Mark Donohue

What ifs are always an interesting topic for discussion, therefore, can I pose my learned colleagues a 'what if' to ponder.

If Mark Donohue had not unfortuantely passed away as a consequence of his injuries in Austria in '75, and given he would therfore probably continued his relationship with Penske into 1976, would he have been as or more competitive in it as John Watson proved to be, or was his best years behind him as a driver.

Your Thoughts

Dear Seanmac27,

The biggest question is whether he would have stayed with Roger. He did have a BMW contract in his briefcase when he passed on...

As far as whether or not he would have outpaced Wattie, my guess would be yes, he would have. If you look at the results Mark had previous to his death in 1975, you can tell that the feeling was coming back to him and the team with the March, and that a podium finish looked to be around the corner. Mark was, of course, a great (est?) driving engineer, so I doubt that it would have taken much longer for the team to work out the kinks in the straightforward March. And then re-engineer it to a higher standard. Sorry Mr. Herd.

As for the 1976 Penske, it was very much a twitchy car, given it's narrow design. Wattie did a wonderful job of winning the Austrian GP that year, but I think Mark's raw taste for setup and delivery would have proved a match earlier on in the season.

The officials at Italy would have called the fuel sample illegal even more so!

Another point one must take into account was that 1975 was Mark's first time driving on any of the tracks. Any driver knows that track time is a helpful device, though a proven driver can pull through regardless of time at a facility...in a proven, sorted out car. As the 1975 Penske was neither proven nor sorted, it can only be said that Mark's season really started when the March was purchased, a proven car at new tracks with a reliable driver. Then again, the world will never know.

Wattie did great things, shaving included, and I have the utmost respect for his abilities, the Hexagon March 721 (ex Eifeland) proved to be a masterful overtaking, Wattie did a tremendous job, and we all know where he went from there.

In a perfect senario, a two car Penske outfit in 1976, the results would have been something like this:

Wattie would be seen as a hard charger, glimses of his yet-to-come early 80's perfomances, but the car would break too often then not due to this nature.

Mark would, on the otherhand, be around when the checkered fell, always in the points, and more often than not out qualifying Wattie, as his knowledge of the tracks, and the short-run qualifying settings would come into play...

He would definately still be in form, if not better than ever, given a sortable car. IMO

Respectfully,

Jacques N. Dresang
Eagle #7225
www.angelfire.com/wi/haase00

Originally posted by Seanmac27
would he have been as or more competitive in it as John Watson proved to be, or was his best years behind him as a driver.

Your Thoughts

Wattie was very much a driver on the way up and Mark , from what I have read, wasn't really full of enthusiasm for F1 cars (too little power to allow the masses of downforce which he liked to run). I think John would have held the upper hand.
Now if there had been a two car team with Mark sorting-out the chassis in his normal painstaking way and John providing the racers edge in a reliable car then F1 in 1976 might have been very different.

If...."F1 backwards"

Simon Lewis

Originally posted by Gokart Mozart
Dear Seanmac27,

Mark was, of course, a great (est?) driving engineer,www.angelfire.com/wi/haase00

No, that was Frank Gardner

Originally posted by Seanmac27


No, that was Frank Gardner

I thing Robin Herd reckoned Howden Ganley to be his choice as top development driver

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks


I thing Robin Herd reckoned Howden Ganley to be his choice as top development driver

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

John Miles wasn't too shabby either!

Mind you Mario Andretti was pretty useful at setting up racing cars!


ANY ROAD UP!

Back to Mark Donohue................

In my view he would have probably moved into the design/development arena with Roger Penske. He wasn't exactly in the first flush of youth and would have probably become more of a test driver for the team. However I would rate him as one of the lost talents in motor sport.

Originally posted by simonlewisbooks


I thing Robin Herd reckoned Howden Ganley to be his choice as top development driver

Simon Lewis
Transport Books

Others he rated very highly were "Jack O'Malley" and Andy Wallace. Andy I certainly would've liked to have seen in F1, I think he's still improving in his mid-40s and he was damn good in F3!

Originally posted by petefenelon


Others he rated very highly were "Jack O'Malley" and Andy Wallace. Andy I certainly would've liked to have seen in F1, I think he's still improving in his mid-40s and he was damn good in F3!

Agreed, Andy is one of those talents that F1 missed out on. Others include Byrne, Lees, Thackwell and Kane. There are many more of course but these always spring to my mind having seen them all in F3,3,3000 or British F1 over the years and watched in frustration as drivers they blew away landed F1 drives with far less ability...

Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

intesting "what if" moment alright.

Donoghue from what I've read of himwas always facinated by not just the dynamics of a racing car but the next big thing.. the question I'd love to know is what would he have done with ground affects... would he have beaten the others to sliding skirts, would he have come to the same twin chassis conclusion like Chapman... having been a Can-Am stalwart would he have brought the Jim Hall -esque "sucker" car to F1 before Brabham???

Originally posted by green-blood
intesting "what if" moment alright.

Donoghue from what I've read of himwas always facinated by not just the dynamics of a racing car but the next big thing.. the question I'd love to know is what would he have done with ground affects... would he have beaten the others to sliding skirts, would he have come to the same twin chassis conclusion like Chapman... having been a Can-Am stalwart would he have brought the Jim Hall -esque "sucker" car to F1 before Brabham???

I wonder if Mark's ability to sort a race car someone else had already put together is being confused with a role as a designer, which as far as I can see he wasn't. If he'd been presented with a ground effect car then I'm sure the technicalities of getting it to work would have been exactly his kind of thing - but I don't feel he would have invented the concept as that wasn't what he was about.

Simon Lewis

not really how I meant that to come over Simon, Brabham didnt invent the sucker concept that was my point, would he have brought what he had seen working in Can-Am to F1 quicker than the other F1 teams???

Perhaps the same query with turbos, Renault brought them and struggled but MD had seen the power while driving those nutso Porsches in Can-AM could he have beaten them to raliability? Imagine if he had taken that BMW offer and was working with BMW grenade of a turbo engine!!

its all fun

Dumb question of the year contender:

Was Mark related to Troy the TV/Movie star??

As their surnames were spelt differently, I very much doubt it

Originally posted by David McKinney
As their surnames were spelt differently, I very much doubt it

Oh?? Hollywood doesn't fiddle with peoples names?? I stand corrected

For what it is worth, Mark Donahue felt he was in the best physical condition of his entire career.

Troy Donahue was really Merle Johnson Jr. He died in 2001 of a heart attack. His dad Merle Sr. was a VP at General Motors. I went to school with his younger sister. I believe her name was Eve Johnson. He was born in 1936.

Originally posted by Jerry Entin
Troy Donahue was really Merle Johnson Jr. He died in 2001 of a heart attack. His dad Merle Sr. was a VP at General Motors. I went to school with his younger sister. I believe her name was Eve Johnson. He was born in 1936.

Thanks Jerry....that clears that up

Not that this has anything to do with this site . But, his sister was very good looking. Troy also had a lot of trouble with drinking and drugs but had not done any for years I believe. Mark was very nice and in 1973 when Jody Scheckter couldn't figure out Vasek Polack's Porsche 917-Turbo at mosport Mark told him over breakfast exactly how to drive it and Jody qualified 2nd to Mark.

An earlier thread sheds some light on the subject:

http://forums.autosp...ghlight=donahue

I am of the opinion that Donahue would not have improved very much.

Best,

Ross