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. David Donohue drives his dad's 1972 Indy 500-winning car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. A visit to the gravesite on a gray, cold, foggy March day revelaved little toy race cars on the gravestone, along with a plastic checkered flag -- a testament the life of Mark Donohue. There was little question then that Donohue, who would testdrive the new car and help supervise its development, would come out of retirement. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. He said so himself many times. Mark Donohue races to the win at the the 1972 Indy 500. It was, as they say in racing, a freak accident. Penske warned that any disqualification would have the potential of motivating Chevrolet to pull all support for the Trans-Am series. Mark Donohue was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. He thinks the same way. 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. He is buried in Saint Teresa Cemetery in Summit, Union County, New Jersey.R.I.P Mark Donohue \u0026 Manfred Schaller. Mark Donohue. The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023, What controls the frontline in the latest F1 design tech battles, What controls the frontline in the latest F1 design tech battles It was an iconic car, iconic colors for the day and it really brings back memories. this email address already registerd with us. The bungalow is where team manager Chuck Cantwell and the teams public relations director Dan Luginbuhl worked along with secretary Maryann ODonnell. A 25-year-old passenger in the Infiniti, a woman from Olney, was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. He was so gentlemanly, he was boring. In 1967 he became the USRRC champion, winning six out of eight races. And my wife gave me permission, so when something like that happens you have to go. We went to Phoenix and tested it with the wings off and then put the wings on and couldnt believe how fast it was. Prior to racing in Formula One, Donohue was a racer in the Ford GT40, Trans-Am, Indy car, NASCAR, Can-Am and IROC racing series. Airport would have sent a stock Camaro flopping around. FIA grants Hamilton medical exemption to wear nose studs, Hamilton: F1 retirement talk from Button and Hill not "helpful, Hamilton: F1 retirement talk from Button and Hill not "helpful The highlight of his entire career was winning the . We may earn money from the links on this page. [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. 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. Don Cox would later join the team in 1969 after working as an engineer for General Motors. Mark Donohue profile on SnapLap He was, I feel, the finest road race driver this country has ever produced, Allison told Hemmings Motor News years later. He sustained a fatal head injury from the crash. (He was operated on at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta by Drs. Instead, the Racemark GT had Bedard, also a racer, showering praise. The four-race schedule consisted of three races at Riverside and a finale on Daytonas road course. That long association resulted in the ultimate triumph for an American driver in 1972, when he won the Indianapolis 500. Mark Donohue (1937-1975) - Find a Grave Memorial I used to hate riding with him to the airport, said Don Cox, a former chief engineer at Penske Racing when Donohue was with the team. He could drive a car in the 24-hour race at Daytona, a Trans-Am Car, an Indy car and a NASCAR car. I always said driving wasn't really a dangerous situation. To those who knew him best, he had a tremendous sense of humor and enjoyed pulling pranks. You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. Her . Donohue disagreed. Password "We had stop watches back then, with a timing chart taped on the back that converted seconds to miles per hour, but 180mph didn't exist on the timing chart." 12 George Follmer, Donohue's old Trans-Am teammate, took over testing the 917-10 for Donohue, who said: It just doesn't feel right. [5][19] Donohue is buried at St. Teresa Cemetery in Summit, New Jersey. 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. REWIND: Miller on Mark Donohue | RACER - RACER | Racing News Hangsen was killed testing a car for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. Donohue. Mark Donohue | Hemmings As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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 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. The guy never gained that flashy status. 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. Donohue was able to muster fifth-place finishes at the Swedish Grand Prix and the British Grand Prix, but the new Penske PC1 chassis proved problematic, as evidenced by three retirements in the first six races. Mark Robert Bonhag, 56, of the Highland, Md., area was driving north on New Hampshire Avenue in the . He gave us a lot of credibility and was the keystone of our racing. Le cavalier du diable - Film d'pouvante sur Tl 7 Jours They also acid-dipped the body on the Camaro and had to caution people not to lean against it, for fear it would dent. - Remembering Mark Donohue - FormulaSpy 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. We think we've made a major discovery. 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. As ADAM COOPER recalls, though, it ended in tragedy. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He approaches things the same way. He busted a gut when we got back to the shop. Then there was Marks other side. With his marriage to Sue falling apart, Donohues personal life was in turmoil. The 917/30 generally is considered one of the most powerful and most dominant racing machines ever created. In 1967, Penske contacted Donohue about driving Penske's brand new Lola T70 spyder in the United States Road Racing Championship. 