| Successful motor racing depends upon the | | | | the attention of the English driver, Reg Parnell, |
| combination of a highly skilled driver fitted into a | | | | who invited Chris to become a member of his |
| top performance vehicle both of which require the | | | | team. Amon's ill luck started in 1963 at Monaco |
| blessing of Lady Luck. Sometimes superlative | | | | when he had to surrender his car to team |
| driving skill can compensate for mechanical | | | | member Maurice Trintignant whose car had |
| deficiencies but only sometimes. And nothing | | | | developed a last minute malfunction. Mechanical |
| compensates for lack of luck. For instance, at | | | | problems dogged Chris throughout the year at |
| Monaco in 1955 at the end of lap 10, eight drivers | | | | the Dutch, Mexican, Belgian and German Grands |
| including Stirling Moss in a Mercedes Benz W196 | | | | Prix. In 1964 Christ was finally able to score world |
| were in front of Maurice Trintignant. Then on lap | | | | championship points at the Dutch Grand Prix but |
| 50 a broken transmission caused Juan Fangio to | | | | then mechanical problems kept him out of the |
| retire. On the 81st lap, a smoking engine sent | | | | running in 1964 and 1965. |
| Stirling Moss out of the lead and into the pit. Both | | | | Although he drove in Canada in 1966, he made |
| men were superlative drivers and Mercedes | | | | only two F1 appearances that year. However, |
| certainly had a reputation for winning vehicles but | | | | 1966 was still a good year for Amon as he won |
| Lady Luck cast her blessing upon Trintignant who | | | | the 24 Hours at LeMans. In 1967 Chris signed on |
| crossed the finish line first. And at the Indy 500, | | | | with Ferrari and won three third places and one |
| Alberto Ascari suffered his only loss for the year | | | | fourth place in the Drivers' Championship. He was |
| when he was forced out after 40 laps due to | | | | more successful in sports car racing than in F-1 |
| mechanical problems | | | | and won the Daytona 24 Hours and 1000 km |
| So every driver at some point in his career falls | | | | Monza events. |
| out of favor with Lady Luck however with Chris | | | | Chris raced until 1976. During his active years in |
| Amon it was a chronic condition. In fact, Chris | | | | F-1, he had 96 starts, achieved eleven podiums |
| encountered so much misfortune that another | | | | and won five pole positions. He had three fastest |
| driver, Mario Andretti, said in jest, "If he became | | | | laps. Overall he earned 83 career points. After |
| an undertaker people would stop dying." And | | | | witnessing Niki Lauda's crash at the German GP, |
| Amon became well known in the racing | | | | Amon decided to retire from racing. In his own |
| community as "One of the best F-1 drivers to | | | | words, "I'd seen too many people fried in racing |
| never win a Grand Prix." | | | | cars at that stage." Chris also disagreed with the |
| Chris was born on July 20, 1943 in Bulls, New | | | | bad luck theory commenting that in his thirteen |
| Zealand. His father Ngaio Amon was a wealthy | | | | years of racing he had walked away from some |
| sheep farmer. When Chris finished school his dad | | | | bad accidents while many of his friends had been |
| bought him an Austin A40 special which Chris | | | | seriously injured and died. So from that point of |
| started running in local races. His driving attracted | | | | view, Lady Luck indeed blessed him. |