David mcdonald racing driver racing driver coach driving specialist contact. Dave macdonald was part of the race for a little under two laps. Several cars were driving partly or even entirely below the white line in that. Whats left of dave macdonalds car, following the fatal crash that. Dave apparently drove the car only because he had committed himself to driving it.
In his fouryear racing career, macdonald competed in 115 races with 47 victories and 69 topthree finishes. Eddie sachs and forced five other drivers out of the race. Dave macdonaldmercury marauder 64 riverside nascar. The fiery crash directly led to a change in fuel type from gasoline to. In february 1960, macdonald had his first official ride as team driver for don steves chevrolet at willow. A champion road racer, he was an indianapolis 500 rookie in 1964, driving a car specially designed by mickey thompson to carry an increased fuel reservoir. Dave macdonald stock car racing wiki fandom powered by wikia. Dave macdonalds son rich behind the wheel of 2017 sebring tribute cobra released by shelby american and superformance.
As a driver during the glory days of corvette racing, macdonald had a better win percentage than any other corvette racer. Dave macdonald runs mickey thompsons ford powered 83 car in. The caddy was fast and dave did some street racing with the car, but it was the corvette that got him into drag racing and eventually road racing. This weekends tudor united sportscar championship round at laguna seca is more than just an average race for chip ganassi racing s scott pruett and joey hand, as they race in front of family and friends while also sharing a hometown connection of their own. Whats left of dave macdonalds car, following the fatal crash that took his life, as well as that of eddie sachs in the 1964 indy 500. Ford v ferrari 2019 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Hidden away for nearly 2 decades, now back on tracks in the southeast during 2007, this authentic race car from the 1972 scca transam series, and later imsa camel gt series, and valvoline cup, is scheduled for a fall restoration. Nov, 2007 he and frequent co driver dave mcdonald won the gt class at sebring in 1964. Dave macdonald would have loved the new 2017 corvette grand sport and the remarkable performance the car has, nate says. I hope that he lived with that for the rest of his life. Dave macdonald drove one of the two ford thompsons that qualified for the race.
Dave raced at augusta three times in 63 and 64, winning the 64 us road racing championships in the shelby king cobra. Dave macdonald began his racing career as a drag racer, running stock corvettes on the dragstrips of southern california. Gallery david mcdonald racing racing driver and driver. This may have been missed by some in the indy thread and hopes are that someone will be able to provide information. Mcdonalds nascar diecast racing cars for sale ebay.
Apr 03, 2017 for sherry, rich and vicki, it was believed to be the first time the family members had been reunited with the car since daves sebring race in 1964, and for brianna, it was a chance to catch a glimpse into her late grandfathers past. Brother of corvette hall of fame racer dave macdonald takes. Dave macdonalds road racing career lasted just over four seasons, yet he amassed an impressive 52 wins in 118 starts. I had been racing at the nelson beach races in my mercury special no 33 and was returning home to chch. The magnificent and the macabre sports illustrated vault. Proving his talent behind the wheel of a chevrolet corvette, macdonald later delivered the shelby american team its first victories in the cobra, the king cobra and the cobra daytona coupe, before his life was cut short in a. Details about dave macdonald car after accident eddie sachs 1964 indy 500 8 x 10. This site contains more than 2,000 vintage photos, videos, magazine articles and news clippings documenting nearly every race in dave s amazing career, some covered in lap by lap detail. Macdonald became noted on the west coast for his performance in the.
Twentyone drivers were out of the race in a somber accumulation of crashes and. An exdrag racer, dave was a gentleman but as a driver was fierce, fun and fearless. We stopped at a road side cafe in the middle of no were for food and gas. Dave macdonald bio, facts, family famous birthdays. Click on the year to see the standings for that year. Eddie sachs and dave mcdonald fatal crash at indy 64. Macdonald ran 70 races in corvettes between 1960 and 1962 with 31 victories and 46 top three finishes. While 300,000 fans anxiously watched the race, macdonald spun when coming out of turn 4 and hit the inside retaining wall on his second lap. His first race on the nascar circuit came on january 19th when he ran a stroppe merc at riverside in the 64 motor trend 500. The rowley veteran will compete in the open slm pass race scheduled for 75 laps as part of the six division races on tap for the virginia speedway. There are only known photographs of former race car driver dave macdonald and his son, rich the most precious of. Mcdonald rates chris johnson the best jockey he has seen, while dexter dunn, ricky may, clark barron and henry skinner are on the race callers top drivers list.
