When I was a kid I remember watching Mark do TV commercials for Sunoco. For some reason he stood out and as I followed racing in the car magazines he became my hero. His death taught me how cruel life could be. All these years later I think of Mark as the American equivalent of Jim Clark. As race drivers were at the very top of their craft. Both were quiet and unassuming, and each had a boyish quality that endeared them to everyone. To me they will always be young.
My first car race was in 1966 at Riverside Raceway sitting up high on my dad’s shoulders with binoculars watching Donahue in that beautiful Lola CanAm car in the USRRC.🏁 Roger Penske is the best business man in the entire world because he is a people’s person first!🏆
Had the opportunity to hang out with Mark at a private test session prior to the Bryar ( NH ) Trans-am. We provided fire safety for the mid week track rental. They were doing data collection with a 4 channel TEAC Reel to Real Tape recorder Bungy corded behind the seat of the Camaro. They were also testing the dry ice cooled refueling tower, Mark was always willing to talk to the track workers. Everything was always immaculate. Most prepared team on the grid. We would have done it for free.... and they showed up with beer after the day ended.
My Dad was on the crew of a local privately entered Jaguar E-type during the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours. I was the team's 12 year old gofer and wheel polisher. I can recall how beautifully turned out the SUNOCO Lola was. 55 years later, I still feel that way.
Ron Fournier massaging the front fenders on one of the ‘69 Trans-Am Camaros to make room for the front tires. One of the best fabricators in the biz, branching out later to work on other race team’s cars besides Penske’s.
I miss my grandfather Roy Gane every day. I hope he knew i took a piece of his passion of making cars go fast with me, and i hope to one day be half the man he was
I met Roy about 20 years ago at The Watkins Glen Vintage races; I know a guy he used to work with at Penske. I'd take him maple syrup that I helped my cousin make. He seemed to appreciate that. We'd chat about the old days. He seemed to have a wicked sense of humor. Was sorry to hear of his passing.
In 1973 I was driving my GT 500 into the infield parking next to the pits at Riverside Raceway for the Can Am and IROC races and just as I was pulling into my spot I looked to my right and there was Mark Donohue...I then proceeded to bump the chain link fence with the front end of the Shelby, that was my forever recollection of seeing the great Mark Donohue up close. One of the best movies on Penske and Donohue and why they were so successful together .Thanks for posting !
We hosted Mark at Engineers Week dinner at Drexel 1973 right before his untimely passing. He seems to highlight superb, engineering planning over his own brilliant driving. Real Engineers at Lehigh, Brown, and Drexel! We brought the Engineers Week crown to Widener a few short years later, thanks in no small part to Roger's and Mark's inspiration and dynamic all-in approach to "only the Winner Wins" on Monday! God bless and Cheers! 🇱🇷🙏😺
Fantastic documentary about the early days of two of the most influential people in American motorsports, GREAT interview footage of both Roger and Mark who were notoriously tight-lipped. Thanks for posting!
Thanks for this video. Seen from France, the Penske-Donohue duo began to be known in 1971. Means were not the same as today, we had to wait for the monthly magazines to find out what happened at Daytona and Sebring. We knew that the Sunoco Ferrari 512M was giving Porsche a hard time, but nothing more. The 24 Hours of Le Mans that year remained etched in people's minds, but unfortunately the US team did not have the hoped-for success. Watching this video again brings back many memories of my youth. The disappearance of Mark Donohue in the mountains of Styria was heartbreaking, but I had the pleasure of attending the same place and for my 1st F1 GP, the victory of a Penske in 1976 (John Watson in front of Jacques Laffitte with an amazing Ligier Matra). What a long way Mr Penske has traveled since his Porsche RS 550 and the current 963. This character will never cease to amaze me.
Donahue died from injuries resulting from an accident at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, held on the Österreichring located in the state of Styria in southeastern Austria.
