Mark Donohue, Mark Donohue's 917 Options

[02loftsmoor]

I didn't realize one of my coworkers is the Son of Mark Donohue, Mike his son shared pictures of his 911 and him self in his dads 917, Mark was killed at the Austrailion GP on a practic lap 1975

[Gustl]

Mark was killed at the Austrailion GP on a practic lap 1975

in fact, it was Austria, not Australia ...

[02loftsmoor]

thanks for the correction

[stownsen914]

The Sunoco 917/30 is one of my favorite cars of all time. Too bad I was only 3 when Mark raced it ...

I got to see it at the Lime Rock Rennsport in 2001. Roger Penske was driving. There was also a replica of the Sunoco car, and a third 917/30 (!) there too. I got to see them up close in the paddock. Truly amazing vehicles ... At the end of the first day, the two Sunoco cars had a session with just the two of them lapping. I was in heaven watching that.

A couple random Donohue stories:
When I was a kid I attended the 1974 Porsche Club Parade in the Poconos, and the Donohue 917/30 was on display. My dad got to sit in it. I have a picture somewhere ...

When I was a driver's ed student at Porsche Club events around 1989 or so, David Donohue showed up driving a 944 turbo cup car. I think this was before he was really on the pro racing scene. Not surprisingly, he was the fastest driver there. Our local hot shoe spun trying to keep up with him (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Scott

[soltino]

Fondly remembering them bad boys at Riverside.

tino

[iamchappy]

My favorite driver of all time. i have a Raid Mark Donohue steering wheel in my car. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[Beach914]

In October, 1972 my brother came down early in the week from San Jose State for the Can Am race. I can remember driving over to Wester Porsche VW on Del Monte ave in Monterey and viewing both Donohue's and Follmer's L & M 917's sitting in an open service bay at the back of the lot. Penske mechanics were working on both cars. I wish I had brought my camera......sucks because no one else was there but the two of us.

I became a mechanical engineer because of Mark Donohue. It was a sad day when he passed from his injury in Austria.

[Maltese Falcon]

I'm trying to figure out just how many Sunoco #6 917/ 30 s are left. In 1978 I hitched a ride with the late Otis Chandler in his #6 Sunoco at a POC event at Riverside Raceway. Moving down the long back straight at 200+ mph was beyond any experience I have yet to equal. Otis (team Vintage Racing) had the 917/ 30, 917 Gulf (LeMans), 935, 916 (ex-Piech) at that time. I am not sure if his #6 was Mark's car, but after Otis' divorce it went to a collector in France. In France during a historic car race the ex- Chandler car was destroyed and the driver killed. When I was in Stuttgart , the Porsche museum also had a #6 Sunoco with Mark's name on the door. So did Roger Penske provide the real Donohue car back to Porsche? The #6 car pictured below was a team Penske car that was all built from factory spares, no race history to my knowledge. Seen here at the Monterey Historics, 1998, my son Matt (8) at the helm. David Donohue and Olaf Lang (Porsche factory customer service) drove this at Laguna that weekend.
This #6 was well known throughout the U.S. In historic racing by Kerry Morse (Morspeed), and I think it is the one now owned by Jerry Seinfeld. So where is the real Donohue car?

[Spoke]

The ultimate sports car.

The definition of Penske's "unfair advantage".

I missed seeing this car at Watkins Glen as I was there 70, 71, and 72 for the Can Am races.