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The Unfair Advantage
In 1974, Mark Donohue took a year off from driving at the height of his racing career to write "The Unfair Advantage," a candid and revealing book about his journey through the world of auto racing -- from amateur SCCA races in his own '57 Corvette to winning the Indy 500 in Roger Penske's McLaren M16. This new edition contains over 60 additional photographs and comments from people who worked and raced with Donohue during the 1960s and early 1970s.
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 15, 2024
An iconic book from an iconic road and track race car driver Mark Donohue. Organized chronologically by the various cars he drove, Lolas, Triumphs, Ferrari, McLarens, Porsche 917s… it’s all a great look at racing in the 1960s & 70s.
I was particularly interesting in the chapters of the late 60s and early 70s Trans-Am racing with the American Motors Javelins and Chevtolot Camaros with the Roger Penske racing team.
It’s all told in a friendly down-to-earth manner and definitely for gear-heads. Occasionally you may hear to much of adjusting suspensions haha. Being a mechanical engineer Donohue was unusually well educated for a racer and he provides great insights into the sport and other personalities. By his own admission, there’s not much of his personal life here, he all business.
The context of the history of the book has poignancy as Donohue published the book after a long considered retirement in 1974. Realizing the money was pretty good being a driver, he returned to
racing and was killed in an accident during a qualifying race in 1975.
Be sure to get the 2nd edition (2000), it contains several pages of color photos and contributions by his cohorts and family.
The least expensive I could find this book in paperback was $35, so I relied on an interlibrary loan. So, if you want to own a copy of this good read for that complete auto library, be prepared.
I was particularly interesting in the chapters of the late 60s and early 70s Trans-Am racing with the American Motors Javelins and Chevtolot Camaros with the Roger Penske racing team.
It’s all told in a friendly down-to-earth manner and definitely for gear-heads. Occasionally you may hear to much of adjusting suspensions haha. Being a mechanical engineer Donohue was unusually well educated for a racer and he provides great insights into the sport and other personalities. By his own admission, there’s not much of his personal life here, he all business.
The context of the history of the book has poignancy as Donohue published the book after a long considered retirement in 1974. Realizing the money was pretty good being a driver, he returned to
racing and was killed in an accident during a qualifying race in 1975.
Be sure to get the 2nd edition (2000), it contains several pages of color photos and contributions by his cohorts and family.
The least expensive I could find this book in paperback was $35, so I relied on an interlibrary loan. So, if you want to own a copy of this good read for that complete auto library, be prepared.
December 5, 2008
Donohue is a more obscure figure, at least outside the US, than he probably deserves, and even in the US he tends to get mentioned after guys like Foyt and Andretti. A lot of very good judges rated him very highly however, and his results speak for themselves - he won in just about every category and type of car he attempted, and he was Penske's top driver for many years.
More than being a top line driver, though, like Bruce McLaren he was also a very good race engineer, capable of building and developing a winning car.
The Unfair Advantage is an "assisted" autobiography, since Paul Van Valkenburgh did the writing, but by all accounts it retains the authentic voice and style of Donohue.
It is also a cracking read for anyone into motorsport in any of its forms. Donohue had a busy career, and the book is chock full of great anecdotes. There are lots of fascinating insights into the racing technology of the sixties and seventies, and into just how cars were developed and prepared to win. The style is entertaining, and Donohue is a lot more open and honest than many sports people about what winning means to him and what it takes to win in his sport.
The title refers to his philosophy - always look for the "unfair" advantage, the thing that noone else will have. As they catch up, you find the next thing. This is a pretty consistent approach in top line motorsport, but Donohue discusses it in a refreshing way. Sometimes top teams will step across the line and fall foul of the rules, and many get defensive and evasive about that, but not Donohue.
The book is also a revealing insight into the character of a top racing driver in an era when it was a very, very dangerous sport. Arguably many top sports people have flawed characters by every day standards, and Donohue comes across as quite insecure and prone to taking offense - strikingly similar in that regard to Jim Clark. Possibly that self-doubt held Donohue back a touch - certainly he believed he was a better engineer than driver.
