Comments on: Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed – Book Review

By: Mike Paz

Mike Paz — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:13:55 +0000

Because myself and Mark Dopnohue were both natives of Pennsylvania, as a car and racing nut growing up, I instantly had my “driver” to follow–and the fact that he was so good at what he did didn’t hurt either. My career as a motorsports announcer is due, in no small part, to the inspiration of one Mark Donohue. My Aurora HO slot cars were imitations of his racing machines;Hey, in my young, highly impressionable and imaginative mind back then, I WAS him in those basement races against my friends. The first “professional” race I ever attended was the 1969 Can-Am event at Watkins Glen; another inspirational moment in my life–little did I know back then nor even dreamed that my first pro road racing gig would come at the same track just about 25 years later. So, obviously, I never got the chance to announce or even meet my “hero” but I guess I’ll have to “settle” for the 2003 victory lane interview with his son David after he won the 6 hours event in a Porsche powered racing machine painted blue with red and yellow trim almost 30 years to the day that his father parked the mighty 917K-30 there!

By: Jack Williams

Jack Williams — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:02:12 +0000

I’ll have to buy the book… the mention of Mark’s wife, Sue, brought back a memory of one of the Lime Rock Trans-Ams I covered for Competition Press and Autoweek. I don’t remember what year, but I did this in the late 60s, early 70s.

I and a some other writers were invited to a party at Sam Posey’s house. One of the other guys and I were going up the spiral staircase to the house’s cupola when we saw two women up at the top talking; one was crying. “That’s Mark’s wife,” the other guy whispered.”Let’s go back.”

This helped me realize that those of us writing about racing were doomed to get only part of the story… we could handle the details of racing tactics and techniques but not human emotions of someone who was consumed by racing. But, it’s probably just as well that most of us never tried to go beyond the podium celebrations and the dejection of a DNF driver.

By: Lee r.

Lee r. — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:52:38 +0000

Amazon or go direct to the source @ http://www.bullpublishing.com.
Amazon also carries the paperback reprint of Unfair Advantage (highly recommended). Tell ‘em SportsCarDigest sent ya!

– lee r.

By: Lee r.

Lee r. — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:48:05 +0000

thanks Garrett, I appreciate it.

-lee r.

By: Frank Saglimbeni

Frank Saglimbeni — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:13:01 +0000

I am so glad that a new book on Mark Donohue has come out. I could not find the earlier book on him and this book is long overdue. A great driver and the varied cars that he has driven like the Sunoco Penske White Ferrari 512 Racer in the Group 5 guise, the Porsche Twin Turbos in Can-Am Racing and the TransAm series of Cars Totally Awesome. Where can I buy this book?

By: Hank Cornelius

Hank Cornelius — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:19:35 +0000

The first time I saw Mark and the Captain was at the Glen – they were running a blue Sunoco Ferrari with a Traco tuned engine – needless to say they outran the factory Ferrari – I was hooked.

By: Sean Walsh

Sean Walsh — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:43:54 +0000

I bought a copy while I was at the Mid-Ohio Vintage Races and am up to the 1970 season. Originally I wondered what it would add to the story beyond Unfair Advantage but agree it adds another perspective and adds additional information. One additional driver it adds more information about is Dan Gurney’s protege Swede Savage and how competitive he was. One minor item that should have been caught in editing is that in a few places the author has Savage driving a Challenger when the AAR team was driving the Barracuda version.

By: Garrett Thompson

Garrett Thompson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:19:24 +0000

Very good review – thanks Lee and SCD.

I’m sold. Just placed my order. Can’t wait to read it.

By: Ian Fredericks

Ian Fredericks — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:13:26 +0000

I too have been a Mark Donohue fan since my mid teens. There is a certain quality great atheletes have, an intangable that creates the feeling that as long as our “hero” is still in the competition, he had a shot at winning. Like a Michael Jordon, a Peyton Manning, a Mickey Mantle or a Tiger Woods.

Mark Donohue was such a man.

I was at Watkins Glen in 1973 when Mark and the Captain showed up with their Lola T330 with a AMC “lump” in the back of it. It was narrower than the standard issue Chevy, but appeared longer and the instillation was the typical Penske-Donohue “you could eat off of it” beauty, right down to the AMC badges glued to the stamped steel valve covers. It was straight of the truck; direct from its assembly at the PA shop and in the first heat, Mark was all over Brian Redman, winding up 2nd, I believe. The second heat didn’t live up to the promise of the first, with Mark coming in something like 6th.
But the car’s performance stunner everyone, yet no one – cause it was Penske and it was MARK! And you never, ever bet against him.