At the age of twenty-two,[citation needed] while a senior at Brown, Donohue began racing his 1957 Corvette. George Follmer, Donohue's old Trans-Am teammate, took over testing the 917-10 for Donohue, who said: It just doesn't feel right. The two had a tremendous respect for each other and put their own personal egos aside to win races. Driver who fled fatal Olney crash gets 20-year sentence. Racing is a very weird circus that way. I did everything I could to keep up. Password When Mark . I had just put in 30 consecutive hours of writing, editing, and laying out race reports for CAR Weekly, which we sometimes spelled Weakly because there were only five of us and we possessed merely the slimmest notion of what we were doing. He was hit on the side of his helmet with debris as his car, which had suffered a punctured tire, went out of control in prerace practice and crashed through four rows of wire catchfences and some billboards along the Oesterreichring race course. It meant immediate surgery. Its something that Ive looked at since I was really young as a kid, Donohue said. During a post-race inspection, race stewards discovered that the car was 250 pounds lighter than the 2,800-pound minimum weight requirement. He won three national sports car championships as an amateur before he turned professional in 1966, first as the late Walt Hansgen's codriver, then for the rest of his life with Penske. In all, he won 57 major races and more than $1million. The Penske overturned into a ravine, just a few meters beyond an underpass in which several people were standing.Debris from Donohue's car, particularly a wheel, hit a policeman, Richard Httner from Baden, who sustained critical head injuries, and three marshals - seriously injuring two of them, Gottfried Crnic and Manfred Schaller. The Ferrari lived up to none of Marks calculations, and he was devastated, Bedard recalls. The original Penske Racing team included Penske, Donohue, chief mechanic and crew chief Karl Kainhofer. The Unfair Advantage, at Indy - Mark Donohue's 1970 Lola T-153 Their performance on the track also quickly turned heads. It would have been really fun to watch the two of them because they are so much alike. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. In 69 Mark repeated his Trans-Am championship, winning six of 12. 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.. The book was published shortly before Donohue's death. We will get back to you in 24 hours. As ADAM COOPER recalls, though, it ended in tragedy. August 19th marks twenty-five years ago that Mark Donohue passed away from brain trauma, which was caused from an accident while practicing for a Formula 1 event. GRAZ, Austria, Aug. 19 (AP)Mark Donohue, who ended an eightmonth retirement as an auto driver last year because he couldn't keep away from racing, died tonight of injuries suffered Sunday at the Austrian Grand Prix. However, the Penske Formula One car proved unsound and Donohue's best finish this year was a fifth place. I can hardly wait to get back to work with our car, he said. Mark contracted polio when he was 6, but he fully recovered. Make sure you track out all the way for Turn 7. Donohues degree from Brown in Mechanical Engineering got him a job designing filters for air conditioners -- not quite what he had in mind. The two proved to be like-minded peas in a pod. He knew, maybe all along, that he would come back. Mark Donohue profile on SnapLap The team was third at Daytona and second at Sebring. 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. Today, he works. Donohue finished fourth at Daytona and won the Trans-Am class at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Mark Donohue - Human Side of Racing Mark was an engineer from Brown University, Penske said. He died from severe head injuries sustained August 16 in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix at Graz, Austria. Mark Donohue. It was an epic stomping; he led over 361 miles that day, and in perusing the finishing order Bobby Unser finished fourth while West Series drivers Ray Elder, Jimmy Insolo, Jack McCoy and Richard White, all of whom made regular stops at Riverside, finished third, fifth, sixth and eighth, respectively it was clear this was a race decided by the interlopers, the kind of race we no longer see in modern-day NASCAR, where drivers have been cross-trained and educated on technology and data to the point each race contains 38 different versions of the Donohue prototype. Some day, they promised each other, Donohue would try to become the first American since Phil Hill in 1961 to win the world driving chmpionship. Most of Donohues wins (28) came in Trans-Am, the United States Road Racing Championship (12) and Can-Am (10). A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? He will be ranked with A. J. Foyt, Dan Gurney and Andretti in the leading group of American drivers. 