Mark Donohue was one of America's most versatile drivers, master of everything from light open-wheelers to heavy sedans. Here he shakes down his Javelin prior to the 1970 Trans-Am season with a trial run in the Daytona 24-Hours (dnf, engine).
Photo: Pete Lyons - www.petelyons.com
The other evening I watched a panel of motorsport reporters on a TV show name their “driver of the year.” It was an interesting discussion, and I learned a lot. It also made me realize—once again—how much racing has changed in the past few decades.
Pete Lyons
For one thing, it’s harder these days than ever to single out one “driver of the year.” There’s just so much racing going on, and it’s all so compartmentalized. The awards panel had to weigh performances across many very different, very separate kinds of the sport. How can you judge CART or IMSA or F1 drivers, say, against NASCAR or SCCA or USAC drivers? Drag racers and rallyists and all the many motorcycle competitors have to come into it, too. But scarcely any of these different breeds ever take to the track against one another.
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