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. Painkillers affected his memory, and he began drinking heavily to deal with the pain. It includes information and additional photography that was not available before the first edition was published. But Donohue knew that time was running short and his skills and reflexes weren't getting any better. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. When Mark . Prior to a race, he would sit in the back of the transporter by himself in the dark and think about the race, Czarnecki said. 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. 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. In everything he droveeven an Elva Courier and a Cobra, cars he didnt develophe still won. 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. 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. [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. the email address you entered is invalid. He will be ranked with A. J. Foyt, Dan Gurney and Andretti in the leading group of American drivers. During testing at Road Atlanta, Donohue recommended larger brake ducts, believing that more cooling would slow the brakes' degradation during a race. Then they put both cars in the race, number 15 and 16, one car being 250 pounds lighter. 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. 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. 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 Were far from having too much horsepower, he asserted. On the phone, the editor said, You gotta come back in. Driver who fled fatal Olney crash gets 20-year sentence. He was passionate about racing. DON HUNTER, BILL OURSLER, THE MANUFACTURERS, Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. An investigation determined tire failure caused Donohues fatal crash, and the family won a $12 million settlement. In the 1971 Indianapolis 500, Donohue started second and led 52 of the first 66 laps before breaking a gearbox. "They posted me to the infield, taking care of people who got too much sun or had too much to drink," Olvey said. He was helped by Emerson Fittipaldi, Bob Evans and Hans-Joachim Stuck, who arrived to the scene of the accident and parked their cars. Mark Donohue racked in 59 career wins for Team Penske in several different series. 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. Choose a Username Available! Donohue, who also competed in endurance racing, IndyCar, NASCAR, Can-Am,. That day at Indy, Bobby Unsers Eagle dominated the contest before Unser dropped out. Racing is a very weird circus that way. When she brought us in to see the finish, I dont think she knew he had won. [2] Donohue announced that he would retire from racing after the 1973 Can-Am season. Donohue was the driver of Penskes first Brickyard effort in 1969. When David Donohue was young, he never really got to know his father -- Mark Donohue. He was the thinking man's driver, maybe because, unlike most of his rivals, he had an Ivy League education and maybe because looking at that cherubic face, which was several years younger than his racescarred body, there was no other way to explain how this kid was winning. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links. The trip to the airport was like the Mille Miglia. 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. . PART II: Penske's L&M Porsche, The Untold Story of Can Am's Most Famous Not true. It was always on to the next project.. His average speed around the 2.66-mile (4.28 km) high-banked oval was 221.120 mph (355.858 km/h). You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. 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. We werent out there to have fun. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current. 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. This account has been suspended due to strange activity. Mercedes: New W14 sidepod design wont copy F1 rivals, FIA grants Hamilton medical exemption to wear nose studs, FIA grants Hamilton medical exemption to wear nose studs We may earn money from the links on this page. I always said driving wasn't really a dangerous situation. The only engineering Donohue went back to concerned race cars. 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]. 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 Donohue was hit in the head by a fence post and knocked unconscious. He turned out to be a real partner of mine. 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. He did it through sheer force of will. Mark Donohue Fatal Crash | PopScreen Showing Editorial results for mark donohue. Neither Donohue or Penske forgot that remark, even after Donohue drove an astounding race and finished third. With his marriage to Sue falling apart, Donohues personal life was in turmoil. Fellow racer and former teammate Sam Posey called Donohue, a gunslinger who also happened to have designed the gun.. * Most laps led. 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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He tried to be a team manager; that didnt work. Donohue chronicled his entire racing career in the book, The Unfair Advantage (co-written with noted motorsports and engineering journalist Paul Van Valkenburgh). He was a winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in stock cars. However, the Penske Formula One car proved unsound and Donohue's best finish this year was a fifth place. Mark Donohue is killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. My involvement in racing has been like a jigsaw puzzle, David Donohue told Autoweek. 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. When you see the car in real life, it becomes so much more real.. Mark Donohue was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. One night I was in Philadelphia and was following Mark to the old shop in Newtown Square. But his thinking man's approach to racing, while successful on the track, was difficult off. One track marshal was killed by the crash and another seriousy injured. 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. . Penske's first race shop in Newtown Square, Pa. All of these tiny little stories you get to put all of these puzzle pieces together and get a much better picture of my father. He could drive a car in the 24-hour race at Daytona, a Trans-Am Car, an Indy car and a NASCAR car. 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. But he always had good equipment, too. 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 At the age of twenty-two,[citation needed] while a senior at Brown, Donohue began racing his 1957 Corvette. 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. As ADAM COOPER recalls, though, it ended in tragedy. Its made me realize its an honor to be his son. He was really the first person that I knew in racing that not only had the driving skills, but also the technical knowledge. 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.