Peter Gregg (racing driver)

Peter Gregg
Born	(1940-05-04) 4 May 1940 New York City, U.S.
Died	15 December 1980(1980-12-15) (aged 40)
Occupation(s)	Racecar driver, businessman
Known for	Trans-Am Series champion, five-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner, owner of Brumos Porsche

Peter Holden Gregg (May 4, 1940 – December 15, 1980) was a prominent American racecar driver renowned during the heyday of the Trans-Am Series and achieved five victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He also owned Brumos, a car dealership and racing outfit based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Background

Born in New York City, Gregg was the son of a mechanical engineer who specialized in manufacturing marine incinerators.

He completed his education at the private preparatory institution, Deerfield Academy, graduating in 1957, before earning an English degree from Harvard University in 1961. Initially pursuing a brief stint in filmmaking while also playing competitive squash, he ultimately committed to a career in motorsports. Following his graduation, Gregg relocated to Europe to attend the Centro-Sud Driving School. Subsequently, he served as an air intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida until his discharge in 1965. He was married to Jennifer Johnson and fathered two sons, Jason and Simon.

The Peter Gregg Foundation continues to honor his memory.

Racing career

Peter Gregg’s 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR from Brumos Racing

Gregg’s motorsport journey began during his school years with participation in gymkhanas and ice racing events, following an initial experience at a hill climb held in 1958 at Laconia, New Hampshire.

In 1963, he competed in an unmodified production Corvette at an event in Osceola County, Florida, securing victory in an SCCA-sanctioned race. By 1964, Gregg had transitioned into serious competition with a Porsche 904 and later advanced to racing a Porsche 906. The following year, after the passing of Hubert Brundage, he acquired Brumos Porsche, a local dealership. In 1967, he claimed the SCCA Southeastern Division championship across two classes and achieved wins at both Daytona and Sebring. The acquisition of a Mercedes-Benz dealership in 1968 coincided with his entry into the SCCA's Under-2-Litre category within the Trans-Am Series. His success included six Trans-Am victories in 1969 along with securing the SCCA B Sedan National Championship. By 1970, he expanded his business interests by launching SportAuto, a dealership specializing in Fiat and MG vehicles.

During the 1971 season, Gregg competed in the premier Trans-Am Series piloting Ford Mustangs for Bud Moore, teaming with fellow racer George Follmer. He went on to win the Trans-Am championships in both 1973 and 1974 driving a Brumos Porsche. Concurrently involved with the IMSA, Gregg secured overall IMSA GTO titles in 1971 and 1973. His consistent performance earned him the moniker "Peter Perfect," a nickname possibly inspired by both his polished naval officer demeanor and a character from the Hanna-Barbera series "Wacky Races." In 1973, he triumphed at the 24 Hours of Daytona behind the wheel of a Porsche Carrera alongside co-driver Hurley Haywood. Following this victory, Gregg announced his retirement to pursue roles such as director at Jacksonville National Bank, engage in club-level tennis, and participate as a speedboat racer affiliated with the Ponte Vedra Yacht Club.

However, Gregg returned to competition and captured three additional wins at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1975, 1976, and 1978. Notably, his 1976 victory came driving the #59 BMW E9 Coupe Sport Leicht (CSL), famously nicknamed the "Batmobile," co-driven by Brian Redman. This marked BMW's inaugural significant triumph on American soil and foreshadowed what would evolve into the BMW M Motorsport division.

Gregg amassed IMSA GTO overall championships four more times—in 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979—bringing his total titles in this category to six. In June of 1980, he was scheduled to compete at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche’s factory team driving a 924 Carrera GTS, alongside fellow American racer Al Holbert. However, near Paris while en route to practice sessions, Gregg was involved in an accident after attempting to pass an ox cart when another vehicle unexpectedly entered his path; trying to avoid collision, his car veered into a ditch. Artist Frank Stella accompanied him as passenger. Due to medical restrictions following this incident, Derek Bell replaced him for the race.