I have the same book. Bought it when it first came out. My favorite chapter in the book was with the trials and tribulations Mark and the Penske team had with the Ferrari 512M. Mark pulled no punches in that chapter. People I'm acquainted with that are Ferrari fans, and for years were puzzled why the 512 had such a dismal record in endurance racing, I quote the chapter from 'The Unfair Advantage.' Whereupon afterwards, they are nearly stunned about the weaknesses of the 512.
Economaki & Yates give this film an unfair advantage ! A fascinating history in motorsports. Mark and The Captain are two of America's finest examples of the E=R formula.
This is so awesome. Thank you so much for sharing it. I remember this airing back in the 60s and have always wondered what happened to this great film.
This film is nothing short of fantastic to us. What a great insight in to one of the most legendary teams in automobile racing, ever. Thanks for posting!
The conversation between Donohue, Penske and the mechanic in the garage at Sebring, and Mark says, "i don't think the Aluminum will live." .. That little remark says so much about racing at that time. And waiting till the end the credits revealed why this Documentary was so well written and produced for the time, Brock Yates wrote it. that's why.
In Car & Driver’s golden years I went to Yates’s column as soon as the issue landed in the mailbox. He was a good writer - you had to be to work for David E. Davis - he had great car sense, and beyond that he was totally outrageous. Only Yates could have dreamed up the Cannonball.
What a pair. These were the best prepared cars and crews that ever went racing. Mark Donahue was a master engineer and put his knowledge to great use behind the wheel. Roger Penske is the only person that could take over not only the IRL but IMS. The series is in good hands and I expect it to flourish in his hands.
HOLY SHIT! WOW! THANK YOU! I'm an old washed up championship winning driver and Mark Donohue has been my idol for 40 years and this is the most I've ever seen of him. I stole his book from the public library in 1984 and that's what made me become a race car driver. I've wanted to see something like this my entire life. And to have the tale told by the legendary Chris Economaki! Thank you. (Side note. I was on a race crew at the Daytona 500 and was just outside the shot when Economaki made his infamous, 'Mexican Speed Wrench' comment. Legendary stuff.
I met Mark after he won Mid-Ohio in the awesome 917/30. He was very nice to a nervous kid. He asked his mother to get me a Penske sticker. One of my favorite memories.
*WOW!!* *THIS IS FABULOUS!!* I'm a *BIG* fan of Mark Donohue and the Penske race team. I so vividly recall seeing this film on Channel 36 in 1970 when I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. For years I'd do an occasional google search for this film on RUclips, with no luck; that is, until it showed up just now on the recommended list. It's been years since I've last communicated with Mark's son, David, but I got to alert him about this in case he was not aware of this.
At 35:58, I chuckled by how flimsy the body panel is that the technician is working on. You can tell that the sheet metal was reduced to the minimum required to hold its form in order to get the car as light as possible. An example of the "unfair advantage"!
No doubt to very long time hard core racing fans...the Penske/Donahue combination had several great years in the field of sport car and Indy car racing! I saw Mark at Indianapolis from 1969 to 1972. He was in the '71 and '72 "500" my favorite to win, which he achieved in 1972. What extreme talent Mark had yet tragically ended in 1975 in an F-1 practice for a race. As for dynamic management of Roger Penske... there's not doubt at all: He been the overall "King" in Indy Car racing for decades! No one in the history of that kind of series racing will be as successful, I think. Penske has done so much in his years of the sport that makes him "The King". What a record and so disciplined in keeping his organization accountable! This was a very good documentary of auto racing legends.
Note the pin stripes on the nose of the Camaro as it pits at about the six minute mark. While the Penske cars were ALWAYS well prepared, they also ALWAYS showed that extra touch of class!
Note that Mecom Ferrari 250LM drive at Sebring, 1965 The year of Le Deluge 95F and 98% humidity The closed LM's and GT40s had na "unfair advantage" over the open roadsters. I was there.... wishing we had a CANOE! J.C.
You were a witness to history with the Chaparral 2 racing there. Remarkable how Jim Hall's cars held up on the Sebring circuit. The film highlights of the 1965 race was televised many times in the years afterwards in the San Francisco TV market.
That's got to be Chris Economaki narrating right? Well I just finished and saw the credits and yup, it's him. A hard voice from my younger days that's hard to mistake.
