Donohues dad was often racing in the United States or Canada for a fledgling operation called Penske Racing. In addition, the horrific events at the 1973 Indianapolis 500 and the subsequent death of his friend, Swede Savage, pushed him to quit. Aug 21, 2015, 4:28 PM. The bumpy, rain-soaked course around J.F.K. An investigation determined tire failure caused Donohues fatal crash, and the family won a $12 million settlement. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/20/archives/donohue-38-dead-of-racing-injuries-mark-donohue-is-dead-of-racing.html. Donohue, who also competed in endurance racing, IndyCar, NASCAR, Can-Am,. He was very quiet, very unassuming, Mario Andretti told Autoweek. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007. On January 21, 1973, the NASCAR Cup Series opened its season with a road course race at Riverside International Raceway in California. When David Donohue was young, he never really got to know his father -- Mark Donohue. Mark Donohue racked in 59 career wins for Team Penske in several different series. 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. 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. He had been a national amateur champion and the Sports Car Club of America driver of the year in 1965. The car did a series of cartwheels, and Donohue broke both legs. First to go was his marriage, says Argetsinger. In an interview then, he talked of his disappointing grand prix showing. But he kept complaining of headaches and Mario Andretti, who also has an obsession with grand prix racing, said Donohue was lapsing in and out of consciousness, Donohue was rushed to a hospital at Graz where grays revealed blood clot on the brain. Donohue's death was announced by a spokesman for Roger Penske, a close personal friend and his team boss. I think the people at Indy thought we were the college guys with the crew haircuts and the polished wheels. Donohue raced in several NASCAR Grand American races and a NASCAR pony car division from 1968 until 1971. No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, in New York while being honored at a luncheon. Mark Donohue was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. In 1969, Penske and Donohue raced in their first Indianapolis 500,[14] with Donohue finishing seventh, winning the rookie of the year award. The singleseat, opencockpit Formula One cars used in grand prix racing have been called torpedoes. The hotrod phenomenon came East from California and caught me up in it, he once explained. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. In 1970 new Javelin team owner Roger Penske and driver Mark Donohue would breathe new life into the AMC team. 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. But Donohue knew that time was running short and his skills and reflexes weren't getting any better. 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 The book was re-released in 2000 by Bentley Publishers (Cambridge, Massachusetts). Back then it was tape-delayed, and she was watching the race on TV. Every time David Donohue sees that car, he sees his father. They were just forging ahead, David Donohue recalled. Donohue held the record for 11 years, until it was broken by Rick Mears at Michigan International Speedway. 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. 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. 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. The driver must accept the risks involved, which I did and I spent my time in the hispital as a result., See the article in its original context from. He turned his last race, the first International Race of Champions finalin which top driver from all forms of racing competed into an easy victory Feb. 15, 1974, and then concentrated on his new duties as president of Penske Racing. It would have really been great watching those two together in the later years if it had gotten that far. Its something that Ive looked at since I was really young as a kid, Donohue said. 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. Coffay fled the scene. Two weeks ago, he took the 1973 CanAm car out of mothballs and set a world speed record for a closed course of 221.160 miles an. It affected the whole team. But supervising the Penske efforts in stock car and Indianapolistype racing did not agree with Donohue. Clark, J. Donohue went on to win 10 of 13 races, a Trans-Am series record which would stand until Tommy Kendall went 11 for 13 in the 1997 Trans-Am championship, winning the first 11 races that year in his All-Sport liveried Mustang. Try a week on us. Donohue paced himself that day and took the lead for the first time with 12 laps to go. We will get back to you in 24 hours. Drexel University 1973 Lexerd (Yearbook), pp. 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. He had one religion: testing. The winner of the 1972 Indianapolis 500 and the Can Am in l973. It served as the first NASCAR victory for aspiring team owner Roger Penske, a proverbial snowball sent rolling down a path thatd alter the entire American auto racing landscape. The $9500 price was a 50-percent premium over the fully optioned Camaro Racemark started with. Most of Donohues wins (28) came in Trans-Am, the United States Road Racing Championship (12) and Can-Am (10). Back to Victory Lane, Every Indy 500 Winner from the Dawn of Time, In search of Team Penske racing legend Mark Donohue. I saw him race at Lime Rock in an Elva, and (longtime Penske friend and later president of the IROC series) Jay Signore said I should watch this guy. They won the race, finished third overall, and went on to win 10 out of 13 races that year. The original Penske Racing team included Penske, Donohue, chief mechanic and crew chief Karl Kainhofer. He tinkered his way all through Pingry School, Brown University and a job as a mechanical engineer with the Pulverizing Machinery Corporation in Summit.
8W - Who? - Mark Donohue - Autosport They changed the grille and taillight to the 1968 model, and then painted both cars identically. He did the job for Roger, no question.
Le cavalier du diable - Film d'pouvante sur Tl 7 Jours The Medical Causes of Racing Deaths with Examples - Parathyroid "They posted me to the infield, taking care of people who got too much sun or had too much to drink," Olvey said. There was also Earl McMullen and Bill Cox, who worked for the teams sponsor, Sun Oil. The victory was the first for Penske in the Indy 500. He was on for a second appearance at the Glen, but a practice accident saw Mark being replaced by David Hobbs. On August 9, 1975, Donohue drove the 91730 to a world closed-course speed record at the Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Strange and smart, but very driven., The drive set Mark Donohue apart and made him the winningest driver in Team Penske history. We went to the Speedway in 1971 and we had this card that translated the speed on the stopwatch to your average speed. He was really the first person that I knew in racing that not only had the driving skills, but also the technical knowledge. He could drive a car in the 24-hour race at Daytona, a Trans-Am Car, an Indy car and a NASCAR car. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/21/archives/mark-donohue-returns-to-die.html. A motorist was killed early Tuesday in a single-car crash in Montgomery County, police said. He busted a gut when we got back to the shop. Then there was Marks other side. In 69 Mark repeated his Trans-Am championship, winning six of 12. Donohue was hit in the head by a fence post and knocked unconscious. 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. Donohue went on to win the first-ever 500-mile USAC Champ Car Series race at Pocono in 71 and claimed victory at Indianapolis in his return in 1972. 1968 would be a banner year for Donohue in the Trans-Am series, as he successfully defended his 12 Hours of Sebring victory by partnering with Craig Fisher and driving his Penske Chevrolet Camaro to victory. Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. In 1967 he became the USRRC champion, winning six out of eight races. Had there been a Drivers' Championship in place at the time, he would have won three of them (his last in 1971) while driving Camaros in 1968 and 1969, and an AMC Javelin in 1971, all for Roger Penske Racing. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? Donohue's racing tradition is carried on by his son, David Donohue, a successful road racer in his own right. The Penske team leader, Heinz Hofer, said Donohue had told him after the crash that the left front tire had been punctured as he was traveling about 160 m.p.h.
Mark Donohue Fatal Crash | PopScreen And I know that Roger loved him. Anyone can read what you share.
He wanted to show he could do it all again. Donohue was considered a leading Trans-Am driver of the late 1960s and early 1970s. 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. Browse 481 mark donohue stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. When Penske decided late to enter Formula One full time, Donohue had a difficult decision to make. We started with a Lola 4-wheel drive, and in 1971 we got a McLaren. That sense of realism often hits Mark Donohues son. He joined Roger Penske, a former sports car rival who had set up his own team, the following year as a fulltime professional. Please try again. Im sure David really missed out on a lot. He won Indy and we juiced him up and he was out there giving a speech and he was so funny that his sense of humor came out and everybody loved it. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Donohue's career, along with Roger Penske's Formula One aspirations, took a tragic turn. 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.
Jayski's Mark Donohue Tribute - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site It was an iconic car, iconic colors for the day and it really brings back memories. 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. But his thinking man's approach to racing, while successful on the track, was difficult off. Donohue began the 1975 Formula 1 season as a 38-year-old rookie and the oldest driver on the grid. Make sure you track out all the way for Turn 7. 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 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. Donohue held the record for 11 years, until it was broken by Rick Mears at Michigan International Speedway . Its made me realize its an honor to be his son. The real Mark came out.. He wanted to know how we were doing. That is where Mark Donohue often slept when he worked his way to near exhaustion at the race shop. Cars that Donohue raced include: AMC Javelin, AMC Matador, Chevrolet Camaro, Eagle-Offy, Elva Courier, Ford GT40 MK IV, Ferrari 250LM, Ferrari 512, Lola T70, Lola T330, Lotus 20, McLaren M16, Porsche 911, Porsche 917/10, Porsche 917/30, Shelby Cobra, and Shelby Mustang GT350R. If we're right, by next season we could be the dominant team in Formula One.. Mark Donohue died last night. Donohue. Michael is another guy but there is this thing between Mark and David, even in terms of their life experiences.
