This was not merely a celebrity autobiography, but a detailed, step-by-step record of the engineering approach he took to getting the absolutely highest performance from every car he drove, always looking for that elusive "unfair advantage". (He was operated on at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta by Drs. Donohue. He tinkered his way all through Pingry School, Brown University and a job as a mechanical engineer with the Pulverizing Machinery Corporation in Summit. 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. Mark won the 1972 Indianapolis 500 when David was just five. In auto racing, though, even thinking man's drivers can get killed by punctured tires. His first marriage ended in divorce and some friends blamed racing. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 No one knew, but Mark Donohue had just 10 days to live. 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. 66 Penske Racing entry went on to win at Indianapolis in 1972 to give Roger Penske the first of his 17 Indy 500 wins. 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. Racing was Donohues obsession. On his second lap he approached the Vst-Hgel very fast right-hander at the end of the main straight when, at about 162 mi/h (260 km/h), a rear tyre of his March 751-Ford Cosworth suddenly blew up. He sustained a fatal head injury from the crash. The 917/30 generally is considered one of the most powerful and most dominant racing machines ever created. racing was concerned, he had done it all. * Most laps led. He finds the same things funny. They made four NASCAR Cup Series starts in 1972 and while they displayed commendable speed Donohue never qualified worse than 11th, including a third-place start at Riverside they failed to finish three of the four races and earned a best finish of 15th at Atlanta. Donohue was the driver of Penskes first Brickyard effort in 1969. Clark, J. Oops! Donohue's rocketed 7 through four wire catchfences and several roadside billboards. Mark Donohue was 38 and a sports car champion and 1972 Indianapolis 500 winner. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that all memorial donations be sent to the Auto Racing Fraternity Foundation, 13539 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens. Even with only three caution flags, the race lasted 12 minutes shy of five hours, a brutal exercise for the majority of the right-turn-averse stock car regulars, but nothing a veteran of the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring hadnt already experienced. Donohues dad was often racing in the United States or Canada for a fledgling operation called Penske Racing. He did it through sheer force of will. On January 21, 1973, the NASCAR Cup Series opened its season with a road course race at Riverside International Raceway in California. The Penske overturned into a ravine, just a few meters beyond an underpass in which several people were standing.Debris from Donohue's car, particularly a wheel, hit a policeman, Richard Httner from Baden, who sustained critical head injuries, and three marshals - seriously injuring two of them, Gottfried Crnic and Manfred Schaller. Why Autosport is changing how it ranks F1 drivers from 2023 onwards, The key factors behind F1s Premier League-style managerial revolving door, The key factors behind F1s Premier League-style managerial revolving door 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 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. He knew racing drivers couldn't come back. Seeing it in real life when you come into the museum here, I know one thing -- I fit in it really well. The driver of the Honda was killed. They continued to use the "lightweight" car in 1968, at the Sebring 12-hour race. Mark Donohue & Manfred Schaller's Fatal Crash @ sterreichring 1975 With his marriage to Sue falling apart, Donohues personal life was in turmoil. Mark Donohue's tragic comeback - Autosport We went to the Speedway in 1971 and we had this card that translated the speed on the stopwatch to your average speed. I think at that point we started to bring the sport to a higher level, Penske said. Mark Donohue - Wikipedia No, I never worried about the dangers of racing, he said in March, 1974, while being honored at a luncheon following his retirement. Michael is another guy but there is this thing between Mark and David, even in terms of their life experiences. 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 . A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? He did everything he could to lose me. As an American driver, he had done it all. 500-mile (800km) SCCA endurance event, which he won. 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 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. The victory was the first for Penske in the Indy 500. Mark Donohue was one of the daredevil drivers of the 1970's. He exuded boyhood charm, was a speed demon behind the wheel, and was a legend of US racing, with wins at Daytona, the Indy 500, and Trans-Am Champion. 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. Mark Robert Bonhag, 56, of the Highland, Md., area was driving north on New Hampshire Avenue in the . Why "grounded" Hamilton remains confident in Mercedes' F1 recovery. 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. 1 Killed in Multi-Car Crash in Olney, Police Say Mark Donohue began racing at the age of 22 in a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette . When Penske Racing took delivery of a Ferrari 512M, for instance, they immediately fabricated a bigger rear wing. Of 55 Trans-Ams he entered, he won 29. Donohues father was a patent attorney. 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 tried to get a car dealership; that didnt work. His average speed around the 2.66-mile (4.28km) high-banked oval was 221.120mph (355.858km/h). At about 09h45 he left the pits again for another testing run. If he didnt test a car before a race, he didnt have his Peanuts security blanket and would fret that his edge was lost.. Upstairs was a small room with a bed that had an outside private entrance. His fathers absence from the family took its toll, and eventually the marriage dissolved into divorce. I always said driving wasn't really a dangerous situation. It is there at Saint Teresa Cemetery and Mausoleum that Donohue is buried alongside his mother and father. 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 The car did a series of cartwheels, and Donohue broke both legs. The lightweight car was featured on an episode of Dream Car Garage on Speed TV in 2005. Racing is a very weird circus that way. Its as if his father is in his presence. From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. A bad week or the dark horse from F1 testing? Since his remarriage eight months ago, those same friends found Donohue relaxed and cheerful, something he had not been while retired. Donohue finished fourth at Daytona and won the Trans-Am class at the 12 Hours of Sebring. He was passionate about racing. 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). Foyt and Emerson Fittipaldi, among others tangible proof that, stock-car equipment being even, Donohue was a world beater. 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 He won the Can Am championship in 197, the TransAm title in 1968, 1969 and 1971. You can go away and the void that you leave gets filled quickly, but when you come back, you are greeted with open arms. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Mark Donohue and Roger Penske during a break in the Indy-car action at Michigan International Speedway n 1974. Mark Donohue returning from retirement to lead Roger Penske's Formula 1 team looked like a perfect match. 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. By 1973, the "Captain Nice" nickname he had earned earlier in his career was being supplanted by the nickname "Dark Monohue". He took the lot to Lime Rock, Conn., and finished fourth in a sports car race. Please try again. Police have not yet released his identity. 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 includes information and additional photography that was not available before the first edition was published. We were in Lime Rock and I was in a motorhome and my mom came out and woke my brother and I up so we could watch the end of the race. Don Cox would later join the team in 1969 after working as an engineer for General Motors. I could see what was coming, he said. Donohue dominated the 1967 race, driving a Lola T70 MkIII Chevrolet for Penske.