By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the previous issues, I have recalled some - but not all - of my favorites (scroll down to "next 1 entries" to read previous issues -WG), and there are clearly many more exceptional drivers to cover.
If you follow me on Twitter (@PeterMDeLorenzo) and read this column, you know that I've been posting images and commentary covering a lot of the compelling historical stories from racing's golden years. This week I'm focusing on the great Mark Donohue and his inexorable rise to the top of North American motor racing, with his partner and friend, Roger Penske. It is a story never to be repeated, as it captured a different time and a different era.
Mark Neary Donohue Jr. was a gifted development driver/engineer and an exceptional talent behind the wheel. Mark's partnership with Roger Penske in the early days forged the blueprint for Penske Racing's success that lives on to this day in Team Penske. Mark began his driving career as a grass roots road racer who entered Sports Car Club of America competition and would end up ascending to the pinnacle of motorsport. Among Mark's many accomplishments, he drove for the Ford factory team at Le Mans in 1966 and 1967. Mark won the USRRC Championship in 1967 in a Penske Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet and in 1968 driving a Penske McLaren M6A Chevrolet.
Donohue and Penske started racing the Chevrolet Camaro in the 1967 Trans-Am series, with Mark winning three races. In 1968, Mark won the Trans-Am Championship for Chevrolet driving his famous No. 6 Penske Sunoco Camaro (Editor-in-Chief's Note: The Penske-Donohue '68 Camaro is my all-time favorite Trans-Am car. -PMD), winning ten of thirteen races. He won the Trans-Am Championship again in 1969 for Chevrolet driving a 1969 Camaro. He finished second to the Ford Mustang Boss 302 driven by Parnelli Jones in 1970, this time driving a 1970 Penske Sunoco AMC Javelin. And Mark won the Trans-Am Championship again in 1971 driving an updated version of the Javelin.
Donohue's engineering talent was legendary, and many of the innovations pioneered on Penske racing machines in the early years came directly from Mark. Once when asked what a particular piece on one of Penske's race cars was made out of, Mark replied, "unobtainium," a term that lives on in racing to this day. But Mark's driving talent was unmistakable. He delivered the first win for Penske in the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway driving his No. 66 McLaren M16-Offenhauser, setting a record average speed at the time of 162 mph, which stood for twelve years. Donohue also gave Roger his first win in NASCAR, winning the 1972 season opener in his AMC Matador at Riverside.
In 1971, Penske and Donohue went to the Porsche factory to discuss the possibility of running a factory Porsche 917 in the Can-Am series. But what Donohue and Penske found upon closer inspection of the Porsche was that it was shockingly ill-prepared for the task at hand. Donohue took it as his personal project to turn the proposed Porsche 917 Turbo into a proper, competitive Can-Am machine. He re-engineered the chassis in its entirety, he had the bodywork completely revised, and a thorough rework of the engine was undertaken. By the time the No. 6 Penske Racing L&M Porsche 917/10 Turbo was rolled of the hauler for the 1972 Can-Am at Mosport, it was a formidable machine. Except that the season didn't go as planned. It started off well enough, with Mark qualifying on the pole and finishing second to Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf McLaren M20 Chevrolet) at Mosport. But at the next round at Road Atlanta during a practice session, the rear bodywork of his Porsche came loose coming out of Turn 7 at 150 mph, and the car flipped down the track. Mark was lucky to survive with only knee and ligament damage, but he was out until further notice. Penske called on George Follmer to take the reins of the No. 6 Porsche, and George promptly went out and won the 1972 Can-Am Championship.
Mark returned at the end of the season to drive a second Penske Porsche 917/10 Turbo, but he had already begun work on an all-new car for the 1973 season: The long-tail Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo, which would be powered by a turbocharged flat twelve that delivered between 1100 and 1500 horsepower, depending on the boost setting (which could be adjusted from the cockpit). Donohue flat dominated the 1973 Can-Am Championship, winning all but two races, and setting race and lap records along the way. I was at Road America that year when Donohue set the absolute track record (1:57), which lasted for fourteen years. It was a incredible performance and something I will never forget. The Can-Am faded after that, with many people saying that the Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo had "killed" the series, and Donohue announced his retirement at the end of that season. But Donohue returned in that same car - modified for high-speed work - and set a closed course speed record of 221.120 mph at the Talladega Superspeedway on August 9, 1975, which stood for eleven years.
