Mark
Donohue
Master
of the Science of Speed
American auto racing champion
Mark Donohue used to joke—was he joking?—about
installing an "unfair advantage" in his cars. In fact, he
was born with the sharpest edge a racer can enjoy: his
mind.
Motorsport
is rich in personalities with a natural talent for driving
fast. Rarer are those who fully understand how they do it.
Donohue was among the first of the modern driver-engineers
who seek speed through science. His racing record argues
that he may have been the greatest.
Mark was 21 in 1958 and still a student of mechanical
engineering at Brown University when he took his everyday
street ride, a ’57 Corvette, to victory in his first
official speed event, a New Hampshire hill climb. It was
characteristic of the thoughtful young man that he regarded
the win as a fluke; it was equally characteristic that he
resolved to eliminate any fluke from then on. Tearing into
his race cars with his own hands, restlessly and
relentlessly trying one experiment after another and coolly
analyzing the results, Mark learned exactly what made them
faster, and what didn’t. He took an equally serious
approach to his driving.
While many of his contemporaries relied on their innate
ability at the wheel, Donohue the engineer strove to
understand the dynamics behind high performance, and then
to perfect his skill in extracting it. Where others
prepared their cars well, he was obsessive about
preparation. All good drivers are dedicated; Donohue was
driven. And he never stopped thinking, thinking, thinking.
The results: three Sports Car Club of America amateur
national championships, and two years as a pro on
Ford’s mighty Le Mans team. Joining Roger Penske in
1966, Donohue helped establish one of the most dominant
organizations in racing history. Twice Mark took the United
States Road Racing Championship, added the
Canadian-American Challenge Cup (Can-Am), and brought
Trans-Am series titles to manufacturers Chevrolet and
American Motors a total of three times. He also was a
winning co-driver of the 24-hour sports car enduro at
Daytona, and he set a world"s speed record at Talladega.
Oh, and in 1972 the image of this boyish and fun-loving
road racer went onto the Indianapolis 500 trophy.
Of course, racing has been called "the cruel sport;" Mark
suffered many losses and disappointments too, both public
and private. His life ended tragically at the age of 38
after a 1975 Formula One accident in Austria. But his
legacy remains timeless.
In fact, every
successful driver today owes a debt of knowledge to Mark
Donohue"s pioneering work in applying science to speed.
-- by Pete Lyons, author of Can-Am
and
Can-Am
Photo History
Visit the Official Mark Donohue and
Donohue Family website at:
www.donohueracing.com
http://www.bentleypublishers.com/author.htm?who=Mark_Donohue
List
of Mark Donohue Championships
• USRRC
Champion (1967-68)
•
Trans-Am Champion (1968-69-71)
• Daytona 24-Hour Winner (1969)
• Indy 500 Winner (1972)
• Can-Am Champion (1973)
MARK
DONOHUE CHRONOLOGY:A life mastering the science of
speed
A
list of victories and short sentences only begins to do
justice to a racing life as rich as Mark"s. The variety of
cars and significance of his accomplishments is the story
of a man who availed himself of every advantage—fair
and unfair.
1937
Mark
Neary Donohue, Jr. is born to Hazel and Mark Neary Donohue,
Sr. in Summit, NJ on March 18.
1952-1959
First
Car to First Win (and getting an
education).
Hilights
•
First car at age fifteen.
•
BS, Mechanical Engineering-Brown
University
•
First win at Belknap, New Hampshire hillclimb. 1957
Corvette
In
1952, at age
fifteen, Mark finds his first car, “a cheap 1937 Ford
from which someone had cut off the top and the
fenders.” Graduates from The Pingry School in
1955 and
enters Brown University to study mechanical engineering.
His summers are spent on Martha's Vineyard working at a gas
station. At 20, with financial help from his father and
technical assistance from his life-long friend, Dave
Lawton, Mark buys a new
1957 Corvette
equipped with two four barrel carbs and 245 horsepower. In
the spring of that year, as Dave's guest, Mark enters and
wins his first competitive event—a hillclimb at
Belknap, NH. Graduation from Brown in
1959 is
followed by a job, a few graduate courses and some ice
races with the Corvette. He begins to contemplate racing
with the Sports Car Club of America. Introduced by a mutual
friend, Mark gets advice from someone already find-ing
racing success. He is told that if he is going to go
racing, he should only go first class. The advice comes
from Roger Penske.
1960-1966
Amateur
to Professional (to Penske).
Highlights
•
E-Production Championship Elva Courier
•
Lime Rock Formula Libre Win Cooper-Offenhauser
Midget
•
Formula C Championship Lotus 20
•
B-Production Championship Mustang Shelby
GT350
•
3rd at 24 hours of Daytona, 2nd at 12 Hours of Sebring Ford
GT40 MKII
Races an Elva Courier in SCCA F-Production in
1960 and
begins the climb upward. The car is reclassified in
1961 to a
tougher E-Production. Mark wins the national championship
against drivers such as Peter Revson. Throughout
1962 Mark
competes in the SCCA with his Elva Formula Jr. In 1963 he
tries a Daimler in C-Production. He “loses” his
amateur status after winning the Formula Libre race at Lime
Rock, in a Cooper-Offy Midget that same year. A ride in
Jack Griffith's Cobra results in Mark's first national
victory at Virginia International Raceway in early
1964. Mark
does some modifications to a Walt Hansgen hand-me-down MGB
and wins the 500 mile race at Bridgehampton. Walt Hansgen
mentors Mark and helps him to his debut endurance race in a
Ferrari 275 at the 12 Hours of Sebring. By
1965 Mark is
driving the proper line in his development as a
professional with class championships in both a Formula C
Lotus 20 and a B-Production Shelby GT350—the Mustang
being the first car he refers to as a
“program.” Hansgen's friendship and
recommendation results in a Ford deal and a drive in a GT40
in
1966 that
continues into the next year. Invited by Penske to try out
his new Lola T70, Mark spends the year juggling the
Mustang, the GT40, the T70, and a “real” job.
