The Unfair Advantage remains an engaging and unique book that gives insight into the murky depths of motorsport, and the black-magic process of turning a hunk of metal, glass, and rubber into a winning racing machine.
This book is the result of years of interviews and conversations between American racing driver Mark Donohue and Chevrolet engineer (and co-author) Paul Van Valkenburgh and was first published in 1975. This was just before Donohue tragically died in a collision at the Austrian Grand Prix of the same year.
This New Edition was published in 2000 by Donohue’s sons Michael and David and adds a collection of pictures and an extended chronology, to illustrate the effect Donohue had on those around him. This helps add some context and texture to the book, as the original text is so focused.
The main subject matter of the book is the charting of Donohue’s career, from the late 50s where he raced a Corvette as a clubman, to the most dominant and powerful racing car ever: the 1200 horsepower Porsche 917/30.
The Porsche, which adorns the front cover, is arguably the biggest draw of the book. The 917/30 was the most devastating development of perhaps the most infamous racing car in history, and there is a sizeable chapter dedicated to the development and racing of it and its immediate predecessor the 917/10.
Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a car, or cars, and a point in Donohue’s career. As a result, you shouldn’t expect to learn a great deal about his personal life. But what is here is deep, technical, introspective, and engaging.
As referred to in the title, the main thing Donohue pursues when developing his cars is the ambiguous ‘unfair advantage’, that leg-up on the competition that is often acquired through abstract approaches to practical problems. One extreme example detailed in the book is the obsessive stripping of weight from a Chevrolet Camaro, which eventually concludes with the body being acid-dipped repeatedly to the point of structural weakness.
As many of his earlier experiences are looked back upon by a Donohue with far greater mechanical knowledge, there is a sort of ‘what was I thinking’ earnestness to these earlier sections, and some amusing anecdotes, such as Donohue persuading his mechanics to spend hours painstakingly balancing the weight of a car equally across all four wheels, before realising that the floor of the workshop wasn’t even level, making their task impossible to begin with.
This, and Mark’s nearly unmatched technical understanding, helped him flourish in an age were setting up racing cars was still firmly in the hands of engineers and drivers. This was before computer simulations, computer-aided design and data dictated how drivers should drive and how cars should be designed.
During the chronicle of his career from amateur to pro, the gnawing dread of never quite knowing whether you are doing well enough is constantly present. Donohue expresses this multiple times, and this realised view of himself and his career is more, but possibly the most satisfying bit of this book. Donohue’s feeling of inadequacy, and belief that he is only racing half the cars he does because he did the development work is often contradicted. This is a continuing theme, even though Mark wins multiple championships across a variety of racing disciplines, and records what would certainly be considered career-defining wins in the modern era, such as winning the 1969 Daytona 24 Hours, and the Indianapolis 500 in 1972.
Donohue’s willingness to discuss his uncertainties during his career, especially in a sport where ego is particularly prominent, is refreshingly human.
Another insight provided in this book, and a benefit of it being published in-period is that it offers a critical insight into organisations, people, and cars that have since achieved immortality in motor racing. Famous figures such as Mario Andretti and Bruce McLaren are not regarded in favourable light by Donohue. Ferraris, Porsches, and Fords that are considered hallowed ground in modern automotive circles are often dragged through the mud, with scorn being directed at the legendary Ferrari V12 engine, the brakes of the Ford GT40 and the “terrible” handling manner of early Porsche Can-Am Spyders.
Unfortunately, this book can be difficult to jump into without some knowledge of race car terminology and setup principles. Visualising certain elements that are described in the book is also tricky, as many of the circuits Donohue races on no longer exist, and the American basis of the book can also make the frequent changes in geography a little overwhelming for non-natives.
Lastly, the only real downside is that the timeline of Donohue’s career can be a little challenging to understand as you navigate the chapters, due to the one-car-per-chapter approach. Often, when it seems like Mark only must concentrate on developing one car, he is in fact racing four separate cars in four different championships simultaneously.
Despite this, The Unfair Advantage remains a definitive motorsport chronicle, characterised by grit, humanity, and Donohue’s perseverance. This is a must-buy for anyone interested in motorsport, American racing culture, and car development.
Kerbside 