The original edition of the book ends on a high note, with Donohue winning his last race before retirement, against some pretty good opposition. However, not long afterwards he was lured out of retirement when Penske decided to do a full season of Formula One. Penske and Donohue had flirted with F1 before, and got some pretty decent results, so it's easy to understand the attraction of doing it "properly". However, it was a fateful decision, and my edition records Donohue's death from injuries sustained in an horrific crash at the infamous Osterreichring, during practice for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. A sad end to a great career.
Overall, this is one of those "must read" books if you're at all interested in motorsport. One of the best.
More than being a top line driver, though, like Bruce McLaren he was also a very good race engineer, capable of building and developing a winning car.
The Unfair Advantage is an "assisted" autobiography, since Paul Van Valkenburgh did the writing, but by all accounts it retains the authentic voice and style of Donohue.
It is also a cracking read for anyone into motorsport in any of its forms. Donohue had a busy career, and the book is chock full of great anecdotes. There are lots of fascinating insights into the racing technology of the sixties and seventies, and into just how cars were developed and prepared to win. The style is entertaining, and Donohue is a lot more open and honest than many sports people about what winning means to him and what it takes to win in his sport.
The title refers to his philosophy - always look for the "unfair" advantage, the thing that noone else will have. As they catch up, you find the next thing. This is a pretty consistent approach in top line motorsport, but Donohue discusses it in a refreshing way. Sometimes top teams will step across the line and fall foul of the rules, and many get defensive and evasive about that, but not Donohue.
The book is also a revealing insight into the character of a top racing driver in an era when it was a very, very dangerous sport. Arguably many top sports people have flawed characters by every day standards, and Donohue comes across as quite insecure and prone to taking offense - strikingly similar in that regard to Jim Clark. Possibly that self-doubt held Donohue back a touch - certainly he believed he was a better engineer than driver.
The original edition of the book ends on a high note, with Donohue winning his last race before retirement, against some pretty good opposition. However, not long afterwards he was lured out of retirement when Penske decided to do a full season of Formula One. Penske and Donohue had flirted with F1 before, and got some pretty decent results, so it's easy to understand the attraction of doing it "properly". However, it was a fateful decision, and my edition records Donohue's death from injuries sustained in an horrific crash at the infamous Osterreichring, during practice for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. A sad end to a great career.
Overall, this is one of those "must read" books if you're at all interested in motorsport. One of the best.
April 16, 2012
The fact this book exists at all is pretty amazing. Professional race car driver Mark Donohue retired at the peak of his career and wrote a biography. Coaxed back into racing he died shortly after the book was published.
This is very much a history of racing in '60s to early '70s. From the book you really get a feel for how the times have changed. Engineering is much better understood and driver safety was virtually nonexistent.
This is very much a history of racing in '60s to early '70s. From the book you really get a feel for how the times have changed. Engineering is much better understood and driver safety was virtually nonexistent.
January 23, 2020
just awsome ... realistic and useful i really needed this one
January 1, 2024
Great autobiography of a pioneer during the development years of US motorsports, from the late 50s through mid 70s! Mark is a natural story teller, and he includes all emotions of on-and-off track experiences. He is full of funny moments, surprises, disappointments, and frustrations.
“Problems don’t just go away when you ignore them,” a phrase used by Mark, and could be a prominent theme of his racing life. I particularly loved the details he shared during his prestigious “GT Ford vs Ferrari” days, and his protege relationship with Walter Hansgen.
The mid 60s may have been the motorsports paradigm shift to “high-powered race cars and high-powered financial operations”, and he was in the mix of geometry changes to bring cars to life. He also understood the team and human element side of racing, and how even the mechanics must balance time and money to achieve what must be accomplished to win. “Successful racing is not in the basic materials you have to work with-it’s all in the team and the preparation.”
My favorite story was the professional and emotional friendship he had with Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann, head of Porsche during the 917 years. You will have to read Ch25 to fully understand the depth of this racing friendship, collaboration, and camaraderie forged in the pits. Cheers!
“Problems don’t just go away when you ignore them,” a phrase used by Mark, and could be a prominent theme of his racing life. I particularly loved the details he shared during his prestigious “GT Ford vs Ferrari” days, and his protege relationship with Walter Hansgen.
The mid 60s may have been the motorsports paradigm shift to “high-powered race cars and high-powered financial operations”, and he was in the mix of geometry changes to bring cars to life. He also understood the team and human element side of racing, and how even the mechanics must balance time and money to achieve what must be accomplished to win. “Successful racing is not in the basic materials you have to work with-it’s all in the team and the preparation.”
My favorite story was the professional and emotional friendship he had with Dr. Ernst Fuhrmann, head of Porsche during the 917 years. You will have to read Ch25 to fully understand the depth of this racing friendship, collaboration, and camaraderie forged in the pits. Cheers!
January 6, 2021
Great authentic biography of one of the greatest drivers ever.
I followed him in Trans-am when he raced at the New England tracks.
When he was attending Brown he used to autocross at the Quequechan Sports Car Clubs events in the Horseneck (Westport, MA) beach parking lots. A little before my time. When I joined the club we moved to an abandoned Nike site in Dighton, MA. You can still see the tire marks there in Google earth.
I followed him in Trans-am when he raced at the New England tracks.
When he was attending Brown he used to autocross at the Quequechan Sports Car Clubs events in the Horseneck (Westport, MA) beach parking lots. A little before my time. When I joined the club we moved to an abandoned Nike site in Dighton, MA. You can still see the tire marks there in Google earth.
March 1, 2023
Mark Donohue’s approach to writing was very much in line with the way he raced; with a single minded focus and maniacal intensity. The end product is an autobiography devoid of personal details or insights. It is all about racing and just racing. What is evident is Mark’s fanatical commitment to his craft. He hints that any of his successes, which were plentiful and varied, were primarily a result of hard work and not innate driving talent. He is humble and modest as he recounts his racing exploits, year by year and series by series. His first Formula 1 appearance yielded a podium (3rd place finish); an unthinkable achievement nowadays, yet he plays it off as a minor success, more focused instead on a critical analysis of his and the car’s performance. Donohue was obsessed with car preparation that would yield the “unfair advantage” however tiny, that would result in victory. Fans of modern motorsport will be amazed by the involvement in all aspects of racing undertaken by Donohue; design, development, testing, marketing, team management etc. Donohue was “all in” and he gave his utmost in pursuit of winning.
This book is not for the casual reader of biographies/autobiographies. An interest in historic auto racing and a basic understanding of racing car design and dynamics would be required. But for the lover of that era’s racing, this is an unspoiled, raw, deep-dive into the sport, as told by one of its key players. Fascinating insights too, into Donohue’s relationships with some of his contemporaries such as Peter Revson and George Follmer.
Interestingly, Donohue wrote the book in retirement and it is very evident that his 100% commitment to racing had led to burnout. What a tragic irony that, for whatever reason but one suspects a financial one, Donohue returned to the racecar cockpit.
All in all, an absolute must read for those who love what is, arguably, auto racing’s greatest era.
This book is not for the casual reader of biographies/autobiographies. An interest in historic auto racing and a basic understanding of racing car design and dynamics would be required. But for the lover of that era’s racing, this is an unspoiled, raw, deep-dive into the sport, as told by one of its key players. Fascinating insights too, into Donohue’s relationships with some of his contemporaries such as Peter Revson and George Follmer.
Interestingly, Donohue wrote the book in retirement and it is very evident that his 100% commitment to racing had led to burnout. What a tragic irony that, for whatever reason but one suspects a financial one, Donohue returned to the racecar cockpit.
All in all, an absolute must read for those who love what is, arguably, auto racing’s greatest era.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2024
honestly, the books is so detailed about Mark Donohue life's that you can feel living in one while reading this book. the description about how he engineered his way to have one unfair advantage tell us how he can think outside the box to win races.
this book was so fantastic if you are a racing enthusiast because it write about the build up of one life from a nobody to someone everyone remembers.
this book was so fantastic if you are a racing enthusiast because it write about the build up of one life from a nobody to someone everyone remembers.
January 23, 2020
A great view on the topic, different from other books from the same area. An easy book for a weekend.
January 31, 2020
If we take a closer look at what we have, like insights or connections, we can leverage our advantage for start-up companies or ourselves in order to succeed.
June 5, 2020
For the racing fan, this book is really a good read. A unique autobiography solely focused on racing.
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September 8, 2020Fun book to read. The grass roots racing we do now is not that different. Cool to see them discover advantages...
March 28, 2024
I enjoyed this book more than most 4.0 but its not a 5.0
I think the reader average of 4.48 is about right
I think the reader average of 4.48 is about right
July 31, 2024
Early racing was so ridiculous, what an inside view, can't recommend it enough!!
