Chris Amon

Interesting facts

Amon grew up on a sheep farm in Bulls, New Zealand, and learned to drive on the family land at just six years old. In 1966 he won the Le Mans 24 Hours as Bruce McLaren's teammate in a Ford GT40, before he had even signed with Ferrari. His 1967 season with Ferrari marked his career peak, taking the Daytona 24 Hours and several podiums, including at Monaco. His bad luck became legendary: Ferrari technical director Mauro Forghieri said he 'had all the qualities to be a world champion but bad luck just wouldn't let him,' and Mario Andretti joked that if Amon became an undertaker, people would stop dying. Across his career he raced cars from 13 different manufacturers, a record that still stands unmatched in Formula One. Witnessing Niki Lauda's fiery crash at the Nürburgring in 1976 shook him so badly that he retired at season's end; he died on 3 August 2016, aged 73, in Rotorua Hospital after a battle with cancer. Chris Amon made his Formula 1 debut in 1963 and raced until 1976, 14 seasons in total as a New Zealander driver. He scored a total of 83 championship points over his career.