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. David followed his father into sports car racing for Porsche. On his second lap he approached the Vst-Hgel very fast right-hander at the end of the main straight when, at about 162 mi/h (260 km/h), a rear tyre of his March 751-Ford Cosworth suddenly blew up. Anyone can read what you share. Mark Donohue was 38 and a sports car champion and 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner. Its as if his father is in his presence. We need an obit." Warming up for the Austrian Grand Prix, my hero, Donohue, 38, had spun his March at 150 mph and struck his head on a metal bar supporting a sign. . Please try again. Donohue won. Your message has been sent. In 2003, in commemoration of Penske Racing's 50th NASCAR win, Nextel Cup driver Ryan Newman drove a Dodge Intrepid painted to resemble Donohue's 1973 AMC (with a No. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. He was young Roger Penskes equal. [2], Donohue was hired on March 29, 1964, by Jack Griffith [Griffith Motors, Syosset, N.Y./Plainview, N.Y.] as design engineer for the Griffith, formerly TVR Grantura Mk III, powered by a Ford 289 cid (4.7l) V8 engine. No one piece tells you what the puzzle is. 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. Of 55 Trans-Ams he entered, he won 29. It was hard to believe because Donohue and team owner Roger Penske were then the cleverest guys in racing. Mark Donohue's Fatal Crash - sterreichring 1975 (42 years ago) Humphrey The Auto Racing Fan 1989 2.38K subscribers Subscribe 54 Save 13K views 5 years ago Notice Age-restricted video. Upstairs was a small room with a bed that had an outside private entrance. Donohue won in 1972, driving for Penske. Donohue's death was announced by a spokesman for Roger Penske, a close personal friend and his team boss. No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, while being honored at a luncheon following his retirement. Mark Donohue Fatal Crash (Alternate Footage) - video Dailymotion [2][6], Donohue won the SCCA national championship in an Elva Courier in 1961. I dont remember him changing a bit.. By clicking on 'Join' button, you confirm that you are over 13 years of age and agree to the Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. Watts.) I could see what was coming, he said. Our car experts choose every product we feature. An investigation determined tire failure caused Donohue's fatal crash, and the family won a $12 million settlement. Mark obviously brought an air of professionalism. It served as the first NASCAR victory for aspiring team owner Roger Penske, a proverbial snowball sent rolling down a path thatd alter the entire American auto racing landscape. He flew under the radar a lot, but he was always there. Donohue paced himself that day and took the lead for the first time with 12 laps to go. The only engineering Donohue went back to concerned race cars. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. His body will be flown to the United States tomorrow and the funeral will take place Monday in Summit, N. J., where Donohue grew up and first got caught up in the hotrod phenomenon. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 1 P.M. in St. Teresa's Church. That was the most striking thing I ever saw him do. 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. 1 Killed in Multi-Car Crash in Olney, Police Say He just decided it was time to get out, and he wanted to do the Formula 1 program, Penske said. Mark Neary Donohue Jr. (March 18, 1937 August 19, 1975), nicknamed "Captain Nice,"[1][2] and later "Dark Monohue,"[2] was an American race car driver and engineer known for his ability to set up his own race car as well as driving it to victories.[3][4][5][6]. That day at Indy, Bobby Unsers Eagle dominated the contest before Unser dropped out. Mark Donohue is killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. We used to clean our garage out every night, and that was something people didnt understand.. Both Donohue and Penske changed teams to American Motors Corporation in 1970 and won their third championship in 1971. The only person to beat Donohue was his former Penske Trans-Am teammate, George Follmer. Mark Donohue SCCA national champion early in a career Donohue was born in New Jersey on March 18, 1937, and became involved in racing as a senior at college. He had been a national amateur champion and the Sports Car Club of America driver of the year in 1965. And my wife gave me permission, so when something like that happens you have to go. Once, Penske rented a Formula One car for Donohue and in 1971, in his first start in one of these singleseat, opencockpit racing cars, he finished third in the Canadian Grand Prix. 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. The four-race schedule consisted of three races at Riverside and a finale on Daytonas road course. On August 9, 1975, Donohue drove the 917-30 to a world closed-course speed record at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. There were victories in stockcar racing against Richard Petty, Bobby Allison and the other Southern drivers; in the TransAm series, where three times he captured the season title competing against the best sedans the Detroit factories could produce; in the 24 hours of Daytona, against the best international sports cars endurance pilots, and in the initital Pocono 500 in 1971 against A. J. Foyt, Bobby and Al Unser, Mario Andretti and the other stars from the United States Auto Club championship circuit. He won many races for us and the first IROC championship with the Porsche. They also acid-dipped the body on the Camaro and had to caution people not to lean against it, for fear it would dent. Together, they took on Trans-Am, then turned their attention to the Indianapolis 500. [4] He was survived by his wife and two sons from his first marriage. Penske, along with Donohue's wife, Eden, and father, Mark Sr., were at Donohue's bedside. ), 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. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? By then, he had remarried to a model from Atlanta named Eden. We werent out there to have fun. He finished the race in his McLaren-Offy setting a record speed of over 162mph (261km/h),[16] which stood for twelve years. David followed his father into sports car racing for Porsche. That is where Mark Donohue often slept when he worked his way to near exhaustion at the race shop. Mark returned [a year later] because he realized he wasnt good at anything else. Donohue was hit in the head by a fence post and knocked . He had one religion: testing. It became official last September. The Newtown Square facility was a small, 4,000 square-foot garage out back with a small bungalow in front of the shop. [2], Donohue was invited back to Le Mans by Ford in 1967. A Pennsylvania native by the name of Mark Donohue, the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner, pedaled a red-white-and-blue AMC Matador to his only Cup Series victory in six career starts. [12] In his first race for Penske, at Watkins Glen in June 1966, Donohue qualified well but crashed the car at the top of a hill, destroying it. 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. Even with only three caution flags, the race lasted 12 minutes shy of five hours, a brutal exercise for the majority of the right-turn-averse stock car regulars, but nothing a veteran of the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring hadnt already experienced. He died on August 19, 1975 in Graz, Styria, Austria. He was so gentlemanly, he was boring. His true passion was racing. In 1968 he was USRRC champion again, winning five of eight, and he was also Trans-Am champion, winning 10 of 13. Le cavalier du diable : Toutes les informations de diffusion, les bandes-annonces, les photos et rediffusions de Le cavalier du diable avec Tl 7 Jours A Montgomery County man who crashed his car and fled from the wreck, leaving three of his friends dead or dying, on Thursday was sentenced . who retired from one of the greatest careers in auto racing history at age 36, unretired at 37 and died Tuesday night at 38 of brain injuries suffered in a crash before the Austrian. It comes up quickly and, at more than 90 degrees, is the slowest corner on this course. who retired from one of the greatest careers in auto racing history at age 36, unretired at 37 and died Tuesday night at 38 of brain injuries suffered in a crash before the Austrian Grand Prix. Mark wasnt an emotional guy. Donohue is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp "Can-Am Killer" Porsche 917-30 and as the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1972. Airport would have sent a stock Camaro flopping around. Donohue, equipped with a mechanical-engineering degree from Brown University, approached car setup not with pet theories or traditional wisdom but with a slide rule, an overarching grasp of how physics strives to thwart a race cars mission, and 300 push-ups daily. Brad Keselowski is second with 54 wins in NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy Cup Series racing. We were in Lime Rock and I was in a motorhome and my mom came out and woke my brother and I up so we could watch the end of the race. Auto Race Car Driver. I think the people at Indy thought we were the college guys with the crew haircuts and the polished wheels. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. Drs. Stephen Olvey and Terry Trammell in Motorsports Hall of Fame of Conversely, Mark had one of the greatest senses of humor of anybody I ever met. An investigation determined tire failure caused Donohues fatal crash, and the family won a $12 million settlement. The Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue | Goodreads August 19, 1975 in Graz, Styria, Austria (car accident) Birth Name: Mark Neary Donohue Jr. Mini Bio (1) Mark Donohue was born on March 18, 1937 in Haddon Township, New Jersey, USA. [17] That race was Penske's first NASCAR win in a long history of NASCAR participation. "Donohue is no angel out there on the track Parnelli Jones", "Donohue, on the Way Out, Views Things From Top; Calendar of Motor Sports", "1965 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance Race Profile", "1966 24 Hours of Le Mans Results and Competitors", "1967 24 Hours of Le Mans Results and Competitors", "Mark Donohue Named '500' Rookie of Year", "Mark Donohue set Indy speed record in 1972", "1973 Winston Western 500: Donohue Dominates", "Hall of Fame Members (Mark Donohue Jr.)", "Mark Donohue, Sports Cars, Class of 1990", Mark Donohue's IROC and NASCAR stats at racing-reference.info, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Donohue&oldid=1136103335, Brown University School of Engineering alumni, International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees, SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2014, Pages using small with an empty input parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, run as the Daytona 3 Hour Continental (196263), 24 Hours of Daytona (196671/ 1973/ 1975present), This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 19:22. He busted a gut when we got back to the shop. Then there was Marks other side. It was always on to the next project.. David Donohue is proof positive that apples dont fall far from the tree. [citation needed] He graduated from Brown in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? 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. The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023, The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023 Choose a Username Available! (key) (Bold Pole position. Goldberg Segalla, LLP, Albany (Mark Donohue of counsel), for respondents. In 1974, Mark Donohue took a year off from driving at the height of his racing career to write "The Unfair Advantage," a candid and revealing book about his journey through the world of auto racing -- from amateur SCCA races in his own '57 Corvette to winning the Indy 500 in Roger Penske's McLaren M16. Aug 21, 2015, 4:28 PM. Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. (born March 18 1937 in Haddon Township, New Jersey, United States - died August 19 1975 in Graz, Austria) was an American racing driver who most notably drove in Formula One and sports cars. Five weeks after winning the 500, Donohue was testing his Can-Am Porsche 917-10 at Road Atlanta when the car got airborne at 160 mph. Racing Heroes - Mark Donohue | Hemmings That got everybodys attention -- the polished wheels, the way our guys looked, the way the cars were prepared and obviously, the performance was good. Found a bug?SuggestionsCopyrightNeed help?Business DevelopmentGeneral inquiry, PopScreen - Video Search, Bookmarking and Discovery Engine. - Remembering Mark Donohue - FormulaSpy It began as a hobby in 1959 when Donohue sold his soupedup Corvette, which he used to drive around at Brown, and for $3,000 purchased his first racing cara little Elva with an MG engine. We went to Phoenix and tested it with the wings off and then put the wings on and couldnt believe how fast it was. The winner of the 1972 Indianapolis 500 and the Can Am in l973. Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return, IndyCar St. Petersburg: Dixon leads Herta in incident-packed opening practice, IndyCar St. Petersburg: Dixon leads Herta in incident-packed opening practice On August 9, 1975, Donohue drove the 91730 to a world closed-course speed record at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. After an initial run of four laps, Donohue entered the pits for a routine check-up and a few adjustments. The victory was the first for Penske in the Indy 500. Some of his most notable accomplishments included being the Indy 500 rookie-of-the-year, Trans AM champion and a winner in The 24 Hours of Daytona all in 1969. Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? The bungalow is where team manager Chuck Cantwell and the teams public relations director Dan Luginbuhl worked along with secretary Maryann ODonnell. One night I was in Philadelphia and was following Mark to the old shop in Newtown Square. Mark Donohue was one of the daredevil drivers of the 1970's. He exuded boyhood charm, was a speed demon behind the wheel, and was a legend of US racing, with wins at Daytona, the Indy 500, and Trans-Am Champion. Donohue finished in 12th place at the Canadian Grand Prix, but failed to finish at the United States Grand Prix. In 1974, he quit driving and became president of Penske Racing. Please try again. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. To appreciate what Donohue and Penske accomplished that day, lets consider three important points: Its safe to say Donohue, an Ivy League-educated engineer, was Penskes muse when it came to auto racing; the burgeoning team owner offered Donohue a driving job at a funeral for Donohues friend, Walt Hansgen, his co-driver in sports cars whod helped guide young Donohues career to that point. But where other youngsters were souping up cars to impress girls, I was only interested in the mechanics, Donohue said. And Mark Donohue couldn't live with retirement. The bumpy, rain-soaked course around J.F.K. Event the win at the 1972 Indianapolis 500 created more sleepless nights, because the win did not come on his own terms. Two weeks ago, he took the 1973 CanAm car out of mothballs and set a world speed record for a closed course of 221.160 miles an. And, according to Cox, Roger certainly did his part in coming up with next projects.. He obsessively lived at the shop, working as many as 20 hours a day. Stroll was "protecting" injured wrist during Bahrain GP practice, Alonso "not thinking" about Bahrain pole despite topping Friday times, Alonso "not thinking" about Bahrain pole despite topping Friday times You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. Hamilton: F1 retirement talk from Button and Hill not "helpful, How Gulf deal has boosted Williams's F1 commercial strategy, How Gulf deal has boosted Williams's F1 commercial strategy (He was operated on at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta by Drs. Donohue began the 1975 Formula 1 season as a 38-year-old rookie and the oldest driver on the grid. Painkillers affected his memory, and he began drinking heavily to deal with the pain. IndyCar St. Petersburg: Dixon leads Herta in incident-packed opening practice, Bahrain GP: F1 technical images direct from the pitlane, Bahrain GP: F1 technical images direct from the pitlane The guy that is most like Mark that Ive ever met is David, said Don Cox. You never saw him in an argument with anybody. Losing a driver is something you cant replace. He tried to get a car dealership; that didnt work. His son, David, told me: The legend was that my dad and Roger conquered all. As one of the best test drivers and developers in the business, he would get the car ready, then Penske would have to turn it over to a younger hotshot. But the intended hotshot, Peter Revson, was killed in a grandprix accident in March, 1974. The Griffith company closed its doors in November, 1966. I could see myself helping to develop the Formula One car, setting it up and then having some younger hotshot driver take over. At Donohue's bedside were his wife of eight months, Eden; his father, Mark Sr., a retired patent lawyer, and Roger Penske, for whom he drove since 1966 and a close personal friend. My definition of too much horsepower is when all four wheels are spinning in every gear., Burge Hulett, Donohues lifelong friend, told Bedard: Mark was actually a bit of a doofus, awkward everywhere except behind the wheel. In 1967, Penske contacted Donohue about driving Penske's brand new Lola T70 spyder in the United States Road Racing Championship. In winning the first IROC championship, Donohue beat the best racing drivers of that era from all of the major championships, such as Denny Hulme, Richard Petty, A. J. Foyt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, Peter Revson, Bobby Unser, and Gordon Johncock. Sometimes, I would leave early and take my own car to the airport because I didnt want to put up with him. * Most laps led. Secrets of the mysterious 1975-77 Camaro Racemark GT He approaches things the same way. Advertisement. In 1968, Donohue and Penske returned to defend their USRRC championship with the McLaren M6A Chevrolet. Donohue, too, recognized the accomplishment as something of a walk-off home run for his career, briefly retiring following his IROC championship before returning later that year with Penske to compete in the final two Formula 1 races. It is strangely rewarding in a way I never thought racing would be for me, personally. Among the most impressive cars in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum is the beautiful blue and yellow No. His 59 wins remain the most of any driver for Team Penske. It would have really been great watching those two together in the later years if it had gotten that far. When Mark Donohue died in Austria 40 years ago this week, motor racing lost not only a hugely successful driver, but also someone who would surely have enjoyed a long and productive career on the other side of the sport. In everything he droveeven an Elva Courier and a Cobra, cars he didnt develophe still won.
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