Donohue was about to have his race victory taken away for cheating, but Roger Penske stepped in. A 25-year-old passenger in the Infiniti, a woman from Olney, was seriously hurt and taken to the hospital. Amazingly, Donohue only suffered an internal derangement of his knee with meniscus damage and limited cruciate plus collateral ligament damage. A friend once described riding in Donohue's Porsche 911 as a 'Wall of Death thing most of the time. During testing at Road Atlanta, Donohue recommended larger brake ducts, believing that more cooling would slow the brakes' degradation during a race. 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. It was hard to believe because Donohue and team owner Roger Penske were then the cleverest guys in racing. 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. Has Alonso made the right choice gambling on Aston Martin F1? It is there at Saint Teresa Cemetery and Mausoleum that Donohue is buried alongside his mother and father. But where other youngsters were souping up cars to impress girls, I was only interested in the mechanics, Donohue said. He won the Can Am championship in 197, the TransAm title in 1968, 1969 and 1971. The car did a series of cartwheels, and Donohue broke both legs. 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 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 Austrian Grand Prix. 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. Donohue finished in 12th place at the Canadian Grand Prix, but failed to finish at the United States Grand Prix. We started to look at data Mark was an engineer at Brown (University), and that was certainly part of it, but we were committed. He was just that way. Mark Donohue was an enigma. The lightweight car was featured on an episode of Dream Car Garage on Speed TV in 2005. He had one religion: testing. 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. 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. . 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. Mark obviously brought an air of professionalism. Donohue. The highlight of his entire career was winning the . His son, David, told me: The legend was that my dad and Roger conquered all. He was one of the best American roadracers in history, but his biggest triumph was on the oval at Indianapolis, where in 1972 he won the 500. Mark Donohue is killed during a practice session for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. 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). In all, he won 57 major races and more than $1million. 500-mile (800km) SCCA endurance event, which he won. [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. He did everything he could to lose me. The Porsche engineers obliged, but the new ducts interfered with the bodywork closure pins that attached body panels to the car. We brought some technology. In 1969, Penske brought his team -- and the Penske way -- to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time. The driver must accept the risks involved, which I didand I spent my time in the hospital as a result.. The key factors behind F1s Premier League-style managerial revolving door, The tangible steps Alpine has taken to meeting its humble F1 2023 targets, The tangible steps Alpine has taken to meeting its humble F1 2023 targets Between 1971 and 1972, Penske Racing (along with Donohue as the primary test and development driver) was commissioned by Porsche to help develop the 917-10 to compete in the Can-Am series. 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. By then, he had remarried to a model from Atlanta named Eden. The setup he designed for his car didnt have as much speed as teammate Gary Bettenhausens setup. 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 preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Donohue had stepped out of driving retirement . Mark Donohue did not take a traditional route to racing or to Penskes side. However, like most race drivers in the various top racing series around the world, he had lived an outright lot of life. 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. We were there to go racing.. He said so himself many times. Mark Donohue returning from retirement to lead Roger Penske's Formula 1 team looked like a perfect match. If we're right, by next season we could be the dominant team in Formula One.. The search for Mark Donohue concludes in the upscale community of Summit, New Jersey just outside of New York City. David Donohue is proof positive that apples dont fall far from the tree. Advertisement. During its production life, there were 192 Series 200 Griffiths built, 59 of the Series 400 and only 10 of the Series 600. Donohue began the 1975 Formula 1 season as a 38-year-old rookie and the oldest driver on the grid. 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. U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current. the email address you entered is invalid. Seeing another man driving your car, a car you know so well. Three years later, Mark was gone, dead from a cerebral hemorrhage suffered in a crash during practice for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at sterreichring. In 2003, in commemoration of Penske Racing's 50th NASCAR win, Nextel Cup driver Ryan Newman drove a Dodge Intrepid painted to resemble Donohue's 1973 AMC (with a No. He wanted to know how we were doing. During the development of this motor, the German Porsche engineers often asked Donohue if the motor finally had enough power. In an interview then, he talked of his disappointing grand prix showing. 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. He began to spend more than time. 