“He sure didn’t look like a bad ass, kinda like when you first saw Paul Tracy,” said Vasser. “The first memory I have of Greg was in the season opener at Homestead in 1996. I was leading and on my way to my first win when this blue car suddenly appeared in my mirrors.

For all of Moore's prowess on road courses, his feel for the ovals (and wicked car control) was unparalleled. Considering the drivers he faced -- Zanardi, Montoya, de Ferran, Franchitti...he just had to be seen. (LAT)

“My guys told me not to worry, he was a lap down, but I was pulling away from second place and here comes this rookie. He went around me on the outside of Turn 3 and I was real glad he wasn’t on the lead lap.”

The fact Moore excelled on ovals could have been a surprise if you were in Steve Challis’ shoes. After closing up his auto shop in Vancouver to become the 15-year-old’s engineer in Formula Fords, Challis recalls a kid who hadn’t really figured out turning left.

“To be honest, Greg was having problems on the ovals after two years of Indy Lights,” recalled Challis, who engineered his CART days as well. “He was brave but he didn’t drive the car right and always wanted the rear end stuck. I told his dad we needed to take him ice racing so he could get the feel of running loose.

“Well, the first race we were dead last and an older girl with curlers in her hair, to make sure her helmet fit tighter, ended up beating Greg. He was devastated. He didn’t sleep that night but the next day, it finally clicked. He started winning everything and that coincided with his breakthrough on the ovals.”

Moore mopped up the ’95 Lights field with 10 wins in 12 races and then got the nod to move up to CART when it was the most competitive and challenging series in the world.

He impressed everyone instantly -- on and off the track. He scored a podium at Australia in only his third start and his sense of humor and engaging personality made friends fast.

“My god we had so much fun,” said Kanaan. “We went boating, sailing, chasing girls and just doing silly stuff. None of us had any money but that was such a great time because we were living the life people would love to have.”

Franchitti adds: “Greg was the youngest but he was still the instigator. He was the voice and soul of the party and he had that go-and-grab-it attitude for life every day.”

Vasser said his pal was responsible for the best of the good times. “Greg was the one who started the Sunday night driver’s parties and got everyone together,” said the ’96 CART champ. “He was the leader of the Rat Pack or Brat Pack or whatever we were. It was a very special time.”

Which is exactly what these past nine years should have been for Moore, who had been signed by Penske just a few weeks prior to his fatal accident.

“To me, Greg Moore was a young, aggressive racer with the skills that we needed,” said Penske. “I think he was a world class talent who could have been one of the great Indy-car drivers.

“But, unfortunately, he never got the chance to compete at the level he wanted.”

Yet he was a special breed who left his pals with some indelible feelings and memories.

“He was a super good guy and a good friend and I still think about him every day,” said Challis. “We didn’t know it at the time, but it was the time of our lives.

Vasser recalls: “He was a racer through and through and a super person but he would give you no quarter on the race track and even raced his friends harder.”

Papis, who kept a recording of Moore’s voicemail that he listens to all the time, learned a valuable lesson from their friendship. “Greg said you can beat the opposition and still have a smile on your face. I never knew that before I came to America and met him, I thought you had to hate your opposition. But NOBODY could get mad at Greg, it wasn’t possible. I miss racing with him, talking with him and laughing with him.”

Number 99 will be sorely missed for many years to come. (LAT)

Franchitti has pictures of Moore and the boys all over his house and appreciates the connection they had with each other that remains today.

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years and I hope the younger fans don’t forget him or who he was,” he said. “You just don’t meet people like Greg, he was a one-off. And I’m talking about as a human being.”

Kanaan isn’t sure the mold wasn’t broken. “I’m not saying this just because he’s not here, but I don’t think in the last 10 years we’ve found a person like Greg. He was a real good guy, he had everything going for him and he was going to conquer everybody.”

(View SPEEDtv.com's Greg Moore Photo Retrospective)

~Robin

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Robin Miller became an Indy-car junkie in late 1950s and stooged for his hero, Jim Hurtubise, at the 1968 Indy 500. He went on to work as a vent man and board man on Indy pit crews from 1971-77. Miller bought a Formula Ford from Andy Granatelli in 1972 and raced it in SCCA until 1974 when he purchased a midget from Gary Bettenhausen, competing in the USAC midget series from 1975-82.

Robin flunked out of Ball State College in 1968 and began working at The Indianapolis Star sports department in 1969, covered motorsports there from 1969-2000.

In addition to his broadcast work. Miller's also covered IndyCar racing for Autoweek, Autosport, Car & Driver and On Track magazines over the past 35 years.













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The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED