CHAMPCAR/CART: Greg Moore Legacy Award announced

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada (September 1, 2000) - Championship Auto Racing Teams announced today that it has established the Greg Moore Legacy Award to honor the Canadian star and fan favorite who lost his life in the 1999 season finale.

The award will reflect the driver who best typifies Moore's legacy of outstanding talent on track as well as displaying a dynamic personality with fans, media and within the CART community. Candidates for the award will be judged equally on their competitive talent and their interaction among the CART community when not behind the wheel.

"Greg was an extremely skilled race-car driver and a consummate professional and this award is intended to continue the legacy of his outstanding traits and preserve his memory," CART interim President and CEO Bobby Rahal said. "He was a true role model for our sport."

The award will encompass candidates from the FedEx Championship Series as well as its two development series, the Dayton Indy Lights Championship and Toyota Atlantic Championship. Five candidates will be nominated following the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 1. There will be a minimum of one driver from each series represented for the award.

The winner will be announced annually at the CART Awards Banquet, with the inaugural winner being named at this season's banquet scheduled for Monday, Oct. 30 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

"On behalf of the Moore family and all of our friends, we are greatly honored by the establishment of the Greg Moore Legacy Award," said Ric Moore, Greg's father. "We are proud that CART would choose to recognize Greg's contributions in this manner. Through this award, we know that a tribute to Greg's competitive spirit, fun-loving style and community involvement will live on for years to come."

The voting committee will consist of the three series presidents, Rahal, Roger Bailey of Dayton Indy Lights and Vicki O'Connor of Toyota Atlantic; Player's Forsythe Racing owner Gerald Forsythe; Bob Bexon, President and CEO of Imperial Tobacco Canada, Ltd.; Championship Drivers Association President Mauricio Gugelmin; former CART Chief Steward Wally Dallenbach and two annually rotating members of the media, one representing the print side and the other broadcast. This year's media representatives will be Robin Miller of the Indianapolis Star-News and Paul Page of ABC-TV.

A non-voting advisory panel consisting of Rena Shanaman, CART Vice President of Client Relations; Mike Zizzo, CART Vice President of Competition Public Relations; and Adam Saal, Indy Lights Public Relations Director, will assist the panel.

Moore, the 24-year-old from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, made his initial impact in Indy Lights, where he was the record-setting series champion in 1995. He registered a record 10 wins, including a record five in a row, and seven poles in 12 events. He spent three seasons in Indy Lights (1993-95) where he left as the series leader in career wins with 13.

He graduated to the FedEx Championship Series in 1996 with Player's Forsythe Racing and recorded five wins and five poles in his four-year career. He became the youngest driver to win an event in CART history when he notched his first career triumph at Milwaukee at the age of 22 years, 1 month and 10 days. He also finished among the top 10 in the series championship every season, including a career-best fifth in 1998.

Moore's Champ Car No. 99 was retired by CART, Dayton Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantic in November of 1999 to honor his memory. Additional retirement ceremonies will be conducted at this weekend's Molson Indy Vancouver.

--CART--