CART MEDIA CONFERENCE

June 3, 1997

Greg Moore

GREG MOORE: It is nice to be here, thanks.

GREG MOORE: There are a few changes, for sure, because you go from having such a successful season for myself in 1995 and Indy Lites and winning 10, 12 races to having a season last year, where we probably should have won a couple of races, we were in position to win a few, but we didn't get them because of, you know, either I made a mistake or we had a mechanical problem, or something like that. And we just had a lot of bad racing luck. It starts to the get to the point where you start asking yourself what do I have to do to win one of these things. Once you do get that first win, you realize that you realize sort of a number of things that have happened. And, you realize that it is a whole team effort, you know, the pit stops and everything have to go pretty much flawlessly. And, then the driver's confidence level also gets higher too. I am going to say that my confidence is higher now than it ever has been in the CART Series.

GREG MOORE: No, we wanted to win last year. We wanted to win one, race. And, finish in the top-10 of the Championship and to win Rookie-of-the-Year. We only got one of our goals last year which was top-10 in the Championship. But, Alex Zanardi had a great season and beat us to Rookie-of-the-Year. But, we were in a position to win a bunch of races and, you know, they didn't happen because of some bad luck. But, this year our goal is to first get that first win and then, you know, sort of work our way at it from there, and I think we can still win two or three races this year.

GREG MOORE: Thanks.

GREG MOORE: Well last year actually was pretty good on the street courses for me. We went to Australia, a track I had never been to, and we finished 3rd. And, that was quite good. And, then Toronto, we finished fourth. Detroit, we didn't finish because I made a mistake in the rain. But, no, I enjoy the street courses. When you first come into a Series in Indy Lites, you do street courses, but before that, I had never done that. So, there is a big learning curve as you go along learning street courses and stuff like that, how to drive them. But, I am really looking forward to these next few street races. With our knew 1997 Reynard, we went to Australia with about 100 miles on the car and finished second there. We were in contention to win that one. So, Long Beach, we were quite fast also. I am really looking forward to Detroit and Toronto and Vancouver in these next few street races.

GREG MOORE: You go from driving ovals and permanent road courses which have many wide open turns and you can see all the way through the turn and things like that. Whereas, you get to a street course, you are surrounded by cement wall. And, you don't know what is going to be around the corner. So you got sort of program your mind that you can go into that turn as fast as you want and there is not going to be anyone there because you are little bit timid at first.

GREG MOORE: I really don't know. I think that, you know, I would like to say that it is something in the water. But, I don't know really what it is. I just think that a lot of us have had the opportunity to show case what we have got. There is major corporations that are behind us like Player's and Molson are behind us in Canada, behind the younger drivers, in that they try to push them to their maximum. That is what we have got. And I think really that that is probably why because we drive on some difficult daunting tracks, where they really tax the driver. And, then you go down to the states, and I think that we have the ability and because we have got the sponsorship and we have got the teams behind us, that we are able to showcase what we have got in a competitive environment.

GREG MOORE: I raced against a few people coming up in 1600, I raced against some Canadian champions, things like that. Formula 2000 raced against Dave DeSilva (phonetic) and Doug Boyer (phonetic) who drive Indy Lites. Indy Lites I raced against Robby Buhl, Bryan Herta, Steve Robertson, a bunch of people. And, you know, I think we have done all right.

GREG MOORE: Oh, yeah, for sure. I was a goalie for seven years. I played Triple A level hockey. I played with Paul Kariya for one season. I played against, as everyone in Detroit knows, Brendan Morrison who won an Award in hockey this year. Played against him. Also went to high school with him. So, I follow hockey quite a lot. It is the Canadian pastime so we have got to keep it going somehow.