Mark also returned to race in the inaugural 1973-1974 IROC series - which used identical Porsche 911 RSRs that were developed by Donohue - and won two of the races and the Championship. When Roger announced an F1 effort for the 1975 season, Mark came out of retirement to drive the Penske PC-1, but it was problematic and the team switched to a March 751 midway through the F1 season. After setting the closed-course record at Talladega, Mark arrived to compete in the Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring. During practice, Mark lost control of the March after a tire failed at the fastest corner at the track - the Vöest Hügel Kurve - and the car veered into catch fencing. A track marshal was killed by debris from the accident, but Mark did not appear to be injured significantly. It was determined, however, that Donohue's helmet had struck either a catch fencing post or the bottom of the wood frame for an advertising billboard located alongside of the racetrack. He returned to the pits and was talking to Roger and the team, but he soon complained of a severe headache that quickly worsened. Donohue went to a hospital in Graz the next day, but he lapsed into a coma from a cerebral hemorrhage and died on August 19, 1975. Mark was the heart and soul of Penske racing, and his enduring legacy lives on.
(Getty Images)
Mark Donohue sits in his famous No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco/Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30KL Turbo in the pit lane during Can-Am practice at Mid-Ohio, August 1973.
(Getty Images)
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, September 1, 1968. Roger Penske and Mark Donohue wait by their No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco McLaren M6B Chevrolet before the start of the Road America Can-Am. Mark qualified fourth and finished third behind Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M8A Chevrolet) and Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren M8A Chevrolet).
(Getty Images)
Watkins Glen, New York, July 21, 1973. Mark Donohue shared this No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche 911 RSR with George Follmer to finish 6th overall in the Watkins Glen 6-Hours.
(SportsCarDigest.com)
Daytona 24 Hours, January 31, 1971. Mark Donohue in the No. 6 Penske-White Racing Sunoco Ferrari 512 M. After putting it on the pole, Mark and David Hobbs finished third after encountering issues during the race. This was the most meticulously prepared - and fastest - Ferrari sports car ever built. It bristled with details engineered by Donohue and it was a showcase for Penske preparation and finish. The machine is still talked about to this day.
(Getty Images)
Le Mans, France, June 11, 1967. Mark Donohue in the No. 2 Shelby American Ford Mk IV that he shared with Bruce McLaren to finish 4th in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
(Getty Images)
Ontario Motor Speedway, March 28, 1971. Roger and Mark before the start of the one-off Questor Grand Prix, which brought F1 drivers and cars together to go against American road racing stars in F5000 cars. Mark qualified his No. 26 Penske Racing Lola T192 Chevrolet in 7th behind Jackie Stewart (No. 8 ELF Team Tyrrell 001-Cosworth), Chris Amon (No. 10 Equipe Matra MS120B), Jacky Ickx (No. 4 Scuderia Ferrari 312 B), Denny Hulme (No. 6 McLaren M19A-Cosworth), Pedro Rodriguez (No. 12 Yardley Team BRM P160) and Graham Hill (No. 19 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT34-Cosworth). The event was designed to be a test-run for a West Coast-based U.S. Grand Prix, and the promoters posted a huge sum - $275,000 - to lure F1 teams and drivers to the race, which was run in two heats. The first heat was won by Mario Andretti (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari 312 B), followed by Stewart and Jo Siffert (No. 14 BRM P160). Heat 2 was won by Andretti again, followed by Stewart and Amon. Donohue finished 14th overall.
(Getty Images)
Riverside International Raceway, October 5, 1969. Mark Donohue in the No. 6 Penske-Hilton Racing Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro on his way to the win in the Riverside Trans-Am and the Trans-Am Championship. Ronnie Bucknum (No. 9 Penske-Hilton Racing Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro) finished second for a Penske 1-2.
(Getty Images)
Watkins Glen, New York, August 16, 1970. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco AMC Javelin) chases Parnelli Jones (No. 15 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302) in the Watkins Glen Trans-Am. Vic Elford (No. 1 Chaparral Chevrolet Camaro) would win that day, followed by Donohue, George Follmer (No. 16 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302) and Jones.
