Mark Donohue – Can-Am, USRRC and SC | The “forgotten” drivers of F1

1968 28 April Mark Donohue on the way to winning the USRRC race at Riverside Raceway in his Penske McLaren M6A Chevrolet. Photo and info John Lacko

1969 – Here’s Mark (with co-driver Chuck Parsons on the left) before the start of the 24-hour race getting ready for a very long drive. They already know the fuel system has problems that will necessitate twice the number of stops they had planned. But they will also encounter so many other problems in the night that legendary (he built the Zerex Special) Penske mechanic (and curmudgeon) Leroy Gane told Bill Travers (of Traco fame), “I ought to give Parsons a hundred bucks to go out and clutch this prick so that we can go home.” Fortunately for Leroy he didn’t and the race gods came together for a Penske win, the only one in endurance racing for the beautiful Lola coupe. Thank you to Stewart Van Dyne for reminding me of that great story. Photo and info Harry E. Hurst via FB

1972 Mosport. Photo Fred Zufelt

1972 Mosport. Photo Fred Zufelt

1972 Mosport. Photo Fred Zufelt

1972 Mosport. Photo Fred Zufelt

1972 Mark Donohue when he also raced Can-Am: 1972 Can Am Challenge for the Labatt’s Blue Trophy. Mosport Park. CANADA. Mark Donohue helping out getting his Porsche 917/10, Roger Penske Enterprises, Inc. for the call to the grid. Photo and info Paul Nemy via FB

1972 Porsche 917 10 at Moss Corner. Photo and info Norm MacLeod

Marko Donohue and Jackie Oliver 1972 Can Aam Las Vegas. Photo from the Collections of The Henry Ford

1973 Can Am Mosport 7th. Photo Fred Zufelt

1973 Can-Am Watkins Glen. Photo Robert Murphy

1973 Can-Am Mosport. Photo Norm MacLeod

1973 Can-Am Watkins Glen. Photo John Singer

1973 Laguna Seca Can-Am. Photo Durk Edwards

1974 Mod Ohio Can-Am. Photo Robert Murphy

2020 August: Remembering the multi-talented Mark Donohue who passed away 45 years ago. During practice 1975 at the Austrian Grand Prix he crashed his March heavily following a tyre failure. A marshal got killed and Donohue suffered head injuries from which he passed away two days later. In 1976 a chicane was added at the scene of the accident and the new Penske driver John Watson scored the teams only F1 victory. Seen here with George Follmer and Porsche engineer Norbert Singer at Daytona 1973. Photo: collection Norbert Singer and via FB http://www.automobilsport-magazin.de