GREG MOORE: No, not at all. I knew that it would be very, very difficult coming into the IndyCar and the CART Championship just because it was, you know, who the guys are that I was up against and the experience they all had. But, I knew that I would have to come in and sort of showcase what I have got immediately because a lot of these people have never driven against me. And just had to show them what I was made of and that I was capable of doing a good job out there with these guys. I think that we did that. I was with -- you know, I am fortunate that I am with a very, very good team. And, everyone of the Player's Forsythe team really gave me the opportunity to go do it. I mean, we did like 40 days of testing before the season opened and it was really good for me because I had a lot of experience in CART, driving a CART car. Once we got to the first race, it was almost -- I was ready. I knew in my mind that I was ready. And, then we went to Brazil, and we probably should have won that race, but we had a motor failure. But, no, it hasn't been easy at all. To go 22 races without a win, for me, that is my longest dry spell. And, you know, to finally get that win, it was just a dream come true to win my first IndyCar race.

GREG MOORE: Not really. I mean, I have got some friends in Formula I. I have got, you know, I made friends with Jackie Stewart last year at Detroit in Montreal. I made friends with David Coulthard and a couple of the other Formula I drivers. But, my goal, my dream was to race IndyCars. And, to race, you know, at tracks like Portland, Vancouver and Toronto against Al Unser, Jr. and Michael Andretti and all these guys. You know, Formula I is always sort of looming on the horizon, you can say. Because I think that if you do a good job in the CART Championship, if you want, there is a possibility of you to going to Formula I with a good team. But, for me, IndyCar was my dream. I want to win a couple of IndyCar Championships and I want people to say that Greg Moore was one of the best CART drivers that was ever around before I even think about going anywhere else.

GREG MOORE: I think I am still on cloud 9, really. It is still setting in that we finally done it. Everyone on my team worked so hard to get to this point and for myself, my engineer Steve Challis and my dad, we have been working at this since 1991 and it was a dream of all of ours to win a CART race. Now, that we have done it, you know, we are savoring it for this week, let us put it that way. We are really enjoying it. And that is something -- you only get one time in life that you can have that first win. And, we are going to enjoy it for this week and see how we can do in Detroit.

GREG MOORE: As far as the respect goes, I think everyone in the garage had some respect for everyone on our team and for me, just for the Player's Forsythe team, in general. But, I think to finally get that first win, they will realized we are a force now. We have always been fast, but we have had some inconsistencies with myself and a few other problems. But, everything, I think now, is sort of going quite well. And, I had one of my mechanics say to me, it is very difficult to load up the truck on Sunday because with all these dead monkeys laying around, finally off of our back. So, it was -- I think a lot of the people realize that it is just, you know, it is the first of many now for everyone on the Player's team and me. And, I think that winning, it gives you the feeling inside, I mean, that race in Milwaukee, it was a dream come true. My interview at the end, I kind of looked -- I looked a little bit silly just because I was so excited. But, it was just -- the emotions just came flowing out and I couldn't stop them from coming out. I just kept saying "I was happy, I was happy," and I just couldn't explain how I felt. Now that I have time to think about it, I am probably -- I am not as happy about it like, you know, the immediate spark isn't quite there now. But, you know, I am probably enjoying it more now than I was at the time when I first won the race. So, I think -- I am really looking forward to get the second and third ones too now.

GREG MOORE: (Laughs) Well, let us just say that it is on a much more global scale. When I won my first Indy Lites race, I wasn't on -- I wasn't on three or four different teleconferences and, you know, I was doing hometown media in Vancouver and Maple Ridge, stuff like that, but it wasn't really to the extent of what it is now. I think to -- in Indy Lites, in 1994, it wasn't quite as popular or as well taken as it is now. Indy Lites now is sort of -- everyone looks at it as the feeder's Series to the CART Championship. I think in '94 everyone thought, well, you know, there are a few guys that have come out of it and have done quite well, we don't really know. But, '95, I think we -- that was when I started to get more on a North America wide scale and now, I mean, it is just I have -- my phone has been ringing off the hook from friends and family. I have been doing interviews all day yesterday. I have got a few more today. But, they are starting to die off now as the lead comes up to Detroit on Sunday.

