The Shannons Club was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Chris Amon. He was 73. The New Zealander was unquestionably one of the fastest and most naturally gifted drivers of his generation. Although his F1 results may not show it, Amon’s status as one of NZ’s greatest racing exports alongside Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme has never been questioned.
His greatest career victory was winning the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hour in a Ford GT40 shared with his compatriot Bruce McLaren. Amon also competed in 96 F1 GPs resulting in five pole positions, 19 front row starts and 11 podiums – but he never won.
It’s become a cliché to describe Amon as the best F1 driver never to win a world championship Grand Prix. But then again, its recurrence is understandable, driven by the sheer frustration felt by historians that a driver of such immeasurable talent could have been denied the GP wins he so richly deserved.
On numerous occasions Amon was in a commanding lead only to suffer a mechanical failure or some other misfortune. He was as complete a F1 driver as any team owner could ask for; cool-headed, accident-free and blindingly fast. He had everything required to be a multiple GP winner and world champion – except the crucial element of luck.
Born and raised in a sheep-farming family, Amon’s prodigious driving talent was obvious from a young age as evidenced by his testing of a Maserati 250F when only 17. After a strong showing in the 1962-63 Tasman Series driving a Cooper-Climax, Amon was signed by Reg Parnell to race in Europe and made his F1 debut in the 1963 Belgian GP at 19 years of age.
After his world-famous 1966 Le Mans win for Ford, Amon’s boyhood dream came true when he met Enzo Ferrari and signed to drive for the legendary Italian team in 1967. Amon immediately impressed with sports car victories in the Daytona 24 Hour and Monza 1000km, earning him a prized seat in the Ferrari F1 team alongside Lorenzo Bandini. However, when the Italian was tragically killed in the Monaco GP (Amon’s first outing with the team) the Kiwi was promoted to lead driver.
It was during his three years with Ferrari that Amon would display both his peerless skills and unimaginable bad luck in Grand Prix racing. He claimed numerous pole positions and on several occasions was dominating races only for the cruel hand of fate to rob him. He could have won the ’67 US GP if not for fading oil pressure. He was running away with the ’68 Spanish GP until his fuel pump failed. A radiator holed by a stone took him out of the lead in Belgium. And on it went.
His GP career seemed almost cursed, because he did win two non-championship F1 races and continued to enjoy success in other classes notably in the Tasman Series. In 1968 driving the Ferrari 246T he won two races and pressured series winner Jim Clark all the way in his Lotus 49. Amon returned the following summer to win the series, downing no less than future F1 world champion Jochen Rindt in another Lotus 49.
Amon’s dismal luck in F1 applied not only to mechanical gremlins but also in choosing the wrong team at the wrong time. After leaving Ferrari in 1970, he drove for various teams until 1976 without success and even tried to build and race his own F1 car which also proved fruitless.
After announcing his retirement in 1977, Amon returned to the family farm in New Zealand but maintained strong connections with the sport over the following decades, despite battling cancer in his later years to which he recently succumbed.
Chris Amon will always be remembered as one of the greatest racing drivers of his generation. Shannons Club extends its sincere condolences to his family and many friends.