Cleared to compete again at Daytona's Paul Revere 250 shortly afterward, Gregg stepped in when co-driver Haywood fell ill during the event but their Porsche ultimately finished third after falling behind. Experiencing symptoms of double vision soon after led IMSA to prohibit him from further racing activities.

BMW M1 Procar painted by artist Frank Stella in 1979; commissioned by Peter Gregg

As recognition for his achievements with BMW, Gregg received an invitation from the manufacturer to commission a supercar for the BMW M1 Procar Championship. The vehicle painted by artist Frank Stella is distinguished as the sole BMW Art Car not retained by BMW itself (though Stella was officially recognized as an Art Car artist). After being sold by Gregg’s widow in 1990, it was donated to the Guggenheim Museum in 1999. Later it was auctioned at Bonhams during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2011 for $854,000 to collector Jonathan Sobel—a noted art enthusiast and BMW dealer—and subsequently acquired by prominent BMW collector Peter Gleeson.

Death

After his June 10, 1980, traffic accident in France, Gregg endured persistent concussion effects, including headaches and double vision, which lasted for several months.

Bob Snodgrass, Gregg's business associate, remarked, "Peter had been grappling with many philosophical concerns. Following the Le Mans accident, he faced a challenging time coming to terms with the fact that his medical condition prevented him from racing."

Although Gregg secured the 11th starting position for the 250-mile race at Daytona on November 30, he ultimately withdrew prior to the event, citing issues with the car’s handling.

On December 6, after dating for five months, Gregg wed Deborah Jane Marrs, a 25-year-old commercial artist from Miami.

Tragically, on December 15, 1980, near a beach south of Jacksonville, Peter Gregg took his own life using a firearm. A note found in his briefcase included the words: “I just don’t enjoy life anymore. I must have the right to end it.” Authorities reported that he had recently received psychiatric treatment.

Gregg’s close friend Hurley Haywood believes multiple elements contributed to his decision, notably the realization that “Peter Perfect,” as he was known among racers, was no longer the fastest competitor. Newer drivers piloting Porsche 935s were outperforming him, and Gregg struggled to accept that he was no longer at the top.

Brumos racing after Gregg

Following Gregg's passing, his endurance racing teammate Hurley Haywood supported Deborah Gregg as she assumed the role of Owner and CEO at Brumos Motorcars. During the 1980s, she became a competitive driver in both Trans Am and endurance racing events representing Brumos. Deborah later remarried and sold the dealerships in the mid-1990s.

In 1991, Brumos Porsche fielded a two-car Porsche team in the inaugural IMSA SuperCar series. The team achieved three consecutive manufacturer championships for Porsche with their signature white, red, and blue 911 Turbos. Peter Gregg’s son Simon went on to race in Trans-Am, American Le Mans Series, and the Grand-Am Series. Simon currently competes in SCCA's GT-1 class driving a Chevrolet Corvette under Derhaag Motorsports. In January 2015, he won the SCCA Southeast Conference Major’s Tour GT-1 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway and set a new GT-1 class track record.

Awards

• In 1992, Gregg earned induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
• He was also honored with induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000.

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year	Track	Vehicle	Engine	Category	Final Position	Starting Position	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	Vehicle	Category	Laps Completed	Pos.	Class pos.
1966	Porsche System Engineering	Template:Country data SWETemplate:Namespace detect showall Sten Axelsson	Porsche 906 Carrera 6	S 2.0	321	DNF	DNF
1973	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Sonauto BP Racing	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Guy Chasseuil	Porsche 911 Carrera RSR	GTS 3.0	298	14th	3rd
1976	BMW Motorsport GmbH	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Brian Redman	BMW 3.0 CSL Turbo	Gr. 5 SP	23	DNF	DNF
1977	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall JMS Racing Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall ASA Cachia	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Claude Ballot-Léna	Porsche 935	Gr. 5 SP	315	3rd	1st
1978	Martini Racing Porsche System	Hurley Haywood Reinhold Joest	Porsche 936/77	Gr. 6 S 3.0	362	3rd	3rd
1979	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Charles Pozzi / JMS Racing	Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Claude Ballot-Léna Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Michel Leclère	Ferrari 512 BB-LM	IMSA GTX	219	DNF	DNF