INDYCAR: Hinchcliffe's dad gave him special gift

James Hinchcliffe never hesitates to talk about his hero, former CART driver Greg Moore, who died in the 1999 season finale at Fontana. Look closely and you'll see Hinchcliffe wearing red gloves in Moore's honor, even carrying a pair of Moore's inside his firesuit during qualifying for the Indy 500 in 2012 (pictured below). It turns out Hinchcliffe has several items that once belonged to Moore – including one of his cars.

Unbeknownst to James, in 1998 Hinchcliffe's father, Jeremy, bought the ex-Moore Van Diemen Formula Ford car Moore drove to rookie of the year honors in the 1991 Esso Protec F1600 championship, planning ahead for James's eventual graduation from karting to the Esso Protec pro series, the younger Hinchcliffe told The Globe and Mail.

"My dad was renting the car out to someone in vintage racing, so I'd never seen it at the time. But he was able to give me the steering wheel Greg had used because the gentleman who had owned the car had updated to a newer wheel."

The Esso Protec series folded, so instead Hinchcliffe's next step up the ladder would be the 2004 Formula BMW USA, followed by the Mazda Star series that saw him win at Laguna Seca and Road America. He finally got to drive Moore's car in September 2005 at Mosport, when he came home for two races at the British Empire Motor Club Indian Summer race meet. He battled with vintage racing veteran David Clubine from start to finish but was ultimately edged out by Clubine in both races.

• From the RACER.com archive: My hero, Greg Moore - by James Hinchcliffe

"Even if James hadn't gone on to the success he's had, I'd always remember that race as special," Clubine told The Globe and Mail. "He was much better than me under braking and in the higher speed corners. The rest of the course, we were fairly even."

Having reached age 30, Hinchcliffe doesn't plan to race Moore's car again. Nor does he think he will keep it – but for a good reason.

"I just don't think I'll ever race Greg's Formula Ford again," Hinchcliffe said. "There's too much sentimental value in it at this point."

"This car should go to the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame," he said, although the CMHF does not have a permanent home. "If not that, then Greg's museum in British Columbia [a permanent exhibit housed in the BC Sports Hall of Fame]."