104 replies to this topic

[Peter0Scandlyn]

Sad news coming out of N Z presently.

RIP Chris.

[dave34m]

Very sad day

 

http://www.nzherald....jectid=11686692

[Barry Boor]

This is a desperately sad day. One of the greats has left us.

[Richard Jenkins]

What terrible news to wake up to. I wasn't aware he was ill. Never won a Grand Prix, yet good enough to have won multiple World Championships.
RIP Chris.

[Tim Murray]

Oh no, this is a dreadful, shocking bolt from the blue. Chris was a great driver who deserved to achieve so much more. Another of my heroes has gone. RIP Chris. Sincere condolences to all his family and friends.

[Bloggsworth]

"If Chris was an undertaker, people would stop dying" - Mario Andretti. Yet Amon never complained, he was grateful to have survived the era. Chris Amon joins Stirling Moss as one of the drivers who should have but didn't, but we all knew how good he was and had the joy of watching him. Rest in peace.

[Michael Ferner]

Oh, nooooooo!

[Gabrci]

Oh, extremely sad and for me totally unexpected news. I had the honor of exchanging a few emails with him a few years ago and he came across as a thoroughly nice, friendly and very modest gentleman. I was very impressed. 

 

(And of course, as usual, Autosport is dead last to report it - have still not done so, while it's there on all the free sites.)

[Henri Greuter]

Sad news......

 

I know that to many, his victory at Le Mans is controversial and debatable. But for him I am glad that he had this victory in a major, big event, to compensate at least to some extent for his bad luck in F1. His stats & results in F1 don't reflect anywhere near enough how good a driver he was. Chris never winning a single GP is for me an insult compared with at least one, if not two GP winners winning at least one GP since 2000, races they won because of circumstances beyond their control.

 

Rest in peace Chris Amon,

 

 

Henri.

[wolseley680]

So impressive to watch in the Tasman days, RIP

[Coral]

Oh no, how sad. RIP Chris.

[dmj]

Sad news, one of the greatest.

 

Also, a personal note, it was an Internet research on him some 15 years ago led me to an interesting forum I haven't seen before, something called TNF...

[jonpollak]

Jp

[fpbecker]

Tribute by Ron Dennis:

 

Ron Dennis Pays Tribute to Chris Amon

 

 

Posted on Wednesday, 03 Aug 2016 08:45 (BST)

 

Ron Dennis (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, McLaren Technology Group) pays tribute to New Zealand racer and long-time friend of McLaren, Chris Amon:

 

"It was with profound sadness that I heard the news this morning that Chris Amon had passed away.

 

"Chris started 96 Grands Prix but won not one of them - and it is safe to say that he was the greatest racing driver never to have won a race at the very highest level. He nearly won a fair few, but always it seemed that his luck would run out before he saw the chequered flag. 

 

"However, he won at Le Mans, in a mighty 7.0-litre Ford, exactly 50 years ago, his co-driver his friend and fellow Kiwi, Bruce McLaren, whose name still graces the team to which I have devoted my working life. 

 

"I have not met Chris for many years, but, even so, I have extremely fond memories of him, and indeed I would describe him as one of the most likeable men I have met in my long racing career.

 

"For all those reasons I want to take this opportunity to extend the heartfelt sympathies of all 3300 of us at McLaren to the family and friends of a great New Zealander, a true gentleman, and one of the fastest racing drivers there ever was: the one and only Christopher Arthur Amon.

 

"May he rest in peace."

Source: http://www.mclaren.c...ute-chris-amon/

[D-Type]

What can I say!  My condolences to his family and friends.  RIP

[Claudio Navonne]

Sad news ...

[jj2728]

He was my hero. Very sad news. Condolences to his family.

RIP Chris

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

Grim news to be met with this morning.  

 

Profound sadness and the most sincere condolences to family and friends.

 

I saw Chris race at Mosport several times.  Chief memory was the re-start of the 1966 CanAm after an initial Lap01, T1 debacle where a buddy and I were eye witnesses.  On that re-start, everyone must have been napping but Chris as he appeared at the top of the brow of T1 with an enormous lead and at a velocity that was certain to take him straight to heaven.  Believing that he could not possibly make the corner at that speed, I looked away fearing a repeat of the Surtees shunt the year prior.  After a few seconds when no fellow spectators shrieked or gasped, I looked up to see his M1B roaring up the hill towards T2.  Forever impressed.

[SophieB]

Autosport's obituary is up, looks like they took the extra time to do him justice. A nice piece highlighting his talent, misfortunes and significant events in his career in some detail:

 

http://www.autosport...s-amon-19432016

[P0wderf1nger]

Most sad news.

 

I've always thought that he and the Ferrari were the class act of '68, and they never got a look in.

 

But as he said himself, he was lucky in other ways when so many of his peers were not.

 

Sincere condolences to his loved ones and friends.

 

Paul

[Lotus53B]

Damn, that's sad.  I saw him race a few times in the early 70s, he placed 2nd in the 2nd of BRDC International, 1971, my first visit to a race meetings, and my first F1 poster was of him in a Matra.

Sad news.

[opplock]

Very sad news. I saw him race three times and he won two of them - Levin 68 and 69.

[cedricselzer]

I can't believe this. I am shocked. We had a great time with Chris and Trevor Taylor in Mexico City in '63. None of this is in my book. Don't ask.

Chris RIP.

[eldougo]

A  Gentleman ,A Constructor, A Man than gave back a lot to Motor Sport , And a very fastest racing drivers .....RIP.......Christopher Arthur Amon.

 

Warwick Farm that very wet day 1969.

 

Edited by eldougo, 03 August 2016 - 10:15.

[Stephen W]

A bolt from the blue! Chris Amon was a great character and deserved better from his F1 career. His battles with Stewart and Rindt are memories I cherish.

[ReWind]

Sad news indeed.

He was so young (19) when he entered GP racing, he was not old (33) when he left GP racing, but he was way too young (73) when he passed away.

Chris Amon is one of those drivers I had a soft spot for when I became interested in motor sports in the early to middle 1970s. Unfortunately the Lauda accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 spurred his decision to quit motor racing at a time when he was still capable of driving really fast. Just think of his performances in that season’s Ensign, for instance in Zolder or Anderstorp.

[B Squared]

So sorry to hear this. A favorite from my youth and well-respected forever.

[group7]

sad news, condolences to the family, a shock. saw Chris race at Mosport in Canada a number of times. this was a drive of his in the Ford X-1 (Big Ed) a car I particularly liked, Canadian Grand Prix september 1965. Chris at left of the car.

 

http://www.racingspo...5-09-25-015.jpg

 

 

Mike, in Canada

[Ray Bell]

Twice winner of his home Grand Prix...

One a winner of the Australian Grand Prix.

Once a winner of the second-highest award (Championship) of the FIA's list of titles.

Chris Amon made his mark in many places and many ways, but he has left us way too soon.

[Arjan de Roos]

Very sad news indeed. We remember him as a great winner:

1966 Le Mans 

1967 Daytona 

1967 Monza 

1968 New Zealand GP 

1968 Levin International

1969 New Zealand GP 

1969 Levin International

1969 Australian GP

1969 Sandown International

1970 Int Trophy Race

1971 Argentina GP

1973 Nurburgring 6 hrs

These include possibly the most important