Despite taking part in ninety-six Grand Prix, achieving seven poles and eleven podium finishes, ‘unlucky’ Chris Amon never actually won an F1 Championship, however, he is still without doubt one of the best racing drivers Aotearoa has ever produced. His list of accolades is astonishing, his contribution to NZ Motorsport immense and his legacy will continue for decades to come.
Born in Bulls, Lower North Island in 1943, Christopher Arthur Amon was the son of wealthy sheep-owners and learnt to drive at the age of six courtesy of one of their farmhands. Upon leaving school, Amon jumped behind the wheel of an Austin A40 that he convinced his father to purchase, and the budding racing driver practised around the family farm before racing at local meets and hill climbs with reasonable success. As his confidence grew, Amon stepped up a gear and into open-wheel cars, firstly a 1.5L Cooper followed by a 2.5L Maserati 250F and then a Cooper-climax T51, a racecar that he entered the 1962 NZ Winter Series in.
Despite mechanical problems, Amon drew enough attention in the series for Australian racing team Scuderia Veloce to invite him to race at Lakeside in Queensland where he impressed enough for English racing driver (and spectator) Reg Parnell to convince Amon to head to the UK and race with them, in F1.
Amon’s F1 career spanned a decade and a half and was colourful to say the least. His initial outing in 1963 was at Monaco, where the Parnell team raced Lola Mk4As. Unfortunately, the team’s more senior driver Maurice Trintignant experienced mechanical problems and commandeered Amon’s car. During ‘63 Amon experienced a spate of mechanical problems himself including the Belgium, Dutch, German and Mexican Grand Prix and a crash during practice in Italy had Amon missing the Italian and American meets.
Amon’s F1 career spanned a decade and a half and was colourful to say the least. His initial outing in 1963 was at Monaco, where the Parnell team raced Lola Mk4As. Unfortunately, the team’s more senior driver Maurice Trintignant experienced mechanical problems and commandeered Amon’s car. During ‘63 Amon experienced a spate of mechanical problems himself including the Belgium, Dutch, German and Mexican Grand Prix and a crash during practice in Italy had Amon missing the Italian and American meets.
In truth, the bad luck trait followed Amon through the 60’s and 70’s, both on and off the track, he even crashed en route to Brands Hatch for the pre-season Formula One Race of Champions!
But his misfortune only seemed to be with F1, elsewhere Amon experienced remarkable success. A first at Le Mans in 1966 with co-driver Bruce McLaren, no less than eight non-championship Grand Prix wins, winner of the 1000km Monza, winner of the Daytona 24 hours, the list goes on – so just that F1 gremlin.
Amon retired from motor racing at the German GP on August 1st 1976. Witnessing Nikki Lauder’s horrific crash, Amon refused to restart the race and retired on the spot (ultimately retiring from all motor racing in 1977). Then he returned to NZ to concentrate on the family farm.
“I’d seen too many people fried in racing cars at that stage. It was a personal decision…”
The ‘80s saw him back behind the wheel of a car, only this time test-driving vehicles for TV motoring series Motor Show and then consulting for Toyota – his expertise being the foundation for the tuning and suspension set-up of the widely popular Corolla. Amon was also involved in the design of the upgraded Taupo Motorsport Park circuit, a track that among other things, was used for the New Zealand round of the 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix season. His motorsport input continued and in the 1993 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Amon was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to motor sport.
On the 3rd August 2016 Chris Amon MBE died of cancer in Rotorua Hospital, he was aged 73.
Sure Amon may have been unlucky in terms of not winning an F1 Championship, however, bear in mind that he raced during the golden years when seat belts were unheard of and fire retardant suits non-existent, many drivers didn’t survive a crash.
During his racing career Amon won eight non-championship GPs, the Silverstone International Trophy, the 1000 km Monza, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Tasman Series and 24 Heures du Mans. He holds the record for the most different makes of car raced by a Formula 1 World Championship driver, 13.
As Amon once said: “They always said that I was unlucky, but I suppose, at the end of the day, I’m luckier than a lot of them. I’m still here.”