As an American driver, he had done it all. Mark Donohue - Human Side of Racing 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. I always said driving wasn't really a dangerous situation. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Hangsen was killed testing a car for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. It is there at Saint Teresa Cemetery and Mausoleum that Donohue is buried alongside his mother and father. I got to know Mark and hired him to run our Can-Am car. Both Donohue and Penske changed teams to American Motors Corporation in 1970 and won their third championship in 1971. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The 917/30 generally is considered one of the most powerful and most dominant racing machines ever created. 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. David followed his father into sports car racing for Porsche. 1975, resulting from an accident two days earlier during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Maybe it was some Austrian rock, but whatever it was, one of Donohue's tires blew at 160 miles an hour. 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. (Photo: Bob DOlivo / The Enthusiast Network via Getty Images). Hansgen died while testing the GT40 in preparation for Le Mans so Donohue partnered with Australian Paul Hawkins. The tangible steps Alpine has taken to meeting its humble F1 2023 targets, Why "grounded" Hamilton remains confident in Mercedes' F1 recovery, Why "grounded" Hamilton remains confident in Mercedes' F1 recovery He is really, really like Mark for good or ill. Ive worked with David for a little bit. In 1969, Penske brought his team -- and the Penske way -- to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. The Ferrari lived up to none of Marks calculations, and he was devastated, Bedard recalls. 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. It comes up quickly and, at more than 90 degrees, is the slowest corner on this course. It was at Hangsens funeral that Roger Penske approached Donohue to drive for him. 500-mile (800km) SCCA endurance event, which he won. 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 He was helped by Emerson Fittipaldi, Bob Evans and Hans-Joachim Stuck, who arrived to the scene of the accident and parked their cars. Please try again. . Anyone can read what you share. The track chosen for the speed record attempt was the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. Donohue was obsessed with finding any possible advantage through engineering -- and loopholes in the rules. REWIND: Miller on Mark Donohue | RACER - RACER | Racing News We were there to go racing.. 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. Going racing meant anywhere and everywhere, and the two chose to tackle stock cars. He tinkered his way all through Pingry School, Brown University and a job as a mechanical engineer with the Pulverizing Machinery Corporation in Summit. 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. 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 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. In auto racing, though, even thinking man's drivers can get killed by punctured tires. Racing Heroes - Mark Donohue | Hemmings 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 driver must accept the risks involved, which I didand I spent my time in the hospital as a result.. Goldberg Segalla, LLP, Albany (Mark Donohue of counsel), for respondents. He wanted to know how we were doing. He went over 180 miles per hour for the first time and it wasnt on the chart, so nobody knew how fast he went. And my wife gave me permission, so when something like that happens you have to go. (He was operated on at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta by Drs. Donohue was the driver of Penskes first Brickyard effort in 1969. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Roger Penske and Mark Donohue following Donohue's IROC win in 1974. Donohue's rocketed 7 through four wire catchfences and several roadside billboards. 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. After coming out of retirement with his former boss, Penske, Donohue returned to Formula One, entering into the final two races of the 1974 Formula One season. How famous was Mark . In 1961, Donohue bought the Elva and battled with another young racing star, Peter Revson, for the SCCA divisional championship. This was not merely a celebrity autobiography, but a detailed, step-by-step record of the engineering approach he took to getting the absolutely highest performance from every car he drove, always looking for that elusive "unfair advantage". Midway through the 1975 F1 season, Penske abandoned the troublesome PC1 and started using the March 751. Acid-dipping car bodies was prevalent with competing Trans-Am teams also. Our car experts choose every product we feature. 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 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. Mark Donohue. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links. (key) (Bold Pole position. He also gave us our first NASCAR win. Donohue co-drove in the No. I could see myself helping to develop the Formula One car, setting it up and then having some younger hotshot driver take over. He died two days later. 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. 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. To be sure, it seems what we now know as The Penske Way gained steam with Donohue as its pied piper. He was so gentlemanly, he was boring. Then they put both cars in the race, number 15 and 16, one car being 250 pounds lighter. He took the lot to Lime Rock, Conn., and finished fourth in a sports car race. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In 1968, Donohue and Penske returned to defend their USRRC championship with the McLaren M6A Chevrolet. 