He was very quiet, very unassuming, Mario Andretti told Autoweek. His retirement was short-lived, however, as he was lured back to full-time competitive driving by Penske when he formed a Formula One team, Penske Cars Ltd, to compete in the final two events of the 1974 Formula One World Championship, and to continue competing in 1975 with the new Penske PC1. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/21/archives/mark-donohue-returns-to-die.html. Mark felt he had to devote all his time to the team. Upstairs was a small room with a bed that had an outside private entrance. Mark Donohue and Roger Penske during a break in the Indy-car action at Michigan International Speedway n 1974. 1975, resulting from an accident two days earlier during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. I didnt get to know my father very well because he passed away when I was young, but racing has given him back to me. By 1973, the "Captain Nice" nickname he had earned earlier in his career was being supplanted by the nickname "Dark Monohue". Goldberg Segalla, LLP, Albany (Mark Donohue of counsel), for respondents. 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. [2], At Hansgen's funeral, Roger Penske spoke to Donohue about driving for him. 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. Though he walked away from the resulting crash, he fell into a coma the next day and, shortly after, died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Then they put both cars in the race, number 15 and 16, one car being 250 pounds lighter. It was at Hangsens funeral that Roger Penske approached Donohue to drive for him. Were far from having too much horsepower, he asserted. He knew racing drivers couldn't come back. 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 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. Its a goal he had and a goal he checked off. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Neither Donohue or Penske forgot that remark, even after Donohue drove an astounding race and finished third. The 38yearold Donohue underwent a threehour operation at a hospital here Sunday to remove a blood clot from his brain. Donohue. 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. David Donohue is proof positive that apples dont fall far from the tree. 12 and current Alltel decals) at the fall Rockingham, North Carolina, race. Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Fellow racer and former teammate Sam Posey called Donohue, a gunslinger who also happened to have designed the gun.. Or, signing some autographs. Midway through the 1975 F1 season, Penske abandoned the troublesome PC1 and started using the March 751. The two proved to be like-minded peas in a pod. A headache resulted, however, and worsened. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. He never regained consciousness. Begrudgingly, Donohue used Bettenhausens setup for the race. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The original Penske Racing team included Penske, Donohue, chief mechanic and crew chief Karl Kainhofer. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Donohue's career, along with Roger Penske's Formula One aspirations, took a tragic turn. Not true. DON HUNTER, BILL OURSLER, THE MANUFACTURERS, Elana Scherr: On the Count of Three (Wheels), Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. 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. 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.. 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As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He also gave us our first NASCAR win. They also acid-dipped the body on the Camaro and had to caution people not to lean against it, for fear it would dent. He could drive a car in the 24-hour race at Daytona, a Trans-Am Car, an Indy car and a NASCAR car. The bumpy, rain-soaked course around J.F.K. [10], In 1966, thanks to his friendship with Hansgen, word quickly spread to the Ford Motor Company about the young driver. Donohue won in 1972, driving for Penske. 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 flew under the radar a lot, but he was always there. 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. 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. . The out-of-control car left the track at high speed, tore some 60 meters of the catch-fence on the left side of the track and crashed against the guard-rail, vaulting over it. The highlight of his entire career was winning the . He was a winner at the 24 Hours of Daytona and in stock cars. This. Drexel University 1973 Lexerd (Yearbook), pp. [2], Donohue was invited back to Le Mans by Ford in 1967. Mark obviously brought an air of professionalism. 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 Please try again. Its as if his father is in his presence. He died on August 19, 1975 in Graz, Styria, Austria. [4] He was survived by his wife and two sons from his first marriage. They were embarrassed, and like the streak of success following the 71 Indianapolis 500, they returned to Riverside in 1973 with a heavy chip on their shoulders. 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.. He went on to assist TVR's David Hives in designing the Series 400 Griffith and then working on the ill-fated Bob Cumberford-designed, Intermeccanica-(Torino, Italy) produced Series 600 Griffith. Its always great that history is reviewed and remembered and adds more to the prominence and significance of the event to bring it all together. The 1972 Indy win was a classic race for the man who not only drove the race car but also served as its engineer and mechanic back at Penske Racing. Two weeks ago, however, he showed he had not lost his skill at getting a race car around a track when he set a world speed record of 221.160 miles an hour for a closed course. 