Races in the USRRC and FIA net only two wins, but he
manages to finish second in the Can-Am championship with
Penske Lola.
1967-1969
Racing
Everything and Everywhere (and winning it
all).
Highlights
•
Joins Penske Racing
•
Two USRRC Championships Lola T70, McLaren
M6B
•
Two Trans Am Championships Camaro Z28
•
Wins 24 Hours of Daytona Lola T70 coupe
•
Indy Rookie of the Year Lola T152
Racing full-time for Penske in 1967, Mark begins a Trans-Am
Camaro program. Three wins in the Camaro, six wins and the
USRRC championship in the Lola T70, and seven Can-Am races
make his first year with Penske a busy one. Still doing
development and race driving for Ford, Mark races at his
2nd 24 Hours at Le Mans. He co-drives a Ford GT40MK IV with
Bruce McLaren, and the duo finishes 4th. 1968 brings the
Trans-Am championship and some beautifully crafted
advantages. Vacuum assisted brake pad changes—among
others—remain masterpieces in rules interpretation.
The USRRC championship is Mark's again and a USAC program
is begun. Mark continues the Can-Am effort in the McLaren
M6B, finishing 3rd in the championship. 1969 begins with a
win in the 24 Hours of Daytona, soon followed by the Rookie
of the Year trophy at Indy after Mark qualifies fourth and
finishes seventh in his first 500. Led by clues from early
data acquisition instrumentation and advan-tages from a
quickly banned 20+ foot tall fueling rig, the Camaro takes
another Trans-Am championship with six wins. The year ends
with Mark finishing 7th in the Lola T190 at his first
Formula A event—the Sebring Continental.
1970-1972
Trans-Am
to Can-Am (with a stop at Indy).
Highlights
•
Wins Trans Am Championship AMC Javelin
•
Wins Pocono 500 and Michigan 200 McLaren
M16
•
Wins Indy 500 McLaren M16B
1970 saw a
2nd at Indy in the Lola-Ford and a new association with
American Motors. The AMC Javelin nets three wins from some
of Mark's most determined development.
“Donohue” edition Javelins are built for the
street. At the wheel of the Lola T192, Mark wins two out of
three Formula A starts. Mark dominates Trans-Am in
1971 with
seven wins and the championship. In addition, Mark teams up
with David Hobbs for four endurances races in the Ferrari
512M; places third in his first Formula One race, at
Mosport in the McLaren M19; competes against the European
F1 drivers in the Questor Grand Prix; and racks up 2 USAC
wins at the Pocono 500 and the Michigan 200 after a
heart-breaking DNF at Indy.
1972 is
remembered for victory at Indy, but of perhaps greater
significance, Mark becomes a formidable contender in the
Can-Am series with the Porsche 917- 10. He finishes 4th in
the championship despite sitting out four races with a
bro-ken leg; it would only be a matter of time before Mark
would dominate the series. Also notable this year is Penske
Racing's first NASCAR effort, with Mark at the wheel for
four of the ten Penske starts in the AMC Matador.
1973-1975
"Just
ran with recalibrated fuel injection . . . please inform
Captain of major break thru."—Mark (Getting it
perfect).
-
from the text sent to penske team during Porsche
development work in Germany
Highlights
•
Can Am Championship Porsche 917-30
•
Wins NASCAR Western 500 AMC Matador
•
Inaugural IROC Champion IROC Porsche 911
•
Sets world closed-course speed record Porsche
917-30
The words Can-Am Champion almost seem to be an
understatement when remembering
1973. No
other driver/car combination have so dominated a series and
captured the imagination of the racing world as did Mark
and the Porsche 917-30. Mark simply owned Can-Am. Still
racing other programs, Mark began the year with a win in a
Matador at the NASCAR Western 500. He also started in three
USAC races in an Eagle-Offy, three endurance races in a
Porsche 911 Carrera, and six Formula 5000 races in a Lola
T330. A new series began that year pitting the world's
great drivers against one another in equally prepared cars.
Mark won three of the four races and the inaugural IROC
championship, leaving no doubt about his driving mastery.
After a short retirement in
1974 as
manager of Penske Racing, Mark returns to the driver's seat
for two Formula One starts. In
1975, Mark's
autobiography, The Unfair Advantage, is published. This
year also begins Penske Racing's participation in a
complete F1 schedule. Mark is reunited with the 917-30 on
August 9th and sets a new world closed-course speed record
of 221.12 mph at Talladega Speedway. One week following, in
morning warm-up for the Austrian Grand Prix, an accident
results in a cerebral hemorrhage. Mark Donohue dies two
days later, on August 19th.