Unforgettable Chris Amon 1943-2016

Amon was born on July 20, 1943, in a town called Bulls, close to the capital city of Wellington. He was the only child of a sheep farming family, a profession he would return to after turning his back on motor racing.

Chris' racing adventures started at an early age at the wheel of an Austin A40. He moved up to a Maserati 250F and caught the attention of visiting Reg Parnell. He invited Amon to race for him in Europe.

He arrived in England on Good Friday and went to his first non-championship Formula 1 race on Easter Monday at Goodwood - as a driver! He displayed speed and potential by finishing sixth.

Amon’s F1 championship debut came at the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the 1963 Belgian Grand Prix as teammate to local racer Lucien Bianchi, whom he outqualified. Amon’s debut lasted ten laps.

He retired in four of the six races he competed in, the other two, Britain and France, saw him finish just outside the points in seventh at Silverstone and Reims.

In 1964, he stayed with Parnell's team, this time at the wheel of a Lotus 25. Again, there were more retirements than race finishes, but in the second round at Zandvoort Amon scored his first championship points by finishing fifth.

But Chris failed to reach the chequered flag in France and Germany, the only two races he did in '65. The same year McLaren hired him for their sports car project, and Amon embarked on an extensive testing programme for Firestone.

The following season - 1966 - his only F1 start came at Reims where he finished eighth. The highlight of the season was dramatic victory in Ford management orchestrated formation finish at Le Mans with compatriot Bruce McLaren in a Carrol Shelby entered Ford GT40.

Beating Ferrari at their own game got Amon on Enzo’s payroll and F1 team for the 1967 season. Their association started on a high note with Amon and Lorenzo Bandini leading a Ferrari one-two-three at the Daytona 24 Hours.

His first F1 race for Commendatore was the second race of the season in Monte Carlo, where Amon’s teammate Bandini suffered a horrific fiery crash which would prove fatal. The Kiwi stood on the podium for the first time in his career after his third-place finish.

He was third in three other races, Belgium, Britain, and Germany. The twenty points he scored placed him joint fourth (with John Surtees) in the championship.

In 1968, his only podium was in second place at Brands Hatch. This was a season of what could have been. In eight of the eleven races (Ferrari was no show in Monaco) he competed in he started from the front row, including pole positions in Spain, Belgium, and Netherlands.

Almost certain wins in Spain and Canada were lost due to car failure. Hydraulic failure at Monza led to a heavy crash while running second.

Seven DNFs prevented any chance of a top three position in the championship.

Years later, famous Ferrari engineer Mauro Forghieri would say bizarre issues will occur on Amon’s car when he was leading a championship F1 race, but he was spared similar fate when leading non-championship F1 and long-distance sports car races.

In 1969, Amon won the New Zealand and Australian Grands Prix, but these were part of the Tasman series which he clinched by beating Jochen Rindt. In Formula 1, he took part in six races, resulting in five DNFs and a third-place finish at Zandvoort.

Max Mosley lured Amon to his new March effort for the 1970 season with promises and dollars which, as others found out later in dealing with the Barrister Extraordinaire, were not delivered.

Frustrated with failures and mechanical breakdowns at Ferrari, Amon advised Commendatore of his departure. Enzo bid farewell saying prophetic words: “I will win a race before you do.”

Amon’s new ride for the 1970 season, March 701 powered by his much-desired Ford-DFV, did not reach the finish line in the first three races of the season. The next race at Spa produced first of three podiums, others were at Clermont-Ferrand and Mosport in Canada.

He finished eighth in the championship with 23 points, an improvement from 12th in the standings with only four points in his final year at Ferrari. Highlight of the 1970 season was victory in the International Trophy at Silverstone in April. This was his first F1 victory. Alas, a non-championship race.

The much-acclaimed Kiwi landed at Matra for two seasons. Again, it was a case of same as it ever was. In 1971, he won the Argentine Grand Prix. You guessed it, a non-championship event. Only podium of the season came in Spain and nine points placed him 11th in the championship.

His final chance for much deserved and long-awaited maiden F1 championship victory came in the 1972 French Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand. Driving the new Matra MS120D on its debut, Amon was leading the race from pole position but his hopes of winning the race were deflated when a punctured tyre forced him into the pits. He staged a valiant comeback but had to settle for the third step of the podium close behind Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus.

Between 1973 & ‘76 Amon did races with different teams; Martini Tecno, Tyrrell, BRM, Ensign and even attempted his own racing team. Lauda’s inferno at the Nurburgring 1976 put out his flame of passion for motor racing.

After the globe-trotting glamour of F1 was over Amon returned home to New Zealand to take care of the family sheep farm.

His racing luck, or lack of it, was such that Mario Andretti once commented: "If he became an undertaker, people would give up dying.”

Forghieri called Amon “by far the best driver I have ever worked with. He had all the qualities to be a world champion, but bad luck just wouldn't let him be.”

Let the man have the final say himself from his conversation with Simon Taylor’s Lunch with Chris Amon in Motorsport magazine:

“People tell me I am the unluckiest F1 driver of my era, but actually I’m the lucky one. I’m luckier than Jimmy and Jochen, and Bruce, and Piers. Luckier than my team-mates Bandini, Scarfiotti, Siffert and Cevert.”