GREG MOORE: Yeah, I would have to say that I have gotten a lot of that under control. I think, last year, I was probably a little bit overwhelmed a tiny bit just with the whole worldwide scale of the CART Championship. And, I think, now, I realize what it takes to, you know, be competitive and to, you know -- also to be one of the drivers that people are going to cheer for and that the press wants to talk to. You know, the fans are one of the most important things in any sport, pure and simple. I really enjoy my interaction with the fans and what I have -- what I have done is I have tried to, instead of going out signing autographs for five minutes here and there, I try and go out and do it for 20 minutes three or four times a day instead of, you know, doing it constantly going back and forth. And I have just taken more time for myself to sit down, relax, think about what I am doing, think about how I can make the car better, how I can make myself better. Also, my team has been very good at that too. They have been supporting me. They supported me well last year, but this year, I think we are sort of more as a big group than we are sort of a few individuals. And, everything is getting really, really well. And, I just don't want it all to stop now.

GREG MOORE: I would have to say that it was a part of it. I think Milwaukee was the race where our pit stops have been the best in the last year and a half. I mean, we had a couple under-10-second stops. So, I think that everything is just getting so well now, be it, the way I am handling myself, the way that the team is handling itself. And, we are just working as a real cohesive unit now. And, I think that this is just the start of something good for us.

GREG MOORE: (Laughs) Oh, that is kind of a different way to look at it. Yeah, I would have to say it is Game 1 of the playoffs and it is tied 3-3 going -- there is a minute left at the end of the 3rd period and, yeah, there is a penalty shot, you make the stop. Yeah, I would have to say it is something like that. I have to say, I was probably a lot more happy winning the Milwaukee race than I was stopping any penalty shot that I have did. It was really good for the team, it really bought everyone even closer together than we already are. It just proved to us that we have the ability and we have the speed and just everything has to go right for us to win.

GREG MOORE: I am really looking forward to a bunch of the races coming up. I think because we have had quite a lot of success on the ovals, a lot of people sort of look at me as an oval driver. But, you know, my history and my background is road course racing. And, I am really looking forward to drivers the Player's Forsythe car just because we know how to make this car go. We learned a ton last year, Steve Challis, my engineer and I, really worked close, hand-and-hand, getting the car all dialed in last year. I made a few rookie mistakes in the races, which, is, I guess -- I kind of think I was entitled to making a couple. Maybe I made a couple too many. But, coming to Detroit, I have had quite a lot of success there; finished in the top-10 two years in a row in Indy Lites. Last year I was running quite well - made a mistake in the rain and went off the track. But, that is going to be a good one. Portland is a great racetrack for me just because it is where I did probably 50% of my go-carting. I won two North American Championships there. So, I am really looking forward to that race. Then you look at all the other races, we have got a lot of success on the road courses, so I think that we can surprise some people and put a couple of good finishes in there too.

GREG MOORE: Yeah, I would have to say that now it is very close. I mean, Goodyear won the three races from Nazareth Rio and St. Louis with Paul. You look at the street courses and, you know, Firestone has been very fast too. So, I think that, you know, it can surprise some people how competitive you know, the tire war is getting. And, no one actually has a single advantage. I think on one race weekend, someone might have a slight bit of an advantage, but then they go to the next race and the other company has the advantage. I am really happy to be with the Firestone guys. I think that they really know how to make a real consistent tire, which is really how you win. You don't win races by being a one-lap wonder and going out and doing one lap really fast. You go out and do it by, you know, being able to go 10, 10 for the whole race on a couple of sets of tires and not having the tires go off. That is really how it is all won. And, Firestone is really quite good at that.

GREG MOORE: First is passing. It a very difficult pass to track on. And, because it is so difficult to pass on, qualifying is really of utmost importance. You have got to go out, you have got to qualify well, because if you qualify 10th or 11th, it is very, very difficult to work your way up through the field because there is not a lot of great passing areas. There is a couple of areas where you can sort of work on somebody and hope they make a mistake. But, when you are racing there, you have got to really, really work on being consistent and just staying out of trouble because there is so much attrition in the Detroit race, be it, people hitting each other or people falling out because of mechanical problems. And, you know, everyone on the Player's team is real excited about how we can do at Detroit just because we have done quite well in the street course this year.

GREG MOORE: Well, I am not really quite sure what you mean by where do I stand with Player's.