In that 1969 race season for the Penske team, it seems fate played well for the team with winning the Trans Am championship that season, at the expense of the Lola T70 coupe being stolen and stripped; depriving Penske at a shot at Le Mans. Had the Penske team entered the car for the 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours race, it could have diverted the team's resources when it came to handling the Camaro effort for the Trans Am. Given how close that battle was with Penske versus the Bud Moore Mustangs in that 1969 Trans Am season; the Penske team could have come up short in that race series.
This was produced by Triangle Films, where one of their specialties was with filming auto races. These films were produced for airing on local [US] TV stations and shown at car shows. Back in the 1960s, into the '70s, most US households got TV reception from local affiliates of ABC, NBC, and CBS; along with a couple of independent stations. There were few syndicated shows for the stations to air locally, and they were in need to fill the broadcast days and evenings. Cable networks were still years away from becoming reality. On occasion, local TV stations would televise a motorsport racing film to fill the broadcast day. As back then, live broadcasts of auto races was unheard of; although auto racing series, such as the Can Am series , were popular. Channel 5 in San Francisco would televise half-hour highlight films of auto races on Sunday afternoons that didn't have pro-football TV games. This particular film, I vividly recall, was televised in the evening hours on Channel 36 in San Jose, California, in 1970.
Read the "Unfair Advantage' book by Donohue. He chased the bastards down. And caught them! Very sad to read his description of the vandalism/theft. Mark was a detective, too! R
Mark was my hero as a little kid, we went every year to Mid-Ohio for the Can-Am as the jewel in our summer vacation. From the Lola to the magnificent monster 917/10 KLM. An era of beautiful Can-Am cars, and drivers of extreme talent.
Let the mechanics work on the car and you go walk the track. HaHa... - Personally, I would inspect all work before going out as a driver if time allows.
Mark very well read Man brown Man advanced degree big money family I bet old money why's it during 1970s ball player were uneducated and Mark doneoue Brown advanced degree in engineering true sports of kings the weath of road racing world class people of the comom weath family
@@michaelmcgilligan Yeah. That’s why only Penske and Smokey Yunick were the only infamous ones. Facts simply don’t matter to socially promoted Amerikans.
![[Documentary] 24 Hours At Le Mans (1982)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5SS0l4sx56A/mqdefault.jpg)
When I was a kid I remember watching Mark do TV commercials for Sunoco. For some reason he stood out and as I followed racing in the car magazines he became my hero. His death taught me how cruel life could be. All these years later I think of Mark as the American equivalent of Jim Clark. As race drivers were at the very top of their craft. Both were quiet and unassuming, and each had a boyish quality that endeared them to everyone. To me they will always be young.
Excellent 👍
He raced for my grandfather in the early 60s when my grandfather had his open wheel Porsche
Its good to hear Chris Economaki again
My first car race was in 1966 at Riverside Raceway sitting up high on my dad’s shoulders with binoculars watching Donahue in that beautiful Lola CanAm car in the USRRC.🏁
Roger Penske is the best business man in the entire world because he is a people’s person first!🏆
Penske preparation second to none & Donahue one of the finest drivers America produced.
Had the opportunity to hang out with Mark at a private test session prior to the Bryar ( NH ) Trans-am. We provided fire safety for the mid week track rental. They were doing data collection with a 4 channel TEAC Reel to Real Tape recorder Bungy corded behind the seat of the Camaro. They were also testing the dry ice cooled refueling tower, Mark was always willing to talk to the track workers. Everything was always immaculate. Most prepared team on the grid. We would have done it for free.... and they showed up with beer after the day ended.
My Dad was on the crew of a local privately entered Jaguar E-type during the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours. I was the team's 12 year old gofer and wheel polisher. I can recall how beautifully turned out the SUNOCO Lola was. 55 years later, I still feel that way.
how did the E type do ..... with its well polished wheels ..?
@@robertwoodliff5622 Sadly, DNF due to engine troubles. I don't remember now the exact issue.