Maybe it was some Austrian rock, but whatever it was, one of Donohue's tires blew at 160 miles an hour. The driver of the Honda was killed. His lone NASCAR race win was just part of his narrative, but that victory another hurdle in auto racing cleared in partnership with Penske helped ignite a flame thats lasted over 50 years across different genres of the sport and in turn elevated the quality and intelligence of American racing. And Mark Donohue couldn't live with retirement. 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. 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. Event the win at the 1972 Indianapolis 500 created more sleepless nights, because the win did not come on his own terms. I know their first conversation after the race, he didnt say (that he had won). [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. A Montgomery County man who crashed his car and fled from the wreck, leaving three of his friends dead or dying, on Thursday was sentenced . No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, while being honored at a luncheon following his retirement. A mechanical engineering graduate from a wealthy New Jersey background, Donohue won everything in sight on the US scene, in every major category. Some of his most notable accomplishments included being the Indy 500 rookie-of-the-year, Trans AM champion and a winner in The 24 Hours of Daytona all in 1969. Conversely, Mark had one of the greatest senses of humor of anybody I ever met. 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. 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 By clicking on 'Join' button, you confirm that you are over 13 years of age and agree to the Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. I don't think I could have handled that.. A full season of racing for the 1975 Formula One season was planned. 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. [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. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Donohue won. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? 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 In auto racing, though, even thinking man's drivers can get killed by punctured tires. The four-race schedule consisted of three races at Riverside and a finale on Daytonas road course. He was just that way. Mark Donohue was an enigma. I was the chief engineer because I was the only engineer, Cox recalled. Stay close to the outside curbing, brake hard, and turn in . 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). 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. I can hardly wait to get back to work with our car, he said. You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. Mark felt he had to devote all his time to the team. Think about the championships we won together, the first Indy 500 victory for the team, three Trans-Am championships. Donohue began his Trans-Am series campaign in 1967, winning three of twelve races in a Roger Penske-owned Chevrolet Camaro. 66 McLaren/Offenhauser that Mark Donohue drove to win the 1972 Indy 500. 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 needed something he could do well., Alas, Penske Racings first F1 car, the PC1, was so mediocre that Donohue persuaded Penske to replace it with a customers March 751, a curious crack in the myth that was Mark. David followed his father into sports car racing for Porsche. In all, he won 57 major races and more than $1million. The doctors in Graz, Austria, said yesterday that the racing driver would have been crippled for life had he survived. During its production life, there were 192 Series 200 Griffiths built, 59 of the Series 400 and only 10 of the Series 600. The only engineering Donohue went back to concerned race cars. I did everything I could to keep up. Jackie Stewart interviews Mark Donohue prior to an IROC race in 1974. Seeing it in real life when you come into the museum here, I know one thing -- I fit in it really well. 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. 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. Or, signing some autographs. Instructions on how to reset your password have been sent to your email. After going to the hospital in Graz the next day, Donohue lapsed into a coma from a cerebral hemorrhage and died. He was killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "Donohue is no angel out there on the track Parnelli Jones", "Donohue, on the Way Out, Views Things From Top; Calendar of Motor Sports", "1965 Sebring 12-Hour Grand Prix of Endurance Race Profile", "1966 24 Hours of Le Mans Results and Competitors", "1967 24 Hours of Le Mans Results and Competitors", "Mark Donohue Named '500' Rookie of Year", "Mark Donohue set Indy speed record in 1972", "1973 Winston Western 500: Donohue Dominates", "Hall of Fame Members (Mark Donohue Jr.)", "Mark Donohue, Sports Cars, Class of 1990", Mark Donohue's IROC and NASCAR stats at racing-reference.info, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Donohue&oldid=1136103335, Brown University School of Engineering alumni, International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees, SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2014, Pages using small with an empty input parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, run as the Daytona 3 Hour Continental (196263), 24 Hours of Daytona (196671/ 1973/ 1975present), This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 19:22. The book documents his career from his first races to his final full season of racing the year before he was killed. But in eight months of retirement, the quiet, wellspoken kid from the other side of the tracks learned that the hobby that had become an obsession still haunted him.
PART II: Penske's L&M Porsche, The Untold Story of Can Am's Most Famous ', On Wednesday morning, August 20, 1975, the phone rang in my dingy beige apartment in Burlington, Ontario. You never saw him in an argument with anybody. When Mark . David Donohue drives his dad's 1972 Indy 500-winning car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. I think at that point we started to bring the sport to a higher level, Penske said. Twice before he had had serious accidents and he walked like a man who had had his knees shattered and put back together again. 1975, resulting from an accident two days earlier during practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. He tried to get a car dealership; that didnt work.
Unfair Advantages: The Life and Times of Mark Donohue Advertisement. However, the Penske Formula One car proved unsound and Donohue's best finish this year was a fifth place. Mark Donohue. His condition quickly worsened and he passed away two days later, victim of a blood clot in his brain.Following the fatal accident the sterreichring first turn was tightened in 1976 and the track lenght passed from 5.911 to 5.906 kilometers.
Mark Donohue: Returns to Die - The New York Times In 1967, Penske contacted Donohue about driving Penske's brand new Lola T70 spyder in the United States Road Racing Championship. 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. 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. Mark won the 1972 Indianapolis 500 when David was just five. A friend once described riding in Donohue's Porsche 911 as a 'Wall of Death thing most of the time. Sometimes, I would leave early and take my own car to the airport because I didnt want to put up with him. I dont remember him changing a bit.. We brought some technology. Losing a driver is something you cant replace. Twelve identically prepared cars is the mantra forever engrained in those who followed the International Race of Champions, and IROCs inaugural season, ranging from the fall of 1973 to the winter of 1974, was one of Donohues finest showings. At about 09h45 he left the pits again for another testing run. Oops! Mark obviously brought an air of professionalism. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. 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.
Drs. Stephen Olvey and Terry Trammell in Motorsports Hall of Fame of Alonso "not thinking" about Bahrain pole despite topping Friday times, Why Las Vegas is key to F1's growth plans, Why Las Vegas is key to F1's growth plans 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. 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. 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. It meant immediate surgery. Revson's death made it almost inevitable that Donohue would come out of retirement.
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