October 6, 2016
Enjoyable insight into the career of a race driver/engineer. I especially enjoyed the commentary about the development of each of the cars and their challenges.
December 7, 2016
At first I was reluctant to give it five stars, but the more I read, the more I liked it. I picked it up on a whim, finding it in a used book area for 50 cents, demonstrating that the conventional wisdom doesn't recognize a champion when it sees one.
This book was made for Post-it tape flags. Like Michael Lewis books, the subject is only a vehicle (see what I did there) for more important life/success/business/engineering/psychology points. For all his famed grouchiness issues toward the end, Donohue comes across as a surprisingly approachable dude. You might never know how good he was just by reading the book. Made it look easy, but the book shows you why it wasn't.
Another facet of the book that makes it a gem (and what I did there too!) is some focus on Roger Penske. For such a successful person with a name plastered all over the place, interviews, information and biographies are vanishingly rare. Like two chess pieces on a line, when two winners get together the results are amazing.
And the flexibility of the man! He raced everything, which is probably why he won IROC so handily. I remember him from the 1970s, and after this book it's evident why.
This book was made for Post-it tape flags. Like Michael Lewis books, the subject is only a vehicle (see what I did there) for more important life/success/business/engineering/psychology points. For all his famed grouchiness issues toward the end, Donohue comes across as a surprisingly approachable dude. You might never know how good he was just by reading the book. Made it look easy, but the book shows you why it wasn't.
Another facet of the book that makes it a gem (and what I did there too!) is some focus on Roger Penske. For such a successful person with a name plastered all over the place, interviews, information and biographies are vanishingly rare. Like two chess pieces on a line, when two winners get together the results are amazing.
And the flexibility of the man! He raced everything, which is probably why he won IROC so handily. I remember him from the 1970s, and after this book it's evident why.
July 7, 2009
My mom was a massive Mark Donohue fan, and I still have one of her t-shirts from the '70s with his car on it. I grew up around car racing and am interested in the subject.
Mark Donohue was killed in a racing accident not long after this book was published, so reading it is bittersweet at best. Unfortunately, a lot of it is pretty technical and car-centric in a way that really doesn't interest me at all. However, I really like his conversational style of writing, so I'm going to keep going in the hopes that he does less car analysis about camber, brakes, and understeer, and starts discussing the actual racing more. That would be cool.
Eventually, I finally accepted that Donohue was going to spend the entire book discussing the engineering details of car racing, and that I just couldn't do it. He is a great writer, though, and my engineer husband loved the book.
Mark Donohue was killed in a racing accident not long after this book was published, so reading it is bittersweet at best. Unfortunately, a lot of it is pretty technical and car-centric in a way that really doesn't interest me at all. However, I really like his conversational style of writing, so I'm going to keep going in the hopes that he does less car analysis about camber, brakes, and understeer, and starts discussing the actual racing more. That would be cool.
Eventually, I finally accepted that Donohue was going to spend the entire book discussing the engineering details of car racing, and that I just couldn't do it. He is a great writer, though, and my engineer husband loved the book.
January 17, 2008
One of the best, if not The best book about racing. The book covers several years of racing in the 60s and 70s, and gives some insite into the way motor sports has changed and the way technoledgy has advanced in such a short time. Much of the book is pretty technical and bit repetative, but very entertaining.
August 20, 2016
I absolutely loved this book. I have always been fascinated by this time period, but this book really brought it to life. I hope video games can introduce a new generation to this era of racing . Definitely a good candidate for a movie. Amazing what they were able to accomplish. A must-read for racing history buffs.
April 28, 2015
I tend to give memoir writers a pass since they aren't really writers, but couldn't finish this one. There are some interesting technical details in there, and its amazing this level of detail exists about a professional racer, but I just couldn't wade through all of the irrelevant details.
February 6, 2016
Great engineering perspective into Donohue's career and the processes used to develop each car he drove. Somewhat dry at times and outdated for the current era, but an interesting look at how things were done in that era.
July 8, 2009
I enjoyed it but it was rather dry.
June 2, 2011
I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this...
June 29, 2013
An engaging and in-depth look in to the career of Donohue.
May 13, 2015
Great book if you are into the early days of racing in North America (Can-Am and Trans-Am) and the career of the late Mark Donohue.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews