Mark Donohue - The Ford GT40

The Ford GT40

The year 1966 proved frustrating for Donohue. Thanks to his friendship with Hansgen, word quickly spread to the Ford Motor Company about the young driver. Ford immediately signed Donohue to drive one of their GT-40 Mk II race cars campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the Holman & Moody racing team. Donohue partnered with Australian Paul Hawkins. Donohue and Hawkins only completed twelve laps and finished 51st. The same year, co-driving with Hansgen, Donohue finished third at the 24 Hours of Daytona and second at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Hansgen died in 1966 while testing the GT40 in preparation for Le Mans. At Hansgen's funeral, Roger Penske spoke to Donohue about driving for him. In 1967, Penske contacted Donohue about driving Penske's brand new Lola T70 spyder in the United States Road Racing Championship. In his first race for Penske, at Watkins Glen in June 1966, Donohue qualified well but crashed the car at the top of a hill, destroying the car.

Donohue was invited back to Le Mans by Ford in 1967. Ford had developed a new GT, the Mark IV. Donohue co-drove in the #4 yellow car with sports car driver and race car builder Bruce McLaren for Shelby American Racing. The two drivers disagreed on many aspects of racing and car setup, but as a team were able to muster a fourth-place finish in the endurance classic.

Donohue dominated the 1967 United States Road Racing Championship, driving a Lola T70 MkIII Chevrolet for Roger Penske. Donohue raced in seven of the eight races that year, winning six (at Las Vegas, Riverside, Bridgehampton, Watkins Glen, and Mid-Ohio, while finishing third at the Laguna Seca round behind Lothar Motschenbacher and Mike Goth.

In 1968, Donohue and Penske returned to defend their USRRC championship with the McLaren M6A Chevrolet. Donohue did not participate in the first race of the year at Circuit Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. Yet, Donohue still dominated the series, even though he suffered three DNFs (did not finishes) during the season due to mechanical problems with the M6A.