David Donohue is proof positive that apples dont fall far from the tree. The front of the car was torn away, leaving Donohue, still strapped to his safety seat, with his legs dangling outside the car. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Of 55 Trans-Ams he entered, he won 29. His retirement was short-lived, however, as he was lured back to full-time competitive driving by Penske when he formed a Formula One team, Penske Cars Ltd, to compete in the final two events of the 1974 Formula One World Championship, and to continue competing in 1975 with the new Penske PC1. Mark Donohue at the 1971 Canadian Grand Prix, Today, we have specialists, but Mark was such a versatile guy, he drove everything for us.. Continuing the practice of reducing weight allowed them to place weights of certain sizes strategically in specific locations within the car, thus helping to balance the car while being driven on the limit. Penske, along with Donohue's wife, Eden, and father, Mark Sr., were at Donohue's bedside. An experienced race driver named Walt Hansgen (who worked for Inskip Motors in New York & Rhode Island) recognized Donohue's ability[2] and befriended him, eventually providing an MGB (through Inskip Motors in Providence, RI and prepped by their race shop Competition Engineering)[8] for Donohue to race at the 1964 Bridgehampton The book was re-released in 2000 by Bentley Publishers (Cambridge, Massachusetts). [4] He was survived by his wife and two sons from his first marriage. Twelve identically prepared cars is the mantra forever engrained in those who followed the International Race of Champions, and IROCs inaugural season, ranging from the fall of 1973 to the winter of 1974, was one of Donohues finest showings. Though he walked away from the resulting crash, he fell into a coma the next day and, shortly after, died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
Donohue raced in the inaugural IROC series in 197374, racing identical, specially-prepared Porsche RSRs. The Penske team leader, Heinz Hofer, said Donohue had told him after the crash that the left front tire had been punctured as he was traveling about 160 m.p.h. We started to look at data Mark was an engineer at Brown (University), and that was certainly part of it, but we were committed. Hangsen was killed testing a car for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Foyt and Emerson Fittipaldi, among others tangible proof that, stock-car equipment being even, Donohue was a world beater.
REWIND: Miller on Mark Donohue | RACER - RACER | Racing News ), entered April 29, 2014 in Albany County, which granted a motion by defendants James Finck and Tougher Industries Enterprises, LLC for summary judgment dismissing the complaint against them. He was one of the best American roadracers in history, but his biggest triumph was on the oval at Indianapolis, where in 1972 he won the 500. Ford immediately signed Donohue to drive one of their GT-40 Mk II race cars campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Holman & Moody racing team. He had been a national amateur champion and the Sports Car Club of America driver of the year in 1965. We were the college kids with the crew cuts and the polished wheels, Penske said.
Mark Donohue - Wikipedia Roger Penske and Mark Donohue following Donohue's IROC win in 1974. By 1973, the "Captain Nice" nickname he had earned earlier in his career was being supplanted by the nickname "Dark Monohue". It was August 9, 1975. Choose a Username Available! Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023, The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023 As Roger Penske said, Mark wasnt flashy, but he put the numbers on the board.. He was young Roger Penskes equal. Since his remarriage eight months ago, those same friends found Donohue relaxed and cheerful, something he had not been while retired. Both Donohue and Penske changed teams to American Motors Corporation in 1970 and won their third championship in 1971. Walt Hangsen, a former SCCA champion and road racing veteran who even make a pair of F1 starts, helped Donohue get a ride in John Mecoms Ferrari 250LM at Sebring in 1965. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. Mark was an engineer from Brown University, Penske said. racing was concerned, he had done it all. The guy that is most like Mark that Ive ever met is David, said Don Cox. Several minutes later Donohue regained consciousness and spoke with his rescuers, who took him to Knittelfeld hospital. My friends began warning me., Racing was becoming an obsession, but in 1965, he realized: Maybe I can make a living out of something like to do. The latter passed away at 09h20 on Tuesday 19 August 1975, while being treated at a Knittelfeld hospital.Donohue was hit in the head by one of the catch-fence supporting posts and was knocked unconscious. Clark, J. The Penske PC1 was developed but the car proved problematic and midway through the season they decided to switch to a March 751 chassis. Its something that Ive looked at since I was really young as a kid, Donohue said. I dont remember him changing a bit.. Mark Donohue. The lightweight car was featured on an episode of Dream Car Garage on Speed TV in 2005. Not that Donohues career or his one win in NASCAR needed validation, but IROC has long crystallized what fans thought of the talent in drivers who never outwardly succeeded in the Cup Series. Toy cars at the gravesite of Mark Donohue in Summit, New Jersey. There was no real color out of it. Donohues dad was often racing in the United States or Canada for a fledgling operation