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 https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/20/archives/donohue-38-dead-of-racing-injuries-mark-donohue-is-dead-of-racing.html. In 1968, Donohue and Penske returned to defend their USRRC championship with the McLaren M6A Chevrolet. Brian Redman drove it once in 1974, and that was it for the car as far as Penske campaigning it. At first, the former Indianapolis 500 winner was thought to have just a mild concussion. Truth is, they often didnt know if something would work., Thirty-three years after the big crash, Penske told Argetsinger: Mark was my best friend [this, despite Donohue once spearing his boss with an AMC Javelin in the pits, tossing Penske 15 feet]. 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. Stay close to the outside curbing, brake hard, and turn in . 4445. He obsessively lived at the shop, working as many as 20 hours a day. 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. He will be ranked with A. J. Foyt, Dan Gurney and Andretti in the leading group of American drivers. He is known for Formula 1 (1950) and The Trans-Am Challenge (1972). He won many races for us and the first IROC championship with the Porsche. By clicking on 'Join' button, you confirm that you are over 13 years of age and agree to the Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. A track marshal was killed by debris from the accident, but Donohue did not appear to be injured significantly. He answered, "It will never have enough power until I can spin the wheels at the end of the straightaway in high gear.". 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 Donohue dominated the 1967 race, driving a Lola T70 MkIII Chevrolet for Penske. His first marriage ended in divorce and some friends blamed racing. Since his remarriage eight months ago, those same friends found Donohue relaxed and cheerful, something he had not been while retired. Donohue's racing tradition is carried on by his son, David Donohue, a successful road racer in his own right. [17] That race was Penske's first NASCAR win in a long history of NASCAR participation. 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). 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. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? 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. He did everything he could to lose me. His son, David, told me: The legend was that my dad and Roger conquered all. Mark Robert Bonhag, 56, of the Highland, Md., area was driving north on New Hampshire Avenue in the . Auto Race Car Driver. His average speed around the 2.66-mile (4.28km) high-banked oval was 221.120mph (355.858km/h). He was just that way. Mark Donohue was an enigma. 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. Please try again. How famous was Mark . In 1974, he quit driving and became president of Penske Racing. [citation needed] He graduated from Brown in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. through one of the fastest turns on the track. He busted a gut when we got back to the shop. Then there was Marks other side. Born in Haddon Township, New Jersey, Donohue grew up in Summit,[7] graduated from the Pingry School in Hillside, and entered Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The victory was the first for Penske in the Indy 500. Make sure you track out all the way for Turn 7. Porsche, Penske, and Donohue quickly started the development of the 917-30, complete with a reworked aerodynamic "Paris" body and a 5.4-liter turbocharged flat-12 engine whose output could be adjusted from about 1,100 to 1,500 bhp[citation needed] by turning a boost knob in the cockpit. 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. A motorist was killed early Tuesday in a single-car crash in Montgomery County, police said. Donohue won in every type of race car he climbed into except for one -- the Formula 1 March 751 that ultimately cost him his life. However, the Penske Formula One car proved unsound and Donohue's best finish this year was a fifth place. On January 21, 1973, the NASCAR Cup Series opened its season with a road course race at Riverside International Raceway in California. 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. It would have really been great watching those two together in the later years if it had gotten that far. Donohue paced himself that day and took the lead for the first time with 12 laps to go. In the final race of the season, Javelins finished in first, second and third place, with George Follmer becoming the only other Javelin driver to win besides Donohue. [11] Earlier that year, co-driving with Hansgen, Donohue finished third at the 24 Hours of Daytona and second at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Late in 1973, when Penske decided to build a Formula One car for the 1975 season, Donohue knew what would happen. The track chosen for the speed record attempt was the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. The bungalow is where team manager Chuck Cantwell and the teams public relations director Dan Luginbuhl worked along with secretary Maryann ODonnell. Although photographs of Donohue with the more aerodynamic 1974 Matador coupe exist and are published, he did not drive it in competition. 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.

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