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. He died two days later. Except I knew it wouldnt last, recalls Penske Racings timer/scorer Judy Stropus. The book documents his career from his first races to his final full season of racing the year before he was killed. What controls the frontline in the latest F1 design tech battles, Why Autosport is changing how it ranks F1 drivers from 2023 onwards, Why Autosport is changing how it ranks F1 drivers from 2023 onwards Think about the championships we won together, the first Indy 500 victory for the team, three Trans-Am championships. Riverside was over 2.6 miles long and the duration of the race 500 miles meant this particular event was more of an endurance contest. Mark Donohue | Formula 1 Wiki | Fandom One track marshal was killed by the crash and another seriousy injured. The only engineering Donohue went back to concerned race cars. He died from severe head injuries sustained August 16 in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix at Graz, Austria. The Unfair Advantage, at Indy - Mark Donohue's 1970 Lola T-153 He was really the first person that I knew in racing that not only had the driving skills, but also the technical knowledge. That got everybodys attention -- the polished wheels, the way our guys looked, the way the cars were prepared and obviously, the performance was good. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that all memorial donations be sent to the Auto Racing Fraternity Foundation, 13539 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens. And when he thought he had done enough, he quit. A track marshal was killed by debris from the accident, but Donohue did not appear to be injured significantly. Racing Heroes - Mark Donohue | Hemmings He turned out to be a real partner of mine. When Penske Racing took delivery of a Ferrari 512M, for instance, they immediately fabricated a bigger rear wing. The Penske PC1 was developed but the car proved problematic and midway through the season they decided to switch to a March 751 chassis. Coming out of turn seven at about 150mph (240km/h), the rear bodywork flew off the car, which became extremely unstable, lifted off the ground, and tumbled down the track. Jackie Stewart interviews Mark Donohue prior to an IROC race in 1974. 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. After considering the potential consequences, the race stewards allowed Donohue's victory to stand, but the rules for the 1968 season incorporated a change whereby all cars would be weighed during the technical inspection before the race. As Roger Penske said, Mark wasnt flashy, but he put the numbers on the board.. We had a polished yellow tile floor in our garage in Gasoline Alley and took everything out at night and cleaned the floor. Donohue raced at Indianapolis each year following,[15] finishing second in 1970 and 25th in 1971. Donohue dominated the 1967 race, driving a Lola T70 MkIII Chevrolet for Penske. Donohue previously had debuted in Formula One on September 19, 1971, with a Penske-sponsored McLaren at the Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, finishing on the podium in third place. But his thinking man's approach to racing, while successful on the track, was difficult off. Acid-dipping car bodies was prevalent with competing Trans-Am teams also. 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. Anyone can read what you share. This account has been suspended due to strange activity. 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. 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. Jayski's Mark Donohue Tribute - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site During testing at Road Atlanta, Donohue recommended larger brake ducts, believing that more cooling would slow the brakes' degradation during a race. But there was one phase of racing that he had never really taken part in, what he called his personal missing link. This was in the Formula One cars, perhaps this dangerous sport's most dangerous, which run on the grand prix circuit. He is known for Formula 1 (1950) and The Trans-Am Challenge (1972). Why Autosport is changing how it ranks F1 drivers from 2023 onwards, The key factors behind F1s Premier League-style managerial revolving door, The key factors behind F1s Premier League-style managerial revolving door As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. At first, the former Indianapolis 500 winner was thought to have just a mild concussion. As an American driver, he had done it all. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Donohue's career, along with Roger Penske's Formula One aspirations, took a tragic turn. In all, there were 57 major victories and more than $1million in purses for this pleasant, intelligent man who gave up a career in mechanical engineering because racing is what he wanted to do. His son, David, told me: The legend was that my dad and Roger conquered all. I get all of these tiny little stories from everybody where my dad grabbed this guy as a kid and sat him in the car -- and that motivated him enough to go to engineering school. Mark Donohue Fatal Crash | PopScreen One-hit wonder: Mark Donohue and his 1973 Riverside win helped elevate Donohue, 38, Dead Of Racing Injuries - The New York Times [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. An investigation determined tire failure caused Donohues fatal crash, and the family won a $12 million settlement. During their enormous success in Trans-Am, Penske and Donohue would begin to experiment with their Camaros. When Donohue took the Ferrari to Le Mans, the car attained only 205 mph on the straight versus the Porsche 917s 235 mph. No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, while being honored at a luncheon following his retirement. Donohue's rocketed 7 through four wire catchfences and several roadside billboards. Mark Donohue and Roger Penske had planned an hard assault to the 1975 Formula 1 Championship, but the season soon turned out to be difficult. The setup he designed for his car didnt have as much speed as teammate Gary Bettenhausens setup. The guy that is most like Mark that Ive ever met is David, said Don Cox. The bumpy, rain-soaked course around J.F.K. At about 09h45 he left the pits again for another testing run. On 09 August he reached an average speed around the 2.66 mile high-banked oval, of 221.120 mi/h (about 355 km/h), this has been a World record for several years.Donohue and the Penske team then made the trip to Austria. Mark Donohue (1937-1975), pictured here with wife Eden and nicknamed "Captain Nice", was an American race driver who is probably best known as the driver of the 1500+ bhp Can-Am Penske Porsche 917-30 and as the 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner in a Team Penske-entered McLaren.Sadly, he perished in an accident during practice for the 1975 Austrian Formula One Grand Prix. He died on August 19, 1975 in Graz, Styria, Austria. Michael is another guy but there is this thing between Mark and David, even in terms of their life experiences. Donohue, no matter what he accomplished, couldnt rest. The driver must accept the risks involved, which I didand I spent my time in the hospital as a result.. He won three times in IndyCar competition and won the 1973 NASCAR Cup Series race at Riverside Raceway in Riverside, California, driving an AMC Matador. [9] That year, Donohue also won two divisional championships: in SCCA B Class in a GT350 and in SCCA Formula C in a Lotus 20B. It affected the whole team. I could see what was coming, he said. 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. 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. In 1968, Donohue and Penske returned to defend their USRRC championship with the McLaren M6A Chevrolet. The Griffith company closed its doors in November, 1966. Mark Donohue racked in 59 career wins for Team Penske in several different series. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links. The 38yearold Donohue underwent a threehour operation at a hospital here Sunday to remove a blood clot from his brain. Brian Redman drove it once in 1974, and that was it for the car as far as Penske campaigning it. Donohues dad was often racing in the United States or Canada for a fledgling operation called Penske Racing. He is really, really like Mark for good or ill. Ive worked with David for a little bit. The front of the car was torn away, leaving Donohue, still strapped to his safety seat, with his legs dangling outside the car. During a post-race inspection, race stewards discovered that the car was 250 pounds lighter than the 2,800-pound minimum weight requirement. In search of Team Penske racing legend Mark Donohue - Autoweek At the age of twenty-two,[citation needed] while a senior at Brown, Donohue began racing his 1957 Corvette. The Medical Causes of Racing Deaths with Examples - Parathyroid Toy cars at the gravesite of Mark Donohue in Summit, New Jersey. Worse yet, when Donohue wasnt racing, he was working 18- to 20-hour days at the teams small race shop, located in a garage in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb, and later, a more modern facility in nearby Reading. 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. [citation needed] He graduated from Brown in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. One night I was in Philadelphia and was following Mark to the old shop in Newtown Square. Please try again. What can be better in life, a better ideal?, In 1966, Penske told him: Try it for a year, you're still a young man, and if it doesn't work out you can always go back to engineering.. Mark Donohue returning from retirement to lead Roger Penske's Formula 1 team looked like a perfect match. 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. The book was published shortly before Donohue's death. Mark won the 1972 Indianapolis 500 when David was just five. His 59 wins remain the most of any driver for Team Penske. Portrait of American racing driver Mark Donohue as he poses with his car after winning the Indianapolis 500 race, Speedway, Indiana, May 1972. . It became official last September. However, like most race drivers in the various top racing series around the world, he had lived an outright lot of life. It is core to the myth of Mark that he was just an okay driver but a genius engineer. The thing that impressed me most about Mark is how serious he was about racing, vehicle preparation and all of the things that we know that contribute to success, Czarnecki said. He tinkered his way all through Pingry School, Brown University and a job as a mechanical engineer with the Pulverizing Machinery Corporation in Summit. In 69 Mark repeated his Trans-Am championship, winning six of 12. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. There, he was Godthat was his way of distinguishing himself. His divine touch extended to his street cars; a friend once described riding in Donohues Porsche 911 as a Wall of Death thing most of the time., The relentless pursuit of perfection eventually took its toll. They discovered that using a drag racing trick of dipping a car in an acid bath would eat away small amounts of metal, which in turn made the car incrementally lighter, and allowed it to be driven faster.