In 1974 Mark Donohue took a year off from driving at the height of his
racing career View picture detailand wrote a candid and revealing book
about his journey through the world of auto racing ? from amateur races
in his own '57 Corvette to winning the Indy 500 in Roger Penske's
McLaren M16. View picture detail
Yet there is nothing sensational about Donohue's story ? this is View
picture detail not a tale of fame and fortune, nor an exposé ofthe
scandalous off-track lives of race-car drivers. Rather Donohue presents
a fascinating and focused behind-the-scenes look at how a champion
driver ? who won virtually every racing class he competed in -- prepared
himself and his cars to win.View picture detail
With characteristic modesty, Donohue is quick to attribute much of his
racing success to the many "unfair advantages" he had over his
competitors, such as faster engines, better tires, and a more
professional crew. But after reading just a few chapters of his book, it
becomes clear that Mark Donohue's greatest unfair advantage was his own
relentless determination to build a better car and be a better driver
every time he set foot on a race track. View picture detail
The Unfair Advantage captures a uniquely American blend of intellect and
scrappiness. A graduate in engineering from Brown University, Donohue
integrated creativity, openness to new ideas, humor, and his persistent
will to win into every part of his approach to racing. View picture
detailWhen Donohue puts that formula into words in The Unfair Advantage
the result is as much an View picture detailattitude and perspective as
anything else. As such, it has had wide reaching and particularly
personal impact for almost 30 years in the world of motorsport
participants and enthusiasts.
The Unfair Advantage is also a glimpse into a more human, albeit more
dangerous, period in racing. -- raw, high-powered cars, View picture
detailcomparatively small budgets and tight time tables. Many of the
personalities, competition classes, and engineering principles of the
early seventies still dominate the racing scene today. Inside you'll
find profiles of many of the mechanics, drivers, and crew chiefs View
picture detailDonohue worked with, and won with during his career.
Special attention is given to Walter Hansgen, Peter Revson, Don Cox
(Penske team engineer), Karl Kainhofer and John Woodard (Penske team
mechanics) and of course Roger Penske. Donohue also shows how studying
his major rivals ? including Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx, and Jackie
Stewart ? helped him to develop his own competitive edge.
Now, 25 years after it's original publication, View picture detailThe
Donohue sons and Bentley Publishers worked together to release a new
edition of The Unfair Advantage. The new edition contains all of the
original text. Expanded content includes photographs and separately
appended material that fills out the Donohue story in words and pictures
and provides historical context.
New Features include:
New Foreword exclusive to this edition
Chronology of Mark Donohue's life and racing career
Additional photos and comments from people who worked and raced with
Mark Donohue during the 60's and early 70's.