GREG MOORE: This year, Player's has been given the green light by the Canadian Government to go about with their actions for this year and for next year. And, then there is some other things on the table that, you know, Player's and the Canadian Government are working towards for the future. But, you know, really, right now, everything is just pretty much as it has been. We are just going out and we are taking it race by race by race. I think that we are really excited about the chances that we have. Player's has a good history in the CART Championship already with Jacques winning the Championship in '95. We have won my first race for them. And everyone in the Player's Forsythe Team is really looking forward to the rest of the season now. Now, that we have got the first one, I hope the other ones are going to be a lot easier. And, as far as fearing drivers, I don't really fear anybody. There is tracks that you go to where you know different people are going to be fast. You know going to an oval that Paul Tracy is going to be very fast. You know that going to a street and road course, Michael Andretti is going to be quick and Al Unser, Jr. is always looming there. And, Gil deFerran, I mean, there are so many guys, Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi, there are so many guys that we are in a close fight with race to race to race that there is not one person that you can really fear because there is 10 to 12 guys normally on any given race weekend that can win a race. That is what makes the CART Championship so exciting.

GREG MOORE: The Mercedes -- they have really stepped up their program this year. I think that it has maybe caught some people off guard on these ovals at times, but that is good because I have got a Mercedes and I am really happy about having the Mercedes. And, we had a few problems with them last year, just some reliability problems. But, everything has worked out very, very exceptionally well this year. And, you know, just keeping my fingers crossed that Mercedes keeps the slight advantage that I think they have right now. And we can go on and win a couple of more races for them.

GREG MOORE: I mean, it was dominated by Honda and Ford last year, but Mercedes was never, you know, really super far off the pace. It was just, you know -- I just think that because last year Honda had a slight advantage for a while that, you know, pure and simple, they won more races. So, this year, Mercedes, I think everyone, you know, with the new rules, with the 40 inch rule, and trying to keep the fuel mileage close to the same, because we have got 35 gallon fuel fills now, I think that the Mercedes is probably the most fuel-efficient motor out there. And, you know, you look at Rio where Rahal was the fastest during the race, but he used a little bit more fuel than Paul and I both did. That probably cost him the race. In Milwaukee we went 82 laps on one tank of fuel. So, I mean, it is quite exciting to see how good that the Mercedes can be. I think that this year each engine manufacturer has already won a race. Each tire manufacturer has already won a race. Almost every chassis manufacturer has won a race. So, the CART Championship this year is just so competitive that I don't think anyone has a huge specific advantage over anyone. It is just that, you know, we have gone to tracks where it has suited different types of engine. The Mercedes is very good on a broad power band such as an oval like St. Louis, Milwaukee and Nazareth. The Honda is very good on road circuits and the Ford is very good at street courses. So, I think that each engine manufacturer learns from one another, almost because, they see, well, the Ford is a little bit better at this course, so Mercedes works at that so those the Honda. They sort of learn who is faster where and they sort of work on their motors that way also.

GREG MOORE: I sure do. It was -- I was ten years old and I was racing at Westwood Go-cart Track which is -- used to be in B.C.. And, I was racing against older guys. I think I was the only kid there, so they just put me out there with all the adults, all the older guys. And, I went out and I won my first race. And, I really remember that. It was a start of something good. I think that we -- it was a feeling that I didn't want to let go of. Now that I have done it in the CART Championship, I really don't want to let go of it, for sure.

GREG MOORE: No, it is not. It is almost the same kind of feeling as this race that I just had in Milwaukee because the guys that I was racing wheel-to-wheel with in go-carts were older adults who -- you sort of look up to, you look up to the older guys because they are more experienced and they have won races and things like that. So, you look up to them. And, growing up, I looked up to Michael Andretti and Al Unser, Jr. and all these guys. And, to win the race in Milwaukee, it was really good for me because I raced wheel-to-wheel with Paul Tracy and with Jimmy Vasser, the defending champion, and with Alex Zanardi who we had good fights with last year. And, at the end of the race, you have got Michael Andretti, the guy that -- he has won the most of any CART active driver, and he is bearing down on you and to beat him and to have him breathing down my neck, it was a really good feeling for me.

