The latest book on Mark Donohue is entitled MARK DONOHUE – “His Life in Photographs” by Michael Argetsinger. For those of you unfamiliar with Mark Donohue, he was the consummate race car driver with an impressive winning record that included USRRC champion in 1967 & 1968, Trans-Am champion (1968, 1969, 1971), Daytona 24-Hour winner in 1969, Indy 500 winner in 1972, Can-Am Champion in 1973, and IROC champion in 1972. He tragically lost his life in 1975 testing a Formula 1 car in Austria. He was respected and admired by the Motorsports community who recognized him for his mechanical genius, his race car driving prowess and his likeable personality.
Mark Donohue had previously given readers insight into his inner psyche in his own book – “The Unfair Advantage”. This great piece of work is told through Mark’s own narrative and clearly shows his methodical approach to race car set up and his unwavering commitment to engineering excellence and winning. The latest book, MARK DONOHUE “His Life in Photographs” is a completely different type of book. This tells the tale of Mark Donohue through photographs gathered from numerous sources (such as family members, personal friends, race team associates, etc). Filled with side bars and anecdotes, the book is rich with small facts and stories that create a rich tapestry of his life. This book reveals the human side of Mark Donohue with pictures and descriptive captions that tell the story.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I oftentimes find myself going through different chapters savoring the images of a past era in racing. Mark Donohue ascended up the ladder of the sport during a period of great change. During his reign, automobile racing elevated from an amateur hobby into a professional sport. The changes in the technical, political and monetary landscape were numerous. The book, MARK DONOHUE – “His Life in Photographs” does an excellent job of documenting both the life of Mark Donohue as well as the changing culture of automobile racing during his era. Put this one on your bookshelf.
Comments