Outstanding. A documentary at the level of quality that Mr. Penske himself appreciated I'd bet. Thanks for posting this treasure!
Ron Fournier massaging the front fenders on one of the ‘69 Trans-Am Camaros to make room for the front tires. One of the best fabricators in the biz, branching out later to work on other race team’s cars besides Penske’s.
I miss my grandfather Roy Gane every day. I hope he knew i took a piece of his passion of making cars go fast with me, and i hope to one day be half the man he was
I met Roy about 20 years ago at The Watkins Glen Vintage races; I know a guy he used to work with at Penske. I'd take him maple syrup that I helped my cousin make. He seemed to appreciate that. We'd chat about the old days. He seemed to have a wicked sense of humor. Was sorry to hear of his passing.
@@billtobin276 haha wicked sense of humor sounds about right, lol
In 1973 I was driving my GT 500 into the infield parking next to the pits at Riverside Raceway for the Can Am and IROC races and just as I was pulling into my spot I looked to my right and there was Mark Donohue...I then proceeded to bump the chain link fence with the front end of the Shelby, that was my forever recollection of seeing the great Mark Donohue up close.
One of the best movies on Penske and Donohue and why they were so successful together .Thanks for posting !
Mark was a legend Such a Cool Guy and Great Driver.
Thank you! 2023, and Roger has a full race schedule, amazing.
Yes, and it's cool to see that his relationship with Porsche went all the way back the Huschke von Hanstein days!
We hosted Mark at Engineers Week dinner at Drexel 1973 right before his untimely passing. He seems to highlight superb, engineering planning over his own brilliant driving. Real Engineers at Lehigh, Brown, and Drexel! We brought the Engineers Week crown to Widener a few short years later, thanks in no small part to Roger's and Mark's inspiration and dynamic all-in approach to "only the Winner Wins" on Monday! God bless and Cheers! 🇱🇷🙏😺
Fantastic documentary about the early days of two of the most influential people in American motorsports, GREAT interview footage of both Roger and Mark who were notoriously tight-lipped. Thanks for posting!
Much appreciated!
Thanks for this video. Seen from France, the Penske-Donohue duo began to be known in 1971. Means were not the same as today, we had to wait for the monthly magazines to find out what happened at Daytona and Sebring. We knew that the Sunoco Ferrari 512M was giving Porsche a hard time, but nothing more. The 24 Hours of Le Mans that year remained etched in people's minds, but unfortunately the US team did not have the hoped-for success.
Watching this video again brings back many memories of my youth. The disappearance of Mark Donohue in the mountains of Styria was heartbreaking, but I had the pleasure of attending the same place and for my 1st F1 GP, the victory of a Penske in 1976 (John Watson in front of Jacques Laffitte with an amazing Ligier Matra).
What a long way Mr Penske has traveled since his Porsche RS 550 and the current 963. This character will never cease to amaze me.
Disappearance in Styria? What are you referring to?
Donahue died from injuries resulting from an accident at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix, held on the Österreichring located in the state of Styria in southeastern Austria.
@@stratoTVmusic Yeah, he sure didn't disappear though.
Awesome vid.......I am born and raised in Summit, NJ also.....Mark was a new generation of driver.....way ahead of his time.
I have the same book. Bought it when it first came out.
My favorite chapter in the book was with the trials and tribulations Mark and the Penske team had with the Ferrari 512M. Mark pulled no punches in that chapter.
People I'm acquainted with that are Ferrari fans, and for years were puzzled why the 512 had such a dismal record in endurance racing, I quote the chapter from 'The Unfair Advantage.' Whereupon afterwards, they are nearly stunned about the weaknesses of the 512.
Fantastic film. I heard of Mark, but he died before I really got into Indy Car and racing. This is the only way I get to watch him race.
Not sure what's been competing you to start uploading footage again, but God bless you man!
Thanks, you too!
Economaki & Yates give this film an unfair advantage !
A fascinating history in motorsports.
Mark and The Captain are two of America's finest examples of the E=R formula.