GREG MOORE: No, not really. I think that the goals that we established at the beginning of the season are quite realistic. We established that we wanted to first of all, win the first race, win the first race for the team. And then once we got our first win then we wanted to, you know, go after two or three more. I think I said at the beginning of the season that I wanted to win three races this year and finish in the top 3 in the Championship. But, right now we are 5 points out of second. We have already won that first race. Now, we have just got a couple more and I think next weekend in Detroit, because it has been a good track for me in the past, it is a difficult track to pass on, but, you know, we stepped up the qualifying this year and I think watching the race on Sunday at 2:30 on ABC, it could be quite exciting.

GREG MOORE: Well, I have had a very good response. I have tons of friends and family calling me and I have had a lot of interviews. I have been doing live TV, live radio, tons of newspaper articles and, you know, all the attention, it is really nice just because, for a while there, I wasn't getting the "Hey, good jobs, you were finishing second," but I was getting a few people calling me saying, "Great job," but not as many as I did in 1995 in Indy Lites when I kept winning all the time. Now, that we have won, it is really a good feeling just because you really realize how many people are out there supporting you and be it the fans, your friends and family, they are out there supporting me 110 percent. I was walking down town Vancouver yesterday, I had a couple of people walk up and said, "Hey, good job on the weekend." I said, "Thanks." That is really special to have people that are just walking down the road, they know that I have won a race and they just say "Good job." That is something special.

GREG MOORE: I think that Cam Neely was a very good hockey player. Larry Walker, I think he is leading the batting average in baseball right now in the Major Leagues, and, yeah, and myself and Brendan Morrison, I think that -- I don't know what it is. Maybe it is the water or something out here. I don't really know what it is.

GREG MOORE: The Player's Development Program was very important to me because at the end of 1994 we were running a family run team. My dad, Rick Moore owned the team and basically was my sponsor, my biggest sponsor and you don't really know how close we were to maybe not running the '95 Indy Lites season because we had no money. And, we did some winter testing because, you know, we wanted to get some experience in case somebody did come along. But, you know Jerry Forsythe and Player's came along to me and they said we would like you to be involved in our Indy Lites team, we would like you to be our driver; you can bring your whole team, your mechanic, your engineer and all that. That was the start of something beautiful for me, I mean to win 10 of 12 races in 1995 in Indy Lites was great. And, Jacques was the first product of the Player's Development Program and, you know, I think I am going to call myself the second because it took me from Indy Lites, you know. They helped me through the Indy Lites' season. We won 10 of 12 races and we went to the CART Championship last year and finished 9th, had a couple of very good races, a couple of good results. And, this year we just -- it is just continuing. I mean, we have won our first race now and everyone on the Player's Forsythe Team is really looking forward to winning some more.

GREG MOORE: I would say my driving style -- I am very aggressive when I need to be, but I am learning how to be patient too. I am learning to be patient which is really part of a race car driver. A guy can go out and be the fastest guy in the world. But, if he is not smart and he takes too many chances sooner or later he is not going to finish a race even if he is the fastest and he is not going to win. Whereas, that is something that I have really worked on is trying to be patient, just bide my time, wait for the opportunity to open itself up. I won't make a hole to get past somebody. I will just wait for somebody to make a mistake or wait 'til we get into traffic to, you know, to get there. But, when I am racing wheel-to-wheel with somebody, I am a very aggressive little guy, though, that is for sure.

GREG MOORE: Sure, because I have looked up to Michael Andretti and Al Unser, Jr. and these guys for a long, long time. Ever since I have been ten years old, I have been watching IndyCar races and to be racing wheel-to-wheel with Paul -- I, mean he is known as one of the most aggressive, one of the best drivers out there by the media and by the fans and all the other drivers and to race wheel-to-wheel with him, to pass him two or three times on the racetrack, that was good. And then, you know, like you said at the very end there, to have Michael Andretti breathing down my neck and just waiting for me to make any tiny mistake, you know, but, fortunately, I don't think make any mistakes, and we still got the race win which is what it is all about.