Programs, movies and memories. (USA version )

[khyndart in CA]

On other threads I often see the name of American driver Mark Donohue mentioned and it reminds me that is now 40 years since he passed away from an accident during practice at the Austrian F1 GP at the Oesterreichring course in August 1975.
A week earlier Mark had driven a modified Porsche 917-30 at Talladega Raceway, Alabama, to a new closed track world record speed of 221.160 MPH.
The Penske-March Formula 1 car crashed at high speed when the Goodyear tire at the left front blew out and Mark's car went out of control and crashed through an Armco barrier and four rows of catch fencing. He drifted in and out of consciousness for 2 days before he died.
The resulting lawsuit almost caused all racing to come to an end.
Bell helmets were altered so the visor did come away so easily.
The race circuit was questioned regarding the type of poles and the number needed for the catch fencing.
March Engineering had to alter their roll bar design as the forward supports were said to be a contributing factor to his head injuries.
Penske Corp.race crew were questioned on how they checked the race tire temperatures etc.
The Austrian hospital brain surgeon's procedure was questioned also.
After almost 9 years in April 1984, the estate of Mark Donohue was awarded millions of dollars with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. of Akron, Ohio being held liable for manufacturing a defective tire that blew out at 160 MPH. The jury stated that Goodyear's subsidiary in Wolverhampton, England, had been negligent in the way it manufactured the tire by failing to exercise the same degree of care that
" a reasonably prudent manufacturer or supplier of Formula One tires" would have exercised at the time.
Poor Mark would not have wanted all this to take place as he had mentioned to his team press agent that if anything happened to him that he was to tell the press; "If the engine fails, don't blame the engine, blame me for revving the engine too much."
" If the car fails, blame me for going off the track."
" If the tires fail, blame me for going over debris or hitting a curb."
When Donohue was questioned on this, he replied : " The risk of tire failure or equipment failure is one of the risks we drivers assume.
Even if the tire is defective, we assume that risk."
The jurors who awarded the damages never heard this interchange as the judge would not allow Goodyear to present it as evidence in its defense. As the lawsuit was filed in Rhode Island, USA. the awards were much greater than if it had been filed in Austria or England.
Fortunately motor racing has been able to continue despite this awful accident and resulting lawsuit.
I did not know until recently that a track marshal had also died from injuries when hit by a wheel from Mark Donohue's car crash. (I don't think his poor family won any lawsuit !. Do we not go to a race track
at our own risk ? )


This 1976 photo shows the roll bar forward mountings on a March F1 car. These were said to have perhaps caused damage to Mark's Bell helmet in the crash.


Phipps Photographic..Autoweek


(Ken Hyndman )