This is so awesome. Thank you so much for sharing it. I remember this airing back in the 60s and have always wondered what happened to this great film.
This film is nothing short of fantastic to us. What a great insight in to one of the most legendary teams in automobile racing, ever.
Thanks for posting!
The conversation between Donohue, Penske and the mechanic in the garage at Sebring, and Mark says, "i don't think the Aluminum will live." .. That little remark says so much about racing at that time. And waiting till the end the credits revealed why this Documentary was so well written and produced for the time, Brock Yates wrote it. that's why.
In Car & Driver’s golden years I went to Yates’s column as soon as the issue landed in the mailbox. He was a good writer - you had to be to work for David E. Davis - he had great car sense, and beyond that he was totally outrageous. Only Yates could have dreamed up the Cannonball.
@@johntechwriter He was pretty controversial and didn't pull punches... "The Assassin".
Ah yes, Brock Yates…another great one.
What a pair. These were the best prepared cars and crews that ever went racing. Mark Donahue was a master engineer and put his knowledge to great use behind the wheel. Roger Penske is the only person that could take over not only the IRL but IMS. The series is in good hands and I expect it to flourish in his hands.
When you think about it, this is pure racing. No cry babies. The driver called the shots. No computer connection to the factory. I really miss this
HOLY SHIT! WOW! THANK YOU!
I'm an old washed up championship winning driver and Mark Donohue has been my idol for 40 years and this is the most I've ever seen of him.
I stole his book from the public library in 1984 and that's what made me become a race car driver.
I've wanted to see something like this my entire life. And to have the tale told by the legendary Chris Economaki!
Thank you.
(Side note. I was on a race crew at the Daytona 500 and was just outside the shot when Economaki made his infamous, 'Mexican Speed Wrench' comment. Legendary stuff.
I met Mark after he won Mid-Ohio in the awesome 917/30. He was very nice to a nervous kid. He asked his mother to get me a
Penske sticker. One of my favorite memories.
*WOW!!*
*THIS IS FABULOUS!!*
I'm a *BIG* fan of Mark Donohue and the Penske race team.
I so vividly recall seeing this film on Channel 36 in 1970 when I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
For years I'd do an occasional google search for this film on RUclips, with no luck; that is, until it showed up just now on the recommended list.
It's been years since I've last communicated with Mark's son, David, but I got to alert him about this in case he was not aware of this.
At 35:58, I chuckled by how flimsy the body panel is that the technician is working on. You can tell that the sheet metal was reduced to the minimum required to hold its form in order to get the car as light as possible. An example of the "unfair advantage"!
We assume he was sectioning it to bring the nose profile lower... anything went as long as you didn't get caught.
Mark Donahue was my racing idol when I was a kid. A life lost too soon. RIP
Great film written by the great Brock Yates!
And narrated by the great (?) Chris Economaki.
@@robossuperchannel9434 Yes, great.
No doubt to very long time hard core racing fans...the Penske/Donahue combination had several great years in the field of sport car and Indy car racing! I saw Mark at Indianapolis from 1969 to 1972. He was in the '71 and '72 "500" my favorite to win, which he achieved in 1972. What extreme talent Mark had yet tragically ended in 1975 in an F-1 practice for a race.
As for dynamic management of Roger Penske... there's not doubt at all: He been the overall "King" in Indy Car racing for decades! No one in the history of that kind of series racing will be as successful, I think. Penske has done so much in his years of the sport that makes him "The King". What a record and so disciplined in keeping his organization accountable!
This was a very good documentary of auto racing legends.
At 22.20 that's a young Al Holbert on the pit crew.
Absolutely amazing remind me lot of things
Note the pin stripes on the nose of the Camaro as it pits at about the six minute mark. While the Penske cars were ALWAYS well prepared, they also ALWAYS showed that extra touch of class!
I predicted Mark winning indy, far from predicted favorite. I was ordering Norton pickup in London at time. teenager.
Note that Mecom Ferrari 250LM drive at Sebring, 1965
The year of Le Deluge
95F and 98% humidity
The closed LM's and GT40s had na "unfair advantage" over the open roadsters.