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. In 1969, Penske and Donohue raced in their first Indianapolis 500,[14] with Donohue finishing seventh, winning the rookie of the year award. Portrait of American racing driver Mark Donohue as he poses with his car after winning the Indianapolis 500 race, Speedway, Indiana, May 1972. . Penske warned that any disqualification would have the potential of motivating Chevrolet to pull all support for the Trans-Am series. 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. A friend once described riding in Donohue's Porsche 911 as a 'Wall of Death thing most of the time. The book was published shortly before Donohue's death. Clark, J. I did everything I could to keep up. His Porsche 917-30 was so dominant it was called the Can-Am Killer, as he won seven of eight races and the 1973 Can-Am Championship. Sometimes, I would leave early and take my own car to the airport because I didnt want to put up with him. Settlement of Mark Donohue's Estate Reached - Los Angeles Times 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. Secrets of the mysterious 1975-77 Camaro Racemark GT To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Bernie Ecclestone hopes BBC agrees new Formula 1 UK TV deal, Stroll was "protecting" injured wrist during Bahrain GP practice, Stroll was "protecting" injured wrist during Bahrain GP practice Maryland DUI Driver Who Killed 3 Gets More Prison Time for Trying to His instant F1 success led to no further involvement in the category, Mark instead concentrating on his blossoming Indy career, winning the big one in 1972. . DON HUNTER, BILL OURSLER, THE MANUFACTURERS, Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. His average speed around the 2.66-mile (4.28km) high-banked oval was 221.120mph (355.858km/h). 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]. Foyt and Emerson Fittipaldi, among others tangible proof that, stock-car equipment being even, Donohue was a world beater. Mark Donohue is killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Mark Donohue racked in 59 career wins for Team Penske in several different series. But he was still, a great driver. I think I was the first guy to assert that Mark was a better driver than an engineer, says Bedard. Donohue (along with Penske) were pioneers in many rights, some as notable as the use of a skidpad as a tool for developing and perfecting race car suspension designs and setups. However, the Penske Formula One car proved unsound and Donohue's best finish this year was a fifth place. A fire at the Sunoco refinery near the airport dominated the front pages of The Philadelphia Inquirer, but the sports section belonged to Mark Donohue, a racecar driver who had blown a tire during a practice run before the Austrian Grand Prix and died from complications related to the accident two days later, August 19, 1975. He is known for Formula 1 (1950) and The Trans-Am Challenge (1972). We had a polished yellow tile floor in our garage in Gasoline Alley and took everything out at night and cleaned the floor. 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. Jayski's Mark Donohue Tribute - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site We started with a Lola 4-wheel drive, and in 1971 we got a McLaren. If we're right, by next season we could be the dominant team in Formula One.. The practice sessions were marred by serious accidents; Brian Henton destroyed his Lotus after sliding in an oil patch, and Wilson Fittipaldi broke his hand when crashing at the Rindt Kurve. Found a bug?SuggestionsCopyrightNeed help?Business DevelopmentGeneral inquiry, PopScreen - Video Search, Bookmarking and Discovery Engine. He died in 1975 a day after a crash during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Autoweek participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. In everything he droveeven an Elva Courier and a Cobra, cars he didnt develophe still won. The Iconic 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Raced by Mark Donohue Is Up for Mark Donohue. Thank you. 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. Except I knew it wouldnt last, recalls Penske Racings timer/scorer Judy Stropus. The Penske grand prix car proved a disappointment and Donohue's best finish this season was a fifth place in the British Grand Prix. He knew, maybe all along, that he would come back. Seeing it in real life when you come into the museum here, I know one thing -- I fit in it really well. In addition, the horrific events at the 1973 Indianapolis 500 and the subsequent death of his friend, Swede Savage, pushed him to quit. 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. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? Amongst his friends, he liked practical jokes and liked catching people out on things. Donohue was fiercely motivated and was one of the first drivers to bring a sense of mechanical engineering to his craft. Mark Donohue was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. The lightweight car was featured on an episode of Dream Car Garage on Speed TV in 2005. DUI accident in the history of this county," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said at a news conference. During the development of this motor, the German Porsche engineers often asked Donohue if the motor finally had enough power. Sponsored by Ancestry. Its as if his father is in his presence. He was a winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in stock cars. We were the college kids with the crew cuts and the polished wheels, Penske said. That didnt satisfy his competitive spirits, so he decided to take on Formula One. Driver who fled fatal Olney crash gets 20-year sentence. In 1967 he became the USRRC champion, winning six out of eight races. Donohue took three victories and the series championship, besting the likes of Petty, Allison, David Pearson, A.J. He tried to be a team manager; that didnt work.