called Penske Racing. As a person, he was always fun to be around, but I always admired that work ethic he displayed when it was time to race., Donohue was known as Captain Nice. To some, however, Donohue seemed distant and was later nicknamed Dark Monohue., Donohue was a good guy, said long-time racing journalist Robin Miller, who was a young reporter for The Indianapolis Star when Donohue raced at Indy. Auto Race Car Driver. No one knew, but Mark Donohue had just 10 days to live. Then they put both cars in the race, number 15 and 16, one car being 250 pounds lighter. He won the Can Am championship in 197, the TransAm title in 1968, 1969 and 1971. Donohue's death was announced by a spokesman for Roger Penske, a close personal friend and his team boss. He tinkered his way all through Pingry School, Brown University and a job as a mechanical engineer with the Pulverizing Machinery Corporation in Summit. The real Mark came out.. The Penske grand prix car proved a disappointment and Donohue's best finish this season was a fifth place in the British Grand Prix. On August 9, 1975, Donohue drove the 917-30 to a world closed-course speed record at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. I was the chief engineer because I was the only engineer, Cox recalled. Donohue disagreed. How famous was Mark . So in a televised interview after the incident, race driver Mark Donohue told the story of his horrific practice crash at Road Atlanta with carefully chosen words. 66 Penske Racing entry went on to win at Indianapolis in 1972 to give Roger Penske the first of his 17 Indy 500 wins. The doctors in Graz, Austria, said yesterday that the racing driver would have been crippled for life had he survived. Police have not yet released his identity. That sense of realism often hits Mark Donohues son. Le Mans proved frustrating for Donohue. Its made me realize its an honor to be his son. Make sure you track out all the way for Turn 7. That long association resulted in the ultimate triumph for an American driver in 1972, when he won the Indianapolis 500. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The four-race schedule consisted of three races at Riverside and a finale on Daytonas road course. In 1968 he was USRRC champion again, winning five of eight, and he was also Trans-Am champion, winning 10 of 13. He needed something he could do well., Alas, Penske Racings first F1 car, the PC1, was so mediocre that Donohue persuaded Penske to replace it with a customers March 751, a curious crack in the myth that was Mark. He flew under the radar a lot, but he was always there.
Le cavalier du diable - Film d'pouvante sur Tl 7 Jours Maryland DUI Driver Who Killed 3 Gets More Prison Time for Trying to It is core to the myth of Mark that he was just an okay driver but a genius engineer. And neither found what they expected. We need an obit.. The real engineers were Don Cox [from GM] and Helmut Flegl [from Porsche]. It was largely Flegl who created the Porsche 917-30, whose 1100 horsepower, the SCCA bitched, was killing the Can-Am series. Late in 1973, when Penske decided to build a Formula One car for the 1975 season, Donohue knew what would happen. When David Donohue was young, he never really got to know his father -- Mark Donohue. We may earn money from the links on this page. He lost his life doing what he wanted to do, which is one thing, but it took us a long time to get over that. It was hard to believe because Donohue and team owner Roger Penske were then the cleverest guys in racing. But his edge was rarely lost. I realized then that if I wanted to do better in this business I had to spend more time on my car, he said.
The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue | Goodreads They were embarrassed, and like the streak of success following the 71 Indianapolis 500, they returned to Riverside in 1973 with a heavy chip on their shoulders. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Most of Donohues wins (28) came in Trans-Am, the United States Road Racing Championship (12) and Can-Am (10). Thank you. And, according to Cox, Roger certainly did his part in coming up with next projects.. In 1961, Donohue bought the Elva and battled with another young racing star, Peter Revson, for the SCCA divisional championship. Mark Donohue was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. The bumpy, rain-soaked course around J.F.K. On his second lap, while at about 260 km/h a rear tire of his March 751 - Ford suddenly blew, the out of control car went through the fence for about 180 feet, over a guard-rail and into a ravine. Sometimes, I would leave early and take my own car to the airport because I didnt want to put up with him. David Donohue drives his dad's 1972 Indy 500-winning car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. He would greet those who didnt know him with a smile, but he was so focused and obsessed with making the race car go fast, he was distant. I'd always thought that I'm not as good a driver as I am capable of figuring out how to make the car the quickest, he once said. They sent the legal weight car through the technical inspection with the number 15 and again with the number 16 on it. That took a couple of years. Mark Donohue died last night. We went to the Speedway in 1971 and we had this card that translated the speed on the stopwatch to your average speed. Every time David Donohue sees that car, he sees his father. When he came out, he was a different person. On the phone, the editor said, You gotta come back in. He was very quiet, very unassuming, Mario Andretti told Autoweek.
Once, in 1971, he and Penske showed up at the Canadian Grand Prix and Jackie Stewart, the former world champion, kidded them: Welcome to the major leagues.. Back then it was tape-delayed, and she was watching the race on TV. Acid-dipping car bodies was prevalent with competing Trans-Am teams also. Donohue drove the Javelin to three victories, with AMC finishing second overall in the Manufacturers' Championship. But this was a safe driver, a man who knew his limits, his car's limits and didn't go over the edge, as they say in racing. Donohue was able to obtain two fifth places in the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp and in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, but scored five DNF's in the first 11 races of the season.A few days before going to Zeltweg for the Austrian Grand Prix, scheduled to be contested on 17 August 1975, Penske and Porsche attempted to set the world closed-course record. When she brought us in to see the finish, I dont think she knew he had won. I think I was the first guy to assert that Mark was a better driver than an engineer, says Bedard. Donohue did not start the first race of the year at Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City due to problems getting the engine to start. He knew racing drivers couldn't come back. But in eight months of retirement, the quiet, wellspoken kid from the other side of the tracks learned that the hobby that had become an obsession still haunted him.
One-hit wonder: Mark Donohue and his 1973 Riverside win helped elevate A full season of racing for the 1975 Formula One season was planned. I think at that point we started to bring the sport to a higher level, Penske said. He took the lot to Lime Rock, Conn., and finished fourth in a sports car race. This time, the interlopers would leave no doubt as they set out to prove their reputations for calculated dominance. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. In auto racing, though, even thinking man's drivers can get killed by punctured tires. ), (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap). You never saw him in an argument with anybody. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Showing Editorial results for mark donohue. At first, the former Indianapolis 500 winner was thought to have just a mild concussion. He died in 1975 a day after a crash during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Donohue was obsessed with finding any possible advantage through engineering -- and loopholes in the rules. Mark Donohue drove the Porsche 917-30 Can-Am after making various aerodynamic and suspension modifications.
The Iconic 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Raced by Mark Donohue Is Up for I don't think I could have handled that.. During their enormous success in Trans-Am, Penske and Donohue would begin to experiment with their Camaros. Instructions on how to reset your password have been sent to your email. The book documents his career from his first races to his final full season of racing the year before he was killed. He answered, "It will never have enough power until I can spin the wheels at the end of the straightaway in high gear.". It was at Hangsens funeral that Roger Penske approached Donohue to drive for him. It is said that Donohue's head struck either a catch fencing post or the bottom of the wood frame for an advertising billboard located alongside of the racetrack. The key factors behind F1s Premier League-style managerial revolving door, The tangible steps Alpine has taken to meeting its humble F1 2023 targets, The tangible steps Alpine has taken to meeting its humble F1 2023 targets Donohue began working with cars while growing up in the nineteenfifties in a comfortable neighborhood in Summit, N. J. Cars that Donohue raced include: AMC Javelin, AMC Matador, Chevrolet Camaro, Eagle-Offy, Elva Courier, Ford GT40 MK IV, Ferrari 250LM, Ferrari 512, Lola T70, Lola T330, Lotus 20, McLaren M16, Porsche 911, Porsche 917/10, Porsche 917/30, Shelby Cobra, and Shelby Mustang GT350R. Penske's new Penske Racing complex in Mooresville, North Carolina is decorated with various murals of Donohue and his racing cars, most notably the AMC stock car and the various Porsche prototypes that Donohue drove through his career. During the day, being the state of health still worrying, he was airlifted to the Universittsklinik of Graz where he was operated by Dr. Fritz Heppner. "Going down the back straightaway, the wing, which produced a tremendous amount of downforce at high speeds, came off the back of the car," Donohue claimed. Losing a driver is something you cant replace. How Gulf deal has boosted Williams's F1 commercial strategy, Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return, Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return Amazingly, Donohue only suffered an internal derangement of his knee with meniscus damage and limited cruciate plus collateral ligament damage. Then, in 1977 a chicane, named Hella-Licht, was installed at that point of the track, bringing the length of the circuit to 5.941 kilometers.Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. was survived by his second wife Eden, the couple had only recently married; and his two sons from his previous marriage, Michael and David. It became official last September. Today, he works for Porsche Cars North America as client relationship manager. Donohue began the 1975 Formula 1 season as a 38-year-old rookie and the oldest driver on the grid.