Eddie sachs was the driver that took dave mcdonald to the wall and the cause of the inferno that resulted in dave s death. Also in the race that year was dave mcdonald, a 26yearold rookie driver from california. On the second lap, macdonalds car swerved into the inside wall, his gasoline tanks exploded and sent a huge plume of black smoke into the air. One of two original shelby american king cobra team cars t. Driver dave macdonald career statistics racingreference. Unser made his indianapolis 500 debut in 1963 driving one of the fearsome novi special, but he crashed in turn 1 on the second lap to finish last. Race car legend dave macdonald fan club posts facebook. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 indianapolis 500 in which he and fellow driver eddie sachs were killed. David mcdonald racing racing driver and driver coach. Corvette hall of fame inductee dave macdonald was recognized by zora duntov as one of the two best corvette drivers in the world, sharing pilot duties with dick thompson in the 1963 stingray being filmed by gm for biography of a sports car, a national ad campaign.
David mcdonald is a british professional racing driver from surrey, united kingdom. Shelby agreed to the deal but only as long as dave remained committed to a full cobra schedule for shelby american. It might surprise almost everyone to know that from 1960 to the time of his death, mcdonald competed in 117 races. There are only known photographs of former race car driver dave macdonald and his son, rich, and the most precious of those is worn and tattered. In honor of macdonalds success at the speedway, the main road that runs through the community is named, dave macdonald drive. Nov 02, 2016 perhaps the most impressive and tearjerking feature about the car, though, is the custom dash plaque that reads memory of dave macdonald. There are only known photographs of former race car driver dave macdonald and his son, rich, and the most.
Sachs and sports car driver dave macdonald, a 500 rookie, were killed in a fiery crash. Whats left of dave macdonalds car, following the fatal. Apr 28, 20 whats left of dave macdonalds car, following the fatal crash. Alongside his racing, david offers driver coaching to up and coming racing drivers as well as to the more casual driver simply seeking to improve. It was an easy fix and after all the hard work leading up to this race to get hit with this is just sickening. Dave macdonalds family finally treks to indy decades after his fatal. Also get a glimpse of the family man behind the driver in daves family. In his fouryear racing career, macdonald competed in 118 races with 52 victories and 75 topthree finishes. David mcdonald racing career profile driver database. May 24, 2016 there are only known photographs of former race car driver dave macdonald and his son, rich, and the most precious of those is worn and tattered. A champion road racer, he was an indianapolis 500 rookie in 1964, driving a car specially designed by mickey thompson. I feel terrible the way it ended and it was a miserable to lose this finish if only we had been told earlier. Dave macdonald racing career profile driver database. Racer dave macdonalds family reunited with his sebr.
Dave raced in corvettes, cobras, nascar and in the indy 500 during the glory days of racing the early 1960s. Eddie sachs and dave mcdonald fatal crash at indy 64 youtube. Dec 05, 20 on his first outing in the car, at the pacific northwest grand prix in september 1963, driver bob holbert qualified on pole but retired early in the first race with overheating issues caused by a bad water pump, and was unable to start the events second race. Veteran driver eddie sachs known as the clown prince of racing and rookie dave mcdonald were killed in a fiery crash on the second lap of the indy 500. The first six z06 corvettes were earmarked by the factory for drivers such as dave mcdonald, doug hooper, jerry grant, dr. David george macdonald was an american road racing champion noted for his successes driving corvettes and shelby cobras in the early 1960s. He and frequent codriver dave mcdonald won the gt class at sebring in 1964. Unser finally made the finish at indy in ninth place in 1967, but his big breakthrough came in the 1968 race. I hadnt planned to attend the race because dave felt he wouldnt win with this car, but circumstances changed and i did go. He was one of two drivers killed during the 1964 indianapolis 500 in a fiery crash that directly led to a change in fuel type from gasoline to methanol. Welcome to the official website of british professional racing driver david mcdonald. He and frequent co driver dave mcdonald won the gt class at sebring in 1964. He received a service to sport award in invercargill on friday night.
He was one of the top sports car drivers of that time. Four become three hemmings contributor on may 7th, 2017 at 8. Holberts son al holbert helped run the dealership and was the president of porsche motorsport north america. Macdonald had confided to friends that while he did not like how his car handled, he was able to achieve competitive speeds and did. Brother of corvette hall of fame racer dave macdonald. Sachs and sports car driver dave macdonald, a 500 rookie, were killed in a fiery crash involving seven cars on the second lap of the 1964 indianapolis 500. Hall of fame inductees national sprint car hall of fame. Dave macdonald raced corvettes, cobras, nascar and the. He started in the middle of row 5, directly infront of eddie sachs. The race was stopped for 1 hour and 42 minutes as other drivers. Dave macdonald was respected among his peers for his remarkable driving ability and by all who knew him for his dedication to his family. Click on the number of races to see individual races for that year. There are only known photographs of former race car driver dave macdonald and his son, rich the most precious of those is worn and tattered.
