Peter Gregg

Peter Holden Gregg (May 4, 1940 – December 15, 1980) was an American race car driver during the golden age of the Trans-Am Series and a five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona. He was also the owner of Brumos, a Jacksonville, Florida, car dealership and racing team.

Background Gregg was born in New York City, the son of a mechanical engineer and manufacturer of marine incinerators.

Gregg graduated from the Deerfield Academy, a private prep school, He had a brief career in filmmaking while also competing as a squash player and then eventually settling on auto racing. he moved to Europe and attended the Centro-Sud Driving School. Discharged in 1965 from the Navy.

Racing career

While at school, Gregg began his motorsport career in gymkhanas and ice races after an initial appearance in a hill climb in 1958 in Laconia, New Hampshire.

Gregg numbered his cars 59 whenever possible in homage to his Naval career, having served aboard the USS Forrestal whose original ship designation was CA 59. his car careered into a ditch. When doctors refused to allow Gregg to race, his place was taken by Derek Bell.

Death Following his road accident in France on June 10, 1980, Gregg suffered from lingering concussion symptoms that included headaches and double vision for several months.

"Peter had been concerned with a lot of things philosophically," business partner Bob Snodgrass said. "And after the accident that happened in Le Mans, Peter went through a rough period of having to face the reality that he was physically not able to race because of his medical problem."

After a five-month courtship, Gregg married Deborah Jane Marrs, a 25-year-old commercial artist from Miami, on December 6.

Peter Gregg committed suicide by firearm on December 15, 1980, near the beach south of Jacksonville. In his briefcase, he had left a suicide note that said, in part: “I just don't enjoy life anymore. I must have the right to end it.” Police said that he had recently undergone psychiatric care. She remarried 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 in Trans-Am, the American Le Mans Series and the Grand-Am Series. Simon Gregg campaigns a Chevrolet Corvette under the Derhaag Motorsports banner in the SCCA's GT-1-class. He won the SCCA Southeast Conference Major's Tour GT-1 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in January 2015, and set a new track record for the GT-1 class.

Awards Gregg was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1992. Gregg was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000.

Motorsports results SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status 1967 Daytona Porsche 911 E Sports Racer 2 3 Running Porsche 911 B Sedan 12 3 Retired 1969 Daytona Porsche 911 B Sedan 1 1 Running 1970 Road Atlanta Porsche 914/6 C Production 8 15 Running

24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-drivers Car Class Laps 1966 Porsche System Engineering Sten Axelsson Porsche 906 Carrera 6 S 2.0 321 DNF DNF 1973 Sonauto BP Racing Guy Chasseuil Porsche 911 Carrera RSR GTS 3.0 298 14th 3rd 1976 BMW Motorsport GmbH Brian Redman BMW 3.0 CSL Turbo Gr. 5SP 23 DNF DNF 1977 JMS Racing ASA Cachia Claude Ballot-Léna Porsche 935 Gr. 5SP 315 3rd 1st 1978 Martini Racing Porsche System Hurley Haywood Reinhold Joest Porsche 936/77 Gr. 6S 3.0 362 3rd 3rd 1979 Charles Pozzi / JMS Racing Claude Ballot-Léna Michel Leclère Ferrari 512 BB-LM IMSAGTX 219 DNF DNF