(Getty Images)
Mark Donohue in his No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco AMC Javelin Trans-Am car, 1970.
(Getty Images)
Mosport, June 1972. Mark Donohue debuted the No. 6 Penske Racing L&M/Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/10 Turbo in the Mosport Can-Am, qualifying on the pole and finishing second to Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf McLaren M20 Chevrolet).
(Getty Images)
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 26, 1973. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo) leads George Follmer (No. 16 Rinzler Motoracing Royal Crown Porsche 917/10 Turbo) and Charlie Kemp (No. 23 Rinzler Motoracing Royal Crown Porsche 917/10 Turbo) into Turn 5 at the start of the Road America Can-Am. Donohue set the absolute track record (1:57) that weekend in qualifying, which was a full three seconds clar of the field. That record would last for fourteen years. Mark won going away, followed by Jody Scheckter (No. 0 Vasek Polak Racing Porsche 917/10 Turbo) and Follmer.
(Getty Images)
Lexington, Ohio, August 12, 1973. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo) swept both heats of the Mid-Ohio Can-Am.
(Getty Images)
Mark Donohue in the famous No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo. It was one of the fastest - if not the fastest - racing machines in motor racing history. The car remains a testament to Mark Donohue's dedication, perseverance, brilliant engineering mind and pure talent behind the wheel. To this day, it is one of the most impressive racing machines ever built.
(Getty Images)
Mark Donohue was one of the most talented people ever to sit behind the wheel of a racing car, but his engineering acumen and technical savvy were equally impressive. Mark's singular focus and pursuit of perfection leaves a remarkable legacy that lives on in Team Penske to this day.
Detroit. Ask anyone who has been involved in racing what they remember most about the sport - besides the memorable cars and races - and they will always talk about the people and the personalities involved. It's these stories that fuel the memories, because racing is far from a one-dimensional pursuit. It's a passionate endeavor that consumes the people involved to a degree that outsiders just can't understand. And it's these memorable characters who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Drivers who were fierce competitors, flawed heroes and incredible, gifted talents. Their legacies are what make the sport of motor racing so fascinating. In the previous issues, I have recalled some - but not all - of my favorites (scroll down to "next 1 entries" to read previous issues -WG), and there are clearly many more exceptional drivers to cover.
If you follow me on Twitter (@PeterMDeLorenzo) and read this column, you know that I've been posting images and commentary covering a lot of the compelling historical stories from racing's golden years. This week I'm focusing on the great Mark Donohue and his inexorable rise to the top of North American motor racing, with his partner and friend, Roger Penske. It is a story never to be repeated, as it captured a different time and a different era.
Mark Neary Donohue Jr. was a gifted development driver/engineer and an exceptional talent behind the wheel. Mark's partnership with Roger Penske in the early days forged the blueprint for Penske Racing's success that lives on to this day in Team Penske. Mark began his driving career as a grass roots road racer who entered Sports Car Club of America competition and would end up ascending to the pinnacle of motorsport. Among Mark's many accomplishments, he drove for the Ford factory team at Le Mans in 1966 and 1967. Mark won the USRRC Championship in 1967 in a Penske Lola T70 Mk.3B Chevrolet and in 1968 driving a Penske McLaren M6A Chevrolet.
Donohue and Penske started racing the Chevrolet Camaro in the 1967 Trans-Am series, with Mark winning three races. In 1968, Mark won the Trans-Am Championship for Chevrolet driving his famous No. 6 Penske Sunoco Camaro (Editor-in-Chief's Note: The Penske-Donohue '68 Camaro is my all-time favorite Trans-Am car. -PMD), winning ten of thirteen races. He won the Trans-Am Championship again in 1969 for Chevrolet driving a 1969 Camaro. He finished second to the Ford Mustang Boss 302 driven by Parnelli Jones in 1970, this time driving a 1970 Penske Sunoco AMC Javelin. And Mark won the Trans-Am Championship again in 1971 driving an updated version of the Javelin.
