Peter Gregg (racing driver)
Encyclopedia
Peter Holden Gregg was a racecar driver during the golden age of the Trans-Am Series
and a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona
. He was also the owner of Brumos, a Jacksonville, Florida
car dealership.
, the son of a mechanical engineer and manufacturer of marine incinerators
.
He graduated from the Deerfield Academy
, a private prep school, in 1957 and moved on to Harvard University
, where he earned a degree in English. He had a brief career in film making, coupling that as a squash
player and then eventually settling as an automobile racer. After his graduation from Harvard in 1961, he moved to Europe and attended the Centro-Sud Driving School. He then joined the U.S. Navy and became an Air Intelligence Officer, and was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida
and served there until he was discharged in 1965. He was at this time married to Jennifer Johnson and had two sons, Jason Gregg and Simon Gregg.
and ice races after an initial appearance in a hill climb
in 1958 in Laconia, New Hampshire
.
April, 1963 he drove an unmodified production Corvette in Osceola County, Florida
and won the SCCA sanctioned race. He became a serious Porsche
racer in 1964 with a Porsche 904
and then moved into competition with a Carrera. In August 1965 he purchased a local Porsche dealership named Brumos Porsche after the death of the owner, Hubert Brundage. He was the SCCA's Southeastern Division champion in 1967 in two classes and had scored victories in Daytona
and Sebring
. In 1968 he acquired a Mercedes-Benz
dealership. In 1968, he entered competition in the SCCA's Under-2-Litre section of the Trans-Am Series. He won six Trans-Ams and the title in 1969 and also took the SCCA's B Sedan National Championship. In 1970, he opened a third dealership called SportAuto selling Fiat
s and MGs
.
In 1971, he was part of the major Trans-Am Series, driving Bud Moore
Ford Mustangs, alongside teammate George Follmer
. He won the Trans-Am Series
in 1973 in a Brumos Porsche and again in 1974. By this time, he was involved with IMSA
and won the IMSA GTO
overall championship in 1971 and 1973 earning him the nickname "Peter Perfect" possibly a reference to a character in a Hanna-Barbera
Cartoon called the "Wacky Races
" and his clean cut Naval Officer image. In 1973 he won the 24 Hours of Daytona
in a Porsche Carrera co-driven by Hurley Haywood
. He then announced his retirement, to lead a life as a director of the Jacksonville National Bank, a club tennis player and a speedboat racer out of the Ponte Vedra
Yacht Club.
He retracted his retirement and went on to win the 24 Hours of Daytona three more times, in 1975, 1976, and 1978. He won IMSA GTO overall championships in 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979, giving him six career titles in the class. But in June 1980, he was due to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in a 924 Carrera GTS
for the Porsche factory team along with fellow American Al Holbert
, but was injured near Paris
when his car, en-route to a practice session for the race, attempted to overtake an ox cart
, but a car pulled out in front of him and whilst avoiding them, the car careered into a ditch. Artist Frank Stella
was his passenger. His place was taken by Derek Bell
, when doctors refused to allow Gregg to race.
He later returned and was given the clearance to compete at the Paul Revere 250 at Daytona the following month. His partner Haywood, who was scheduled to drive for most of the race, soon fell ill whilst leading, leaving Gregg to fill in for the rest of the race, but their Porsche fell back, eventually finishing third. Suffering from double vision
, he was soon barred from racing by IMSA.
south of Jacksonville by a hiker, who discovered him with a gunshot wound to his head, an hour earlier than he had written on a suicide note (right) that was found in his briefcase
, addressed to Deborah Mars, whom he had recently married, his former wife, his two sons and his business associates.
The official finding was suicide. Reports at the time suggested that Gregg was suffering from a progressive and incurable nervous system disorder which would have slowly degraded his physical capabilities and would have eventually been fatal - and that this, in the context of his perfectionism for which he was known, was what motivated his suicide. He was believed by some to be a manic depressive.
At the time of his death Gregg had achieved a reputation as one of America's greatest and most successful road racers with 152 wins out of 340 races he started. Although Gregg was highly respected as a driver, his pursuit of perfectionism alienated those around him.
Deborah Gregg would subsequently take over the business. Gregg's endurance racing partner, Hurley Haywood, would assist Deborah Gregg (herself a racer) as she took the position of Owner/CEO at Brumos Motorcars. Deborah Gregg became a successful driver in the Trans Am and endurance series driving for Brumos in the 80s, following in her late husband's foot steps. She re-married and sold the dealerships in the mid 90s.
In 1991, Brumos Porsche entered a two-car Porsche team in the newly created IMSA SuperCar series and won three straight manufacturer’s championships for Porsche with a pair of traditional white, red, and blue 911 Turbos. Peter's son, Simon, later competed as a driver, partipicated in Trans-Am, the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series
.
Trans-Am Series
The Trans-Am Series is an automobile racing series which was created in 1966 by Sports Car Club of America President John Bishop. Originally known as the Trans-American Sedan Championship it has evolved over time from its original format as a manufacturers championship for modified racing sedans...
and a four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
. He was also the owner of Brumos, a Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
car dealership.
Background
Gregg was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the son of a mechanical engineer and manufacturer of marine incinerators
Incineration
Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas, and...
.
He graduated from the Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
, a private prep school, in 1957 and moved on to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he earned a degree in English. He had a brief career in film making, coupling that as a squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player and then eventually settling as an automobile racer. After his graduation from Harvard in 1961, he moved to Europe and attended the Centro-Sud Driving School. He then joined the U.S. Navy and became an Air Intelligence Officer, and was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
and served there until he was discharged in 1965. He was at this time married to Jennifer Johnson and had two sons, Jason Gregg and Simon Gregg.
Racing career
Whilst he was at school, he began his motorsport career in gymkhanasGymkhana (motorsport)
Gymkhana is a type of motorsport practiced in an increasing number of countries. Similar to autocross, gymkhana courses are often very complex and memorizing the course is a significant part of achieving a fast time....
and ice races after an initial appearance in a hill climb
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
in 1958 in Laconia, New Hampshire
Laconia, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,411 people, 6,724 households, and 4,168 families residing in the city. The population density was 809.3 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 421.8 per square mile...
.
April, 1963 he drove an unmodified production Corvette in Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was...
and won the SCCA sanctioned race. He became a serious Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
racer in 1964 with a Porsche 904
Porsche 904
The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It was officially called Porsche Carrera GTS due to the same naming rights problem that required renaming the Porsche 901 to Porsche 911.- History :...
and then moved into competition with a Carrera. In August 1965 he purchased a local Porsche dealership named Brumos Porsche after the death of the owner, Hubert Brundage. He was the SCCA's Southeastern Division champion in 1967 in two classes and had scored victories in Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
and Sebring
Sebring Raceway
Sebring International Raceway is a road course auto racing facility located near Sebring, Florida.Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously-operating race tracks in the United States, its first race being run in 1950...
. In 1968 he acquired a Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
dealership. In 1968, he entered competition in the SCCA's Under-2-Litre section of the Trans-Am Series. He won six Trans-Ams and the title in 1969 and also took the SCCA's B Sedan National Championship. In 1970, he opened a third dealership called SportAuto selling Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
s and MGs
MG (car)
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
.
In 1971, he was part of the major Trans-Am Series, driving Bud Moore
Bud Moore Engineering
Bud Moore Engineering was a championship-winning NASCAR team. It was owned and operated by mechanic Bud Moore and ran out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. While the team was a dominant force in the 60s and 80s, the final years were tumultuous due to lack of sponorship and uncompetitive race cars.-...
Ford Mustangs, alongside teammate George Follmer
George Follmer
George Follmer is a retired American race car driver, and one of the most successful road racers of the 1970s. He was born in Phoenix, Arizona....
. He won the Trans-Am Series
Trans-Am Series
The Trans-Am Series is an automobile racing series which was created in 1966 by Sports Car Club of America President John Bishop. Originally known as the Trans-American Sedan Championship it has evolved over time from its original format as a manufacturers championship for modified racing sedans...
in 1973 in a Brumos Porsche and again in 1974. By this time, he was involved with IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
and won the IMSA GTO
IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
overall championship in 1971 and 1973 earning him the nickname "Peter Perfect" possibly a reference to a character in a Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
Cartoon called the "Wacky Races
Wacky Races
Wacky Races is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series features 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies throughout North America, with each driver hoping to win the title of the "World's Wackiest Racer." Wacky Races ran on CBS from September...
" and his clean cut Naval Officer image. In 1973 he won the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
in a Porsche Carrera co-driven by Hurley Haywood
Hurley Haywood
Hurley Haywood is an American race-car driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 , 1983 and 1994 and is the most successful driver at the 24 Hours of Daytona with 5 wins . He won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1973 and 1981...
. He then announced his retirement, to lead a life as a director of the Jacksonville National Bank, a club tennis player and a speedboat racer out of the Ponte Vedra
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach is an unincorporated seaside community in St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located eighteen miles southeast of downtown Jacksonville and north of St. Augustine, it is part of the Jacksonville Beaches area. It is an upmarket tourist resort area best known for its...