Corvette enthusiasts know all about dave macdonald, one of the best racers ever he was so good, in fact, that he was handpicked by zora arkusduntov to drive the very first 1963 corvette z06. Killed, along with eddie sachs, in a horrific accident on lap two and the resulting fireball the burns of which macdonald died of later in hospital, in the 1964 indy 500. David has been involved in motorsport for over 18 years, having started his racing career in. Jun 19, 2016 dave mcdonald s race calling career, of nearly 40 years, has been recognised at the southland sports awards. Mcdonald and eddie sachs died as a result of a crash and a huge gasoline fireball that stopped the 1964 indianapolis 500. However having already skipped the pensacola usrrc race in favor of. David has competed in various forms of motorsport across the uk and europe from single seaters to sportscars. Dave macdonald had become a full fledged ford works driver in just four years of racing. Finished in dave macdonald cotati livery the car is modeled after perhaps the most famous of all shelby cobras, csx2128. Edward julius sachs jr, may 28, 1927 may 30, 1964 was a united states auto club driver who was known as the clown prince of auto racing. Click on the site to see dave macdonalds career results at that track glossary.
Joe weatherly, 1964, and nascars notsogood good old. Dave macdonald runs mickey thompsons ford powered 83 car. Get the best deals on mcdonalds nascar diecast racing cars when you shop the. Sachs was killed on the track and macdonald later died as well. Mickey enlisted the help of ford executives and carroll eventually agreed. His promising career ended abruptly after a crash in the 1964 indianapolis 500 in which he was one of two drivers killed in a fiery inferno that directly led to a change in fuel type from gasoline to methanol. Our car owner dave lemieux and brian neal have given us everything we needed and i feel awful for them.
He competed in a total 118 races with 52 victories and 75 top 3 finishes. David has been involved in motorsport for over 18 years, having started his racing career in karts at the age of 8 years old. Page 1 of 36 the mickey thompson sears allstate special cars of 1964 posted in the nostalgia forum. That photo, of rich as an infant with his parents, was in daves wallet the day he and eddie sachs died in the fiery, secondlap crash in the 1964 indianapolis 500.
Macdonald motorsport is a consultancy dedicated to providing a range of driver, team and technical services in international motor racing, with a focus on management and marketing services to drivers and teams. He had made his name on the west coast and in sports cars. Mcdonalds death in a racing accident at indianapolis several months later was a major factor in holberts decision to. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to.
Known as the king of pioneers, reinhart was the only owner driver of the group that received the first batch of z06 corvettes. May 26, 2016 i can think about it and put words in place, but at the same time, his dad was an upandcoming race driver. Brief synopsis of racer dave macdonalds racing career. He had only won his first sports car race at augusta, georgia, on march 1st. Four fun friday kodachrome car photographs volume 180. It is a reproduction 8 x 10 inch glossy photo with white border. Dave macdonald car after accident eddie sachs 1964. Onofre, old race cars, f1 drivers, sad day, interesting history, road racing. Driver dave macdonald 1963 nascar grand national results. Macdonald motorsport race driver management and motorsport.
Mcdonald s death in a racing accident at indianapolis several months later was a major factor in holberts decision to retire from racing later that year. David mcdonald racing racing driver and driver coach gallery. Bethlehem native eddie sachs and dave macdonald died in the crash. Aug 15, 2016 dave macdonaldmercury marauder 64 riverside. Dave macdonald raced corvettes, cobras, nascar and the indy. Duman also suffered severe burns and would race until 1968, a victim of head injuries suffered in a race at milwaukee. Noted racing driver dave mcdonald s tow car and corvette racer. The mickey thompson sears allstate special cars of 1964. Norm hall, ronnie duman, chuck stevenson, bobby unser and johnny rutherford. Louis to pick up the new z06, and he drove it all the way home to get it prepped for racing. At the age of 27 he was killed in the 1964 indianapolis 500. January 1964 dave macdonald signed a 20race nascar contract with ford factory member bill stroppe. Macdonald was a sports car driver for carrol shelby and was known for his sideways driving style. That photo, of rich as an infant with his parents, was in dave s wallet the day he and eddie sachs died in the fiery, secondlap crash in the 1964 indianapolis 500.
Eddie macdonald will pilot the dave lemieux super late model in the inaugural pro all star series commonwealth classic on saturday, april 30th on the famed dshaped 34 mile richmond track. Twentysixyearold dave macdonald, a fine sports car man racing his first. On lap 1, dave macdonald skidded into the northwest inside retaining wall and eddie sachs crashed into him as both cars exploded. At the car s next event, holbert qualified third but dropped out with a blown. He was a fierce competitor which earned him the respect of everyone who drove against him. Sachs and macdonald were driving cars with ford engines mounted in the rear. The crash killed eddie sachs and forced five other drivers out of the race. Dave macdonald had a thing for corvettes chevy hardcore. There are only known photographs of former race car driver dave macdonald and his son, rich, and the most precious of those is worn and. Dave macdonald racing 2014 corvette hall of fame racing category 2014 induction. Originally posted by thestranger didnt mickey also build a car in 1964.
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