Donohue's engineering talent was legendary, and many of the innovations pioneered on Penske racing machines in the early years came directly from Mark. Once when asked what a particular piece on one of Penske's race cars was made out of, Mark replied, "unobtainium," a term that lives on in racing to this day. But Mark's driving talent was unmistakable. He delivered the first win for Penske in the Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway driving his No. 66 McLaren M16-Offenhauser, setting a record average speed at the time of 162 mph, which stood for twelve years. Donohue also gave Roger his first win in NASCAR, winning the 1972 season opener in his AMC Matador at Riverside.
In 1971, Penske and Donohue went to the Porsche factory to discuss the possibility of running a factory Porsche 917 in the Can-Am series. But what Donohue and Penske found upon closer inspection of the Porsche was that it was shockingly ill-prepared for the task at hand. Donohue took it as his personal project to turn the proposed Porsche 917 Turbo into a proper, competitive Can-Am machine. He re-engineered the chassis in its entirety, he had the bodywork completely revised, and a thorough rework of the engine was undertaken. By the time the No. 6 Penske Racing L&M Porsche 917/10 Turbo was rolled of the hauler for the 1972 Can-Am at Mosport, it was a formidable machine. Except that the season didn't go as planned. It started off well enough, with Mark qualifying on the pole and finishing second to Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf McLaren M20 Chevrolet) at Mosport. But at the next round at Road Atlanta during a practice session, the rear bodywork of his Porsche came loose coming out of Turn 7 at 150 mph, and the car flipped down the track. Mark was lucky to survive with only knee and ligament damage, but he was out until further notice. Penske called on George Follmer to take the reins of the No. 6 Porsche, and George promptly went out and won the 1972 Can-Am Championship.
Mark returned at the end of the season to drive a second Penske Porsche 917/10 Turbo, but he had already begun work on an all-new car for the 1973 season: The long-tail Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo, which would be powered by a turbocharged flat twelve that delivered between 1100 and 1500 horsepower, depending on the boost setting (which could be adjusted from the cockpit). Donohue flat dominated the 1973 Can-Am Championship, winning all but two races, and setting race and lap records along the way. I was at Road America that year when Donohue set the absolute track record (1:57), which lasted for fourteen years. It was a incredible performance and something I will never forget. The Can-Am faded after that, with many people saying that the Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo had "killed" the series, and Donohue announced his retirement at the end of that season. But Donohue returned in that same car - modified for high-speed work - and set a closed course speed record of 221.120 mph at the Talladega Superspeedway on August 9, 1975, which stood for eleven years.
Mark also returned to race in the inaugural 1973-1974 IROC series - which used identical Porsche 911 RSRs that were developed by Donohue - and won two of the races and the Championship. When Roger announced an F1 effort for the 1975 season, Mark came out of retirement to drive the Penske PC-1, but it was problematic and the team switched to a March 751 midway through the F1 season. After setting the closed-course record at Talladega, Mark arrived to compete in the Austrian Grand Prix at the Österreichring. During practice, Mark lost control of the March after a tire failed at the fastest corner at the track - the Vöest Hügel Kurve - and the car veered into catch fencing. A track marshal was killed by debris from the accident, but Mark did not appear to be injured significantly. It was determined, however, that Donohue's helmet had struck either a catch fencing post or the bottom of the wood frame for an advertising billboard located alongside of the racetrack. He returned to the pits and was talking to Roger and the team, but he soon complained of a severe headache that quickly worsened. Donohue went to a hospital in Graz the next day, but he lapsed into a coma from a cerebral hemorrhage and died on August 19, 1975. Mark was the heart and soul of Penske racing, and his enduring legacy lives on.
(Getty Images)Mark Donohue sits in his famous No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco/Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30KL Turbo in the pit lane during Can-Am practice at Mid-Ohio, August 1973.
(Getty Images)Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, September 1, 1968. Roger Penske and Mark Donohue wait by their No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco McLaren M6B Chevrolet before the start of the Road America Can-Am. Mark qualified fourth and finished third behind Denny Hulme (No. 5 McLaren M8A Chevrolet) and Bruce McLaren (No. 4 McLaren M8A Chevrolet).
(Getty Images)Watkins Glen, New York, July 21, 1973. Mark Donohue shared this No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche 911 RSR with George Follmer to finish 6th overall in the Watkins Glen 6-Hours.