Yacht Club.
He retracted his retirement and went on to win the 24 Hours of Daytona three more times, in 1975, 1976, and 1978. He won IMSA GTO overall championships in 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979, giving him six career titles in the class. But in June 1980, he was due to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in a 924 Carrera GTS
Porsche 924
The Porsche 924 is an automobile produced by Porsche AG of Germany from 1976 to 1988. A two-door, 2+2 coupé, the 924 replaced the 914 as the company's entry-level model, and was the model that finally retired the 912. In production terms, the 924 was the first Porsche model powered by a...
for the Porsche factory team along with fellow American Al Holbert
Al Holbert
Alvah Robert "Al" Holbert was an American automobile racing driver who was a five-time champion of the IMSA Camel GT series.- Life and career :...
, but was injured near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
when his car, en-route to a practice session for the race, attempted to overtake an ox cart
Bullock cart
A bullock cart or ox cart is a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by oxen . It is a means of transportation used since ancient times in many parts of the world. They are still used today where modern vehicles are too expensive or the infrastructure does not favor them.Used especially for carrying goods,...
, but a car pulled out in front of him and whilst avoiding them, the car careered into a ditch. Artist Frank Stella
Frank Stella
Frank Stella is an American painter and printmaker, significant within the art movements of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction.-Biography:...
was his passenger. His place was taken by Derek Bell
Derek Bell (auto racer)
Derek Reginald Bell MBE is a former racing driver from England who was extremely successful in sportscar racing, winning five times at Le Mans. He also raced in Formula One for the Ferrari, McLaren, Surtees and Tecno teams...
, when doctors refused to allow Gregg to race.
He later returned and was given the clearance to compete at the Paul Revere 250 at Daytona the following month. His partner Haywood, who was scheduled to drive for most of the race, soon fell ill whilst leading, leaving Gregg to fill in for the rest of the race, but their Porsche fell back, eventually finishing third. Suffering from double vision
Double vision
Double vision refers to diplopia, the perception of two images from a single object.Double vision may also refer to:- Music :* Double Vision * Double Vision...
, he was soon barred from racing by IMSA.
Death
Peter Gregg was discovered dead aged 40 on December 15, 1980 at the sand dune by the A1A highwayFlorida State Road A1A
State Road A1A is a Florida State Road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean, with sections from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Callahan, just south of Georgia. It is the main road through most oceanfront towns. SR A1A is designated the A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Highway, a...
south of Jacksonville by a hiker, who discovered him with a gunshot wound to his head, an hour earlier than he had written on a suicide note (right) that was found in his briefcase
Briefcase
A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name...
, addressed to Deborah Mars, whom he had recently married, his former wife, his two sons and his business associates.
The official finding was suicide. Reports at the time suggested that Gregg was suffering from a progressive and incurable nervous system disorder which would have slowly degraded his physical capabilities and would have eventually been fatal - and that this, in the context of his perfectionism for which he was known, was what motivated his suicide. He was believed by some to be a manic depressive.
At the time of his death Gregg had achieved a reputation as one of America's greatest and most successful road racers with 152 wins out of 340 races he started. Although Gregg was highly respected as a driver, his pursuit of perfectionism alienated those around him.
Deborah Gregg would subsequently take over the business. Gregg's endurance racing partner, Hurley Haywood, would assist Deborah Gregg (herself a racer) as she took the position of Owner/CEO at Brumos Motorcars. Deborah Gregg became a successful driver in the Trans Am and endurance series driving for Brumos in the 80s, following in her late husband's foot steps. She re-married and sold the dealerships in the mid 90s.
In 1991, Brumos Porsche entered a two-car Porsche team in the newly created IMSA SuperCar series and won three straight manufacturer’s championships for Porsche with a pair of traditional white, red, and blue 911 Turbos. Peter's son, Simon, later competed as a driver, partipicated in Trans-Am, the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series
Rolex Sports Car Series
The Rolex Sports Car Series is the premier series run by the Grand American Road Racing Association. It is a North American-based sports car series that was founded in 2000 under the name Grand American Road Racing Championship to replace the failed United States Road Racing Championship...
.
Awards
- Gregg was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of FameInternational Motorsports Hall of FameThe International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to auto racing either as a driver, owner, developer or engineer...
in 1992. - He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaMotorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaThe Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
in 2000.
External links
- http://www.brumosracing.com/raceteam/2004_paulrevere.pdf