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey.
Rodriguez, 27, was the first driver fatality in the CART series since Jeff Krosnoff was killed in a crash during a race in Toronto in July 1996.
Richie Hearn crashed coming off turn two on lap four of Sunday's Marlboro 500, bringing out the first caution flag. He was not injured and the green flag was waved again for the start of lap 10 in the 250-lap event.
Moore lost control of his car coming off Turn 2 on that lap in virtually the same spot.
Television replays showed the Reynard-Mercedes skidded onto the infield grass, became airborne and crashed hard into a retaining wall, with Moore apparently striking his head on the concrete. The car then broke into pieces, with the open-cockpit driver's compartment spinning and hitting the ground several times before coming to a halt.
Moore was declared dead at Loma Linda Medical Center after resuscitation efforts failed, said Dr. Steve Olvey, director of medical affairs for CART.
The race continued, but CART chief steward Wally Dallenbach canceled post-race celebrations and the flags at the speedway were immediately lowered to half staff.
Adrian Fernandez went on to win the race but broke into tears when told of Moore's death.
"It's so hard. Greg was such a good friend of ours," Fernandez said. "We've been racing for a while and shared so many good moments on and off the track.
"This is a tragedy for all of us. the win doesn't matter anything. My heart goes out to his family." Christian Fittipaldi, left, Adrian Fernandez, center, and Max Papis bow their heads in a moment of silence for Greg Moore during a somber post-race news conference.
Andrew Craig, president and CEO of CART, said the sanctioning body and its major sponsors initially decided to cancel the awards banquet scheduled Monday night in Los Angeles, but decided to go ahead with it after Moore's family asked them to do so.
"Obviously, I am going to make some major changes in the program," Craig said.
Moore's father, stepmother and girlfriend were at the track when the wreck occurred. They were at the hospital when he was declared dead and departed immediately for their homes in Maple Ridge, British Columbia.
Moore was extremely popular in home country and province.
"The tragic death of Greg Moore has left a hole for all of those who knew him and the millions more who watched this hometown hero as he brought racing to a whole new generation of motorsports fans," said Stuart Ballantyne, the Vancouver Molson Indy general manager and a close friend Moore's family. "In every way, Greg was a winner both on and off the track, contributing countless hours to local charities and other worthwhile causes."
As a youngster in Canada, Moore chose auto racing over hockey. Sunday night, a friend from his second-favorite sport reacted to the terrible news. "We both had made it in our sports and it's sad," said Mighty Ducks of Anaheim star Paul Kariya. "We spent some time together at the All-Star Game in Vancouver (in 1998). He was in a dangerous sport and unfortunately, sometimes those things happen. It's just a tragedy."
On Saturday, Moore broke a finger, badly cut his right hand and bruised his right hip when his scooter was hit by a car in the paddock area. He was cleared to drive after a six-lap test on the two-mile oval late Saturday, starting the race last in the 27-car field.
Olvey said Moore's injured hand was examined again Sunday morning and that it was unlikely it had anything to do with the crash.
This was the 72nd start in Moore's CART FedEx Series career. He had five victories, including the season-opening race in Homestead, Fla., this season, and was the runner-up in last year's Marlboro 500.
Moore, who drove for Player's Forsythe Racing for all four seasons in CART, was to move to Team Penske next year.
Source : ESPN