(SportsCarDigest.com)Daytona 24 Hours, January 31, 1971. Mark Donohue in the No. 6 Penske-White Racing Sunoco Ferrari 512 M. After putting it on the pole, Mark and David Hobbs finished third after encountering issues during the race. This was the most meticulously prepared - and fastest - Ferrari sports car ever built. It bristled with details engineered by Donohue and it was a showcase for Penske preparation and finish. The machine is still talked about to this day.
(Getty Images)Le Mans, France, June 11, 1967. Mark Donohue in the No. 2 Shelby American Ford Mk IV that he shared with Bruce McLaren to finish 4th in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
(Getty Images)Ontario Motor Speedway, March 28, 1971. Roger and Mark before the start of the one-off Questor Grand Prix, which brought F1 drivers and cars together to go against American road racing stars in F5000 cars. Mark qualified his No. 26 Penske Racing Lola T192 Chevrolet in 7th behind Jackie Stewart (No. 8 ELF Team Tyrrell 001-Cosworth), Chris Amon (No. 10 Equipe Matra MS120B), Jacky Ickx (No. 4 Scuderia Ferrari 312 B), Denny Hulme (No. 6 McLaren M19A-Cosworth), Pedro Rodriguez (No. 12 Yardley Team BRM P160) and Graham Hill (No. 19 Motor Racing Developments Brabham BT34-Cosworth). The event was designed to be a test-run for a West Coast-based U.S. Grand Prix, and the promoters posted a huge sum - $275,000 - to lure F1 teams and drivers to the race, which was run in two heats. The first heat was won by Mario Andretti (No. 5 Scuderia Ferrari 312 B), followed by Stewart and Jo Siffert (No. 14 BRM P160). Heat 2 was won by Andretti again, followed by Stewart and Amon. Donohue finished 14th overall.
(Getty Images)Riverside International Raceway, October 5, 1969. Mark Donohue in the No. 6 Penske-Hilton Racing Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro on his way to the win in the Riverside Trans-Am and the Trans-Am Championship. Ronnie Bucknum (No. 9 Penske-Hilton Racing Sunoco Chevrolet Camaro) finished second for a Penske 1-2.
(Getty Images)Watkins Glen, New York, August 16, 1970. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco AMC Javelin) chases Parnelli Jones (No. 15 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302) in the Watkins Glen Trans-Am. Vic Elford (No. 1 Chaparral Chevrolet Camaro) would win that day, followed by Donohue, George Follmer (No. 16 Bud Moore Engineering Ford Mustang Boss 302) and Jones.
(Getty Images)Mark Donohue in his No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco AMC Javelin Trans-Am car, 1970.
(Getty Images)Mosport, June 1972. Mark Donohue debuted the No. 6 Penske Racing L&M/Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/10 Turbo in the Mosport Can-Am, qualifying on the pole and finishing second to Denny Hulme (No. 5 Gulf McLaren M20 Chevrolet).
(Getty Images)Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 26, 1973. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo) leads George Follmer (No. 16 Rinzler Motoracing Royal Crown Porsche 917/10 Turbo) and Charlie Kemp (No. 23 Rinzler Motoracing Royal Crown Porsche 917/10 Turbo) into Turn 5 at the start of the Road America Can-Am. Donohue set the absolute track record (1:57) that weekend in qualifying, which was a full three seconds clar of the field. That record would last for fourteen years. Mark won going away, followed by Jody Scheckter (No. 0 Vasek Polak Racing Porsche 917/10 Turbo) and Follmer.
(Getty Images)Lexington, Ohio, August 12, 1973. Mark Donohue (No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo) swept both heats of the Mid-Ohio Can-Am.
(Getty Images)Mark Donohue in the famous No. 6 Penske Racing Sunoco Porsche+Audi Porsche 917/30 KL Turbo. It was one of the fastest - if not the fastest - racing machines in motor racing history. The car remains a testament to Mark Donohue's dedication, perseverance, brilliant engineering mind and pure talent behind the wheel. To this day, it is one of the most impressive racing machines ever built.
(Getty Images)Mark Donohue was one of the most talented people ever to sit behind the wheel of a racing car, but his engineering acumen and technical savvy were equally impressive. Mark's singular focus and pursuit of perfection leaves a remarkable legacy that lives on in Team Penske to this day.
Editor's Note: You can access previous issues of AE by clicking on "Next 1 Entries" below. - WG