Given that the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona for 2024 is coming up in a week I thought I would post a shout out and remembrance to one of my all time favorite drivers, Mark Donohue. It will be the Fifty Fifth Anniversary of Mark’s Win at Daytona in the 24 Hours with the Sunoco sponsored T70 Mk III Lola as prepared by Penske Racing.
Mark Donohue was teamed with midwest champion Chuck Parsons for the overall win in 1969 as one of the first internationally acclaimed major races won by the Sunoco/Penske Team. I am sure with some of the start of IMSA’s coverage of the 2024 Rolex 24 and some of their press releases, there will be some other stories of historic wins for the Penske/Donohue partnership and some of the other iconic teams in their early days.
TACH IT UP………!!!
This is a model that I have of the winning T70 Mk III Lola of Donohue/Parsons. Keen observers will note that they ran Mr Penske’s #6 for Daytona and this has the #9 on it for Sebring later that year…Also Mark’s excellent book, “The Unfair Advantage” is in the background which has some great memories from Mark of preparing and running the Lola, I highly recommend reading it…
Another direct overhead shot of model showing great lines of the Lola/Chevy and the classic Sunoco blue and yellow livery.
Meeting Mark Donohue as a young boy at the ’68 Trans Am Race, Meadowdale 250 just outside of Chicago, when my Pop was with the Ronnie Kaplan American Motors Javelin Team. Mark would dominate and win that day in July of 1968 in the Sunoco sponsored Chevy/Penske Camaro……… I can honestly say that Mark really was “Captain Nice” as nickname implied.