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The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2016 88
CHRIS AMON
August 3, 2016
Chris Amon is best known for
Ford’s 1966 victory at LeMans in a
GT40 MK II co-driven by Bruce
McLaren. Both were Kiwi’s, coming
from New Zealand. Amon’s father
owned a large sheep ranch and he
learned to drive when he was only
six. After racing in New Zealand
and Australia as a teenager, he ar-
rived in England in 1963 at the age
of 19. If you were serious about rac-
ing you went to Europe, and espe-
cially England. It was, at that time,
the hub of small, independent race
car manufacturing.
Amon set his sights at the very
top – Grand Prix – and was deter-
mined to prove himself as capable
as any of the other top drivers of
the time, notably Jimmy Clark,
Dan Gurney, Graham Hill and John
Surtees. He drove well and ac-
quired the reputation as an excel-
lent development driver, able to
communicate with engineers and
mechanics and provide precise
technical feedback. Ferrari’s former
technical director, Mauro Forghiere,
called him, “
by far, the best driver I
have ever worked with.
”
Amon’s driving career included
stints with teams from Parnell,
Cooper, Scuderia Ferrari, March
Engineering, Equipe Matra, Mar-
tini Racing, Elf/Tyrell, Motul BRM
and Ensign. He also drove for his
own team, Chris Amon Racing.
His Formula 1 career was a
combination of brilliant driving, un-
fortunate mechanical mishaps and
an occasional accident, which re-
sulted in his being described as,
“
the most talented driver to never
win a Grands Prix
.” His career
spanned 14 seasons between 1963
and his retirement in 1976. He
drove for thirteen teams, entering
96 grands prix. Although holding
the record for having driven for the
highest number of teams in the his-
tory of the world driving champi-
onship, Amon’s highest finishes
were three second places and eight
thirds. He took the pole five times.
Like all drivers in the 1960s-
1970s, Amon did not limit himself to
only the world driving championship.
Good, experienced drivers were always
in demand and Amon was no excep-
tion. Following his 1966 LeMans win
he was offered a ride with the Ferrari
Team. He started out in 1967 as the
No. 4 driver but by mid-season he was
the only one left. Lorenzo Bandini died
in a crash at Monte Carlo, Mike
Parkes was badly injured at Spa and
Ludovico Scarfiotti had a falling out
with Enzo Ferrari.
The following year he started four
races from the pole position but re-
tired seven times in eleven races. As
part of his Ferrari contract, he drove
sports cars for them and won the 24
Hours of Daytona and the 1000km of
Monza, helping Ferrari in winning the
World Manufacturer’s Championship
in 1968. He also competed in the Can-
Am series in 1966, 1969 and 1970. In
1967 he attempted to qualify (without
success) for the Indianapolis 500 driv-
ing the George Bryant entry.
His driving career came to a
close in 1976. Following Niki
Lauda’s near-fatal crash at the
Nürburgring, when the race was
restarted Amon refused to partici-
pate. He was let go by the Ensign
team and signed by the Wolf-
Williams Team for the remainder of
the 1976 season. A crash during
qualifying for the Canadian Grand
Prix convinced him it was time to
hang up his driving suit. He re-
turned to the ranch in New Zealand
until he retired. He was 73 when he
died of cancer.