That put Bettenhausen in the lead before a pinhole leak in the Bettenhausen cars cooling system with 12 laps to go put Donohue in the lead and the first of Penske Racings record 16 Indy 500 victories. Coffay fled the scene. His car was almost inexplicably fast, so much so that, according to Donohues book The Unfair Advantage, race winner Al Unser sought him out after the race and said: Look, weve been competitors for a long time, and you have your way of doing things and I have mine, but when you come here and run six miles an hour faster than everyone else I gotta shake your hand.. Mark Donohue returning from retirement to lead Roger Penske's Formula 1 team looked like a perfect match. In the 19721973 season, driving an AMC Matador for Penske Racing in NASCAR's top division, the Winston Cup Series, Donohue won the season-opening event at Riverside. The book documents his career from his first races to his final full season of racing the year before he was killed. They also acid-dipped the body on the Camaro and had to caution people not to lean against it, for fear it would dent. Every time David Donohue sees that car, he sees his father. Donohue won. Back to Victory Lane, Every Indy 500 Winner from the Dawn of Time, In search of Team Penske racing legend Mark Donohue. The search for Mark Donohue concludes in the upscale community of Summit, New Jersey just outside of New York City. 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. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. But he was still, a great driver. That took a couple of years. Nine weeks before the Le Mans race, while testing a GT40 Mk II in the rain, Donohue's friend and former teammate Walt Hansgen lost control and crashed his car into an escape road barrier, suffering fatal injuries. 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. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. [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. 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 No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, while being honored at a luncheon following his retirement. When Donohue took the Ferrari to Le Mans, the car attained only 205 mph on the straight versus the Porsche 917s 235 mph. When she brought us in to see the finish, I dont think she knew he had won. One night I was in Philadelphia and was following Mark to the old shop in Newtown Square. But there was always that missing link, as he called itgrand prix. I could see myself helping to develop the Formula One car, setting it up and then having some younger hotshot driver take over. During a post-race inspection, race stewards discovered that the car was 250 pounds lighter than the 2,800-pound minimum weight requirement. We were the college kids with the crew cuts and the polished wheels, Penske said. On January 21, 1973, the NASCAR Cup Series opened its season with a road course race at Riverside International Raceway in California. Our car experts choose every product we feature. And given enough time just one more year, maybe he wouldve become Americas first world champion.. DON HUNTER, BILL OURSLER, THE MANUFACTURERS, Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. 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 As Roger Penske said, Mark wasnt flashy, but he put the numbers on the board.. The Medical Causes of Racing Deaths with Examples - Parathyroid With the Corvette money, he also bought a trailer to hold the car and a station wagon to tow the trailer.. No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, in New York while being honored at a luncheon. We will get back to you in 24 hours. Mark Donohue and Roger Penske during a break in the Indy-car action at Michigan International Speedway n 1974. Hansgen died while testing the GT40 in preparation for Le Mans so Donohue partnered with Australian Paul Hawkins. He was a sweet gentleman in every race. I dont remember him changing a bit.. Donohue died in the one aspect of auto racing he Had not conqueredgrand prix. Several minutes later Donohue regained consciousness and spoke with his rescuers, who took him to Knittelfeld hospital. 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 By the end of the crash, the front end of the car was missing, and Mark's legs were fully outside the car, with his only injury . Hed drive the truck, hed drive the race car, he would work on the car. 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. That was the most striking thing I ever saw him do. Mark Donohue & Manfred Schaller's Fatal Crash @ sterreichring 1975 (Aftermath) FatalMotorsportChannel 26.2K subscribers Subscribe 24K views 4 months ago Mark Donohue and Roger Penske had. Mark obviously brought an air of professionalism. The setup he designed for his car didnt have as much speed as teammate Gary Bettenhausens setup. Oops! Donohue. Donohue was the driver of Penskes first Brickyard effort in 1969. 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 August 1975, while practicing for the Austrian Grand Prix in a March 751, a tire failed, causing Donohue to lose control of the car. 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 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 told me, Sometimes you just have to get it done., That was my take, too, says Michael Argetsinger, who has just written a riveting biography called Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed (David Bull Publishing, $39.95). 25 Years Ago Remembering Mark Donohue | Catchfence He was a winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in stock cars. If we're right, by next season we could be the dominant team in Formula One.. He was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. The hotrod phenomenon came East from California and caught me up in it, he once explained. "They posted me to the infield, taking care of people who got too much sun or had too much to drink," Olvey said. We were there to go racing.. Its a goal he had and a goal he checked off. In all, he won 57 major races and more than $1million. Seeing another man driving your car, a car you know so well. Directing other drivers, making suggestions, helping mechanicseven sweeping up around the garagewere not enough. Appeal from that part of an order of the Supreme Court (Platkin, J. The doctors in Graz, Austria, said yesterday that the racing driver would have been crippled for life had he survived. [2], At Hansgen's funeral, Roger Penske spoke to Donohue about driving for him. 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. Donohue paced himself that day and took the lead for the first time with 12 laps to go. The 917-30 is referred to as the "Can-Am killer" [18] as it dominated the competition, winning all but two races of the 1973 Can-Am championship (which is an untrue statement, because OPEC killed the Can-Am series in 19751976). [2], Donohue was invited back to Le Mans by Ford in 1967. 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. Hangsen was killed testing a car for the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. See the article in its original context from. The 917/30 generally is considered one of the most powerful and most dominant racing machines ever created. 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 In 1967 and 1968, Trans-Am schedule included two of the most prized endurance races in the world, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. When Penske decided late to enter Formula One full time, Donohue had a difficult decision to make. Donohue dominated the 1967 race, driving a Lola T70 MkIII Chevrolet for Penske. This remains the last time a ringer captured a win in a Cup Series road course race, but the victory took on a far greater meaning in hindsight. I always said driving wasn't really a dangerous situation. Donohue's racing tradition is carried on by his son, David Donohue, a successful road racer in his own right. He died from severe head injuries sustained August 16 in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix at Graz, Austria. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. 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. I was at Lime Rock, Connecticut, Donohue said. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current. The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023, The rookies looking to make their mark on F1 in 2023 He was really the first person that I knew in racing that not only had the driving skills, but also the technical knowledge. Please try again. Aug 21, 2015, 4:28 PM. The Porsche engineers obliged, but the new ducts interfered with the bodywork closure pins that attached body panels to the car. Donohue finished fourth at Daytona and won the Trans-Am class at the 12 Hours of Sebring. I think I was the first guy to assert that Mark was a better driver than an engineer, says Bedard. What I realize now is that I wouldnt have succeeded in my other businesses if Mark hadnt completely taken over the race team., In the Penske garage at Indy in 71, someonecertainly not Donohue or Penskeerected a sign that said: Those of you who think you know it all are particularly annoying to those of us who do., .css-dhtls0{display:block;font-family:GlikoS,Georgia,Times,Serif;font-weight:400;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-dhtls0:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 61.25rem){.css-dhtls0{font-size:1.375rem;line-height:1.2;}}Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Elana Scherr: Dodge Challenger Challenge Accepted. The highlight of his entire career was winning the . He knew racing drivers couldn't come back. His fathers absence from the family took its toll, and eventually the marriage dissolved into divorce. ), 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. Donohue qualified his Penske midway the grid, and took it to the morning warm-up session before the start of the race. Mark Donohue was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. He also gave us our first NASCAR win. Airport would have sent a stock Camaro flopping around. A mechanical engineering graduate from a wealthy New Jersey background, Donohue won everything in sight on the US scene, in every major category. The book told how Donohue learned to exploit the antilock braking system and the powerful turbocharged engine of several prototype Porsches, as well as how he learned from various mishaps, including a near-fatal crash. The track chosen for the speed record attempt was the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. After going to the hospital in Graz the next day, Donohue lapsed into a coma from a cerebral hemorrhage and died. It includes information and additional photography that was not available before the first edition was published. 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. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/21/archives/mark-donohue-returns-to-die.html. We went to the Speedway in 1971 and we had this card that translated the speed on the stopwatch to your average speed. And neither found what they expected. 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. In February of '65 Donohue was named as comptroller at Griffith Motors but was soon spirited away from Griffith by Roger Penske early in 1966. 66 Penske Racing entry went on to win at Indianapolis in 1972 to give Roger Penske the first of his 17 Indy 500 wins. 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 famous was Mark . Mark Donohue profile on SnapLap The Ferrari lived up to none of Marks calculations, and he was devastated, Bedard recalls. Mark Donohue is killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Donahue qualified fourth and passed Bobby Allison for the lead on Lap 10. It was August 9, 1975. 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 the phone, the editor said, You gotta come back in. 12 and current Alltel decals) at the fall Rockingham, North Carolina, race. 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. It comes up quickly and, at more than 90 degrees, is the slowest corner on this course. Amazingly, Donohue only suffered an internal derangement of his knee with meniscus damage and limited cruciate plus collateral ligament damage. He tinkered his way all through Pingry School, Brown University and a job as a mechanical engineer with the Pulverizing Machinery Corporation in Summit. Mark Donohue spent many late nights in the bungaloo in front of the original Penske garage in Newtown Square, Pa. Marks wife, Sue, raised young David and his older brother Michael. Le cavalier du diable - Film d'pouvante sur Tl 7 Jours Donohue, no matter what he accomplished, couldnt rest. That is where Mark Donohue often slept when he worked his way to near exhaustion at the race shop. Except I knew it wouldnt last, recalls Penske Racings timer/scorer Judy Stropus. 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. 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. It is there at Saint Teresa Cemetery and Mausoleum that Donohue is buried alongside his mother and father. 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. It would have been really fun to watch the two of them because they are so much alike. The driver of the Honda was killed. 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. Make sure you track out all the way for Turn 7. Donohue began his Trans-Am series campaign in 1967, winning three of twelve races in a Roger Penske-owned Chevrolet Camaro. 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. . He was so gentlemanly, he was boring. Racing Heroes - Mark Donohue | Hemmings No one knew, but Mark Donohue had just 10 days to live. Or, signing some autographs. Both Olvey and Trammell got their start in trackside medical response in similar fashion: Answering a bulletin board call for med students to help out at the Indianapolis 500 - Olvey in about 1969, Trammell in 1972. In search of Team Penske racing legend Mark Donohue - Autoweek 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. Its something that Ive looked at since I was really young as a kid, Donohue said. The two proved to be like-minded peas in a pod. The real Mark came out.. 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 A 25-year-old passenger in the Infiniti, a woman from Olney, was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Despite this, Donohue still dominated the series, even though he suffered three DNFs during the season due to mechanical problems with the M6A. I think at that point we started to bring the sport to a higher level, Penske said. The supposition is that a support post from one of the advertising signs caught Donohue's helmet. 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. Forgot password? 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. 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 sustained a fatal head injury from the crash. However, the Penske Formula One car proved unsound and Donohue's best finish this year was a fifth place. As ADAM COOPER recalls, though, it ended in tragedy. 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 Drs. Stephen Olvey and Terry Trammell in Motorsports Hall of Fame of As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. 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. Cresser v CDTS, 1 (2015 NY Slip Op 03227)