I was there.... wishing we had a CANOE!
J.C.
You were a witness to history with the Chaparral 2 racing there. Remarkable how Jim Hall's cars held up on the Sebring circuit. The film highlights of the 1965 race was televised many times in the years afterwards in the San Francisco TV market.
Happy Birthday today Captain.
Must be one of Rogers boys at the Sebring test?
Legends.
That's got to be Chris Economaki narrating right?
Well I just finished and saw the credits and yup, it's him. A hard voice from my younger days that's hard to mistake.
In 1966 they ran a pair of Lola t70's for Donahue and followers, got to see them at Road America, roll back and an open trailer
GOAT
Can-am the sexiest racecars, ever produced.
Great video, it that Chris Eckonomaki narrating?
sounds like him to me.
Yep! The one and only Chris Economaki.
The Voice of Racing for me growing up!
In that 1969 race season for the Penske team, it seems fate played well for the team with winning the Trans Am championship that season, at the expense of the Lola T70 coupe being stolen and stripped; depriving Penske at a shot at Le Mans.
Had the Penske team entered the car for the 1969 Le Mans 24 Hours race, it could have diverted the team's resources when it came to handling the Camaro effort for the Trans Am. Given how close that battle was with Penske versus the Bud Moore Mustangs in that 1969 Trans Am season; the Penske team could have come up short in that race series.
Mark was very soft spoken
I wonder which of Rogers sons the young boy is in this , Gregory I assume. Great documentary.
A great film 1969 Camaro was the best
Classic story, the acid dipped Camaro and it's vynil roof.😉
This is great. Wonder who made it and why?
This was produced by Triangle Films, where one of their specialties was with filming auto races.
These films were produced for airing on local [US] TV stations and shown at car shows.
Back in the 1960s, into the '70s, most US households got TV reception from local affiliates of ABC, NBC, and CBS; along with a couple of independent stations.
There were few syndicated shows for the stations to air locally, and they were in need to fill the broadcast days and evenings. Cable networks were still years away from becoming reality.
On occasion, local TV stations would televise a motorsport racing film to fill the broadcast day. As back then, live broadcasts of auto races was unheard of; although auto racing series, such as the Can Am series , were popular.
Channel 5 in San Francisco would televise half-hour highlight films of auto races on Sunday afternoons that didn't have pro-football TV games.
This particular film, I vividly recall, was televised in the evening hours on Channel 36 in San Jose, California, in 1970.
@@bloqk16 thanks; fascinating!
Wonder if the car and transporter was ever recovered.
Read the "Unfair Advantage' book by Donohue. He chased the bastards down. And caught them! Very sad to read his description of the vandalism/theft. Mark was a detective, too! R
Mark was my hero as a little kid, we went every year to Mid-Ohio for the Can-Am as the jewel in our summer vacation. From the Lola to the magnificent monster 917/10 KLM. An era of beautiful Can-Am cars, and drivers of extreme talent.
✌️🤠💥🌟🌀🎉
Thats gotta be zora duntov with penske when they were testing the lola.
Yes.
red luna rover golden mine😊
I don't like "favorite" drivers. I am my own favorite driver. But, the only other person I would think of that way would be Mark.
Did they ever find the stolen Lola and parts??
See my comment to Michael Bragg.
Written by Brock Yates!
After all this time I am still questioning why Mark chose suicide .
Let the mechanics work on the car and you go walk the track. HaHa... - Personally, I would inspect all work before going out as a driver if time allows.
This is such a counter point to Trump ...
Penske
Mark very well read Man brown Man advanced degree big money family I bet old money why's it during 1970s ball player were uneducated and Mark doneoue Brown advanced degree in engineering true sports of kings the weath of road racing world class people of the comom weath family
Penske was 32 but he looks like 50.
Fred Bakers 911
Acid-dipped cheater Camaro. They should be so proud...
they were all acid dipping
@@michaelmcgilligan Yeah. That’s why only Penske and Smokey Yunick were the only infamous ones. Facts simply don’t matter to socially promoted Amerikans.