Breaking news
Formula 1
Crowdfunder launched for Martin Donnelly after accident
A crowdfunding page has been set up to raise money for ex-Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly following a moped accident which could result in him losing a leg.
Matt Kew
Edited: Jul 10, 2019, 1:16 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
On a recent charity moped ride in Ireland, the former British Touring Car Championship driver fell and was hit by another rider.
Jonathan Lewis, who was due to start a Ginetta Junior team with Donnelly for the 2019 season, has started a GoFundMe campaign for Donnelly while he is unable to work.
"[Martin] never made any money in Formula 1," the campaign said. "He works his nuts off every week instructing and doing anything he can to try and pay his way.
"Only last week Martin set off on a moped to ride around Ireland to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. During this event he fell off his moped and was hit by another rider – this has broken his already damaged leg just above his knee.
"There is a real possibility Martin will lose his leg – something Martin has fought for over 30 years to keep."
The statement added that Donnelly has already had an operation to pin the leg, but it appears as though he has contracted a subsequent infection.
"Every day, it's looking worse not better," Lewis wrote. "Basically Martin cannot work for a minimum of three months, if at all, and he has no savings."
The original target was to raise £10,000 but that goal was reached within less than 24 hours of the campaign's start. Organisers have raised the goal to £25,000 as a result.
Fellow ex-F1 driver Tommy Byrne, BTCC champion and commentator Tim Harvey and former DTM and Le Mans racer Peter Dumbreck are among the names to have already donated.
In practice for the 1990 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Donnelly suffered a high-speed crash. He was thrown from the cockpit of his Lotus 102, and received brain and lung contusions as well as multiple leg fractures, which almost required amputation.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Budget cap "only way" for McLaren to fight F1's top three again
Next article Mercedes: Winning mindset not down to "tree-hugging" ideas
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Kew
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 6, 2024
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 6, 2024
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Apr 6, 2024
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 9 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 10 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
11 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
13 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe