Photo Credit: John Chapman (Pyrope) / Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0
Photo Credit: John Chapman (Pyrope) / Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0
Chris Amon was not just another name on the F1 grid, he was a New Zealander who spent over a decade competing at the highest level of motorsport, driving for some of the biggest names in the sport.
He is known also as one of the unluckiest F1 driver, Amon raced for Ferrari, March, Matra and Tyrrell, earning a reputation as one of the fastest men of his generation.
What many people forget is that Chris Amon also tried to carve out his own path by enterin F1 with a team under his own name.
It was a bold step for a driver coming from New Zealand, thousands of miles away from Europe’s racing heartlands.
The First Attempt – A Privateer in 1966
In 1966, Amon entered the Formula 1 World Championship as a privateer. He brought a Brabham BT11 chassis, entered under the name Chris Amon Racing Team. His entry was for just one race, the 1966 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Unfortunately, it was not the fairytale debut for his own outfit. The car was underfunded and lacked the pace of the works teams, and he retired from the race. It was a clear example of how hard it was for small independent efforts to make an impact in F1 during the 1960s.
The Return – Chris Amon Racing in 1974
Nearly a decade later, Amon revived the idea, in 1974 he returned with Chris Amon Racing, this time with a purpose-built car, the Amon AF101, designed by Gordon Fowell.
The car carried bright colors and carried the hope that a driver of Amon’s caliber could turn his own creation into a competitor.
But F1 had changed dramatically since 1966, by the mid-70s, the sport was dominated by big manufacturers and well-funded private teams.
For a small, independent operation, survival alone was a massive challenge, the AF101 only appeared in a handful of races and never found the reliability or speed needed to challenge the midfield, let alone the front.
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Why Chris Amon Team Failed
The failure of Chris Amon Racing was not down to lack of talent behind the wheel, Amon had proven his speed time and again with podiums and strong drives for Ferrari.
However, running a team required money, sponsors, engineering depth and resources far beyond what Amon could gather, the AF101 never developed properly and after 1974, the dream of running his own team was over!
Out of F1 Amon’s Story: Triumph at Le Mans
While Chris Amon’s attempt to run his own F1 team ended in frustration, his name is forever etched in endurance racing history, in 1966, together with Bruce McLaren, Amon claimed victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans behind the wheel of the legendary Ford GT40 Mk II.
What can we say more?
Although his team never achieved success, he was unlucky again, but his attempt remains part of F1 story, it showed ambition of a driver from New Zealand who was willing to take the toughest challenge in racing, not only competing as a driver but also as a team owner.
Few drivers ever dared to do both, a fewer came from so far away from Europe’s racing scene, Amon had a vision, he knew what he wanted and he was a great competitor.
The last part, is also we have to explain why he was the unluckiest, he never won a F1 GP, but his name lives on for his speed, courage and determination, his brief experiment with running his own team reflects the same spirit, an underdog who tried to beat the odds, even if the odds were stacked against him.
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