For three years, this page was dedicated to the achievements and triumphs of two shining young Canadian racing stars. It will continue to follow the Formula One career of Jacques Villeneuve, but as of October 31st 1999, it is dedicated to the memory of Greg Moore.

During the season-ending CART race in Fontana, California on October 31st 1999, Greg Moore was involved in a single-car crash. He suffered massive head and internal injuries and was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 13:21 PST, at the age of 24. Greg's many fans, while devastated by this tragic racing accident, can find some small consolation in the fact that he died while doing what he loved best. In the words of Chip Ganassi, one of the CART team owners, "He's at that big race track in the sky now. And he's happier than all of us, I'm sure."

In 1995, Jacques Villeneuve won the Indianapolis 500 - perhaps the most famous of all auto races. Soon after, he became the youngest driver ever to win the PPG IndyCar Championship. All of this in his second year as an IndyCar driver! The following season, he moved to Formula One, joining the magnificent Williams team. In his rookie season, Jacques Villeneuve was the runner-up in the F1 Championship, behind his teammate Damon Hill.

Going into the 1997 season, Jacques was heavily favoured to win the drivers' championship. Many people expected Michael Schumacher to finish a distant second in his steadily improving Ferrari. However, the battle for the championship was close all season, and came down to the final race. Villeneuve arrived at Jerez, Spain, trailing Schumacher by one point, after a season plagued by mechanical failures, crashes, and disputes with F1 officials. During the race at Jerez, Villeneuve saw an opportunity to pass Schumacher for the lead - in both the race and the championship - and took it. In a move that was strikingly reminiscent of Adelaide, Australia in 1994, Schumacher turned in on the Williams, in an apparent attempt to take Villeneuve out of the race. In 1994, Schumacher succeeded in knocking Damon Hill (and himself) out of the race, thus retaining his points lead and winning the championship. 1997 was different. Schumacher was knocked into the gravel trap, where he retired, and Villeneuve went on to bring his damaged car home third in the race and first in the championship. He became the first Canadian to win the Formula One Drivers' title, and one of a select few drivers to enjoy enormous success in both CART (IndyCar) and F1 racing.

Jacques is not the first Villeneuve to enjoy tremendous success in the world of Formula One racing. His father, the late Gilles Villeneuve, was also a popular and talented F1 driver. Gilles' legend lives on, despite the crash that claimed his life during practice for a 1982 race, and Jacques now finds himself being compared to his father at every turn. Unfortunately, he has been hounded by the press, who considers him disrepectful because he has said that he drives for himself, not for his father. He wants to be known for his own accomplishments, not for his father's, and although I do not consider that disrespectful, many people obviously do. All controversy aside, Jacques is an incredibly talented driver, and it is my sincere hope that he and the BAR team will continue to enjoy increased success in the coming seasons. After a dismal first season in F1, during which the team failed to score a single point, BAR appears to have made great strides, claiming fifth place in the 2000 Constructors' Championship. This placement was due in large part to Villeneuve's contributions, which included several fourth-place finishes en route to seventh place in the Drivers' Championship. In the 2001 Spanish Grand Prix, BAR finally claimed its first podium, with Villeneuve finishing third.

This is yet another great site owned by a fellow Canadian

In 1995, Greg Moore was also busy winning a racing championship. He dominated the PPG Indy Lights Championship, winning 10 races on his way to claiming the championship and breaking fellow Canadian Paul Tracy's record of 9 wins in a single season. The following year, Greg moved up to the PPG IndyCar World Series, as the sole driver with the Player's Ltd./Forsythe Racing team, and the youngest active driver in the series. Driving car #99, Greg was the runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award, and had three podium finishes, the highest being second place in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. He finished the season in ninth place in the championship.

In his sophomore year, Greg truly left his mark on the series. His first CART victory, on June 1st 1997 at the Milwaukee Mile, made him the youngest driver ever to win a CART race, at 22 years, one month, and ten days. His second victory came one week later at the Detroit Grand Prix, and needless to say, he also became the youngest driver to have won two CART events. He very nearly won a third race, in the season's final event at Fontana, California -- Greg was leading by a comfortable margin as the race at the brand-new superspeedway came to a close, when a blown engine forced him to retire from the race.

However, his two victories combined with numerous strong finishes to put Greg in contention for the championship midway through the season. But a series of mechanical failures and blown engines diminished his chances in the championship, and he finished the season in seventh place, a result that does not reflect his true ability and achievements.

At the start of the 1998 season, it looked as though Greg might finally encounter some good luck. By capturing the pole for the season opener at Homestead, he became the youngest driver ever to win a pole in the CART series, at 22 years, 10 months, and 2 days. And several strong finishes (including a win in Rio de Janeiro in May) put him in the lead of the Drivers' Championship. The lead was taken over by Alex Zanardi (who went on to win the championship) after the sixth race of the season, but Greg remained second in the standings until midway through July. From then on, a string of bad luck saw him fail to finish numerous races, and he had disappointing results in several others. By the end of the season, Greg had earned 4 pole positions, 2 race wins, and fifth place in the championship.

In 1999, Greg again appeared to be off to a promising start, earning maximum points in the season opener at Homestead. However, Greg was again plagued by bad luck and his championship hopes diminished as the season wore on. There were some bright spots though, such as the announcement that he would begin driving for Roger Penske in 2000. Then, on October 31st, tragedy struck. The super-speedway at Fontana had twice robbed Greg of victory, but this time it claimed his life. On the tenth lap, Greg apparently lost control of his car, which crashed violently into a concrete retaining wall. He was extricated from the wreckage and airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center, but at 1:21 PM he was pronounced dead, as a result of massive head and internal injuries sustained in the crash. In the blink of an eye, Canada lost a hero and the racing world lost a dear friend.

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This Racing Ring member site is owned by Dianne Smith.

Disclaimer: This unofficial fan page is a project undertaken by Dianne Smith, and has no affiliation with CART, Formula One Racing, Williams-Renault, BAR, Player's Ltd., Forsythe Racing, Jacques Villeneuve, Greg Moore, or anyone else mentioned herein. This page is not intended to infringe upon properties held by any of the above individuals or organizations. This is a personal web page and as such is not intended to make a profit in any way.