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. On January 21, 1973, the NASCAR Cup Series opened its season with a road course race at Riverside International Raceway in California. To those who work at the cemetery, Donohue is simply known as The Race Car Driver to visitors looking for his gravesite. An experienced race driver named Walt Hansgen (who worked for Inskip Motors in New York & Rhode Island) recognized Donohue's ability[2] and befriended him, eventually providing an MGB (through Inskip Motors in Providence, RI and prepped by their race shop Competition Engineering)[8] for Donohue to race at the 1964 Bridgehampton During his stay at Griffith Mark drove the Griffith-owned Shelby 289 Cobra making his mark on the SCCA circuit. Except I knew it wouldnt last, recalls Penske Racings timer/scorer Judy Stropus. 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. When police found him about three hours later, his . 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 . Hansgen died while testing the GT40 in preparation for Le Mans so Donohue partnered with Australian Paul Hawkins. 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. Browse 481 mark donohue stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Penske's new Penske Racing complex in Mooresville, North Carolina is decorated with various murals of Donohue and his racing cars, most notably the AMC stock car and the various Porsche prototypes that Donohue drove through his career. That got everybodys attention -- the polished wheels, the way our guys looked, the way the cars were prepared and obviously, the performance was good. 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. Coming out of turn seven at about 150mph (240km/h), the rear bodywork flew off the car, which became extremely unstable, lifted off the ground, and tumbled down the track. Donohue's death was announced by a spokesman for Roger Penske, a close personal friend and his team boss. Donohue won. The bungalow is where team manager Chuck Cantwell and the teams public relations director Dan Luginbuhl worked along with secretary Maryann ODonnell. Donohue. If he didnt test a car before a race, he didnt have his Peanuts security blanket and would fret that his edge was lost.. During a practice session for the race, Donohue lost control of his March after a tyre failed, sending him into the catch fencing at the fastest corner on the track, Vest Hgel Kurve. With Roger Penske, you are always going to have good equipment. The supposition is that a support post from one of the advertising signs caught Donohue's helmet. [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. He was, I feel, the finest road race driver this country has ever produced, Allison told Hemmings Motor News years later. The book was published shortly before Donohue's death. 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. 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. In 1968, Donohue and Penske returned to defend their USRRC championship with the McLaren M6A Chevrolet. Email or password is incorrect. They changed the grille and taillight to the 1968 model, and then painted both cars identically. [2], Donohue was hired on March 29, 1964, by Jack Griffith [Griffith Motors, Syosset, N.Y./Plainview, N.Y.] as design engineer for the Griffith, formerly TVR Grantura Mk III, powered by a Ford 289 cid (4.7l) V8 engine. Michael is another guy but there is this thing between Mark and David, even in terms of their life experiences. Police have not yet released his identity. 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 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. One track marshal was killed by the crash and another seriousy injured. Sometimes, I would leave early and take my own car to the airport because I didnt want to put up with him. ), (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap). His body will be flown to the United States tomorrow and the funeral will take place Monday in Summit, N. J., where Donohue grew up and first got caught up in the hotrod phenomenon. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 1 P.M. in St. Teresa's Church. 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. 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 Mark won the 1972 Indianapolis 500 when David was just five. Its as if his father is in his presence. That day at Indy, Bobby Unsers Eagle dominated the contest before Unser dropped out. That sense of realism often hits Mark Donohues son. After the Arab oil embargo in 1973, it led the SCCA, IMSA and other race series to impose fuel limitations on motor sport racing as a whole, which hampered the performance of the 917/30, making it uncompetitive in the Can-Am series. Then, in 1977 a chicane, named Hella-Licht, was installed at that point of the track, bringing the length of the circuit to 5.941 kilometers.Mark Neary Donohue, Jr. was survived by his second wife Eden, the couple had only recently married; and his two sons from his previous marriage, Michael and David. He had been a national amateur champion and the Sports Car Club of America driver of the year in 1965. Harry Gant was a champion in 1985, Ricky Rudd was a champion in 1992 and Mark Martin became a five-time champion; all three failed to secure NASCAR championships. He went over 180 miles per hour for the first time and it wasnt on the chart, so nobody knew how fast he went. In his career, Donohue started 311 races and won 119 of them, a winning average of 38 percent. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. David followed his father into sports car racing for Porsche. https://www.nytimes.com/1975/08/20/archives/donohue-38-dead-of-racing-injuries-mark-donohue-is-dead-of-racing.html. 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