Chris Amon: lucky, after all

Chris Amon was a racing driver from New-Zealand. He was active in Formula One and endurance racing in the 1960’s and 1970’s and is widely regarded as one of the best drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix.

He, however, won non-championship F1 races, the 1970 International Trophy driving a March and the 1971 Argentina Grand Prix in a Matra.

Former Ferrari Technical Director Mauro Forghieri stated that Amon was “one of the best drivers I have worked with. He had all the qualities to be a World Champion but bad luck just couldn’t let him be. I actually believe, he was one of the best drivers in Formula 1, in the 1967 and 1968 seasons.”

Chris Amon drove for Cooper, Ferrari, March, Tecno, Tyrrell, Ensign… and even for his own Amon team. He scored 11 podiums and 5 pole positions in 96 starts.

The New-Zealander scored his biggest success by winning the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours partnered by Bruce McLaren in a 7-litre Ford GT40 Mark II.

Later, when interviewed in his farm in New-Zealand, Amon reflected : “People tend to say I was unlucky, but I think on the contrary, that I was very lucky to survive this very dangerous era of motor racing. Many of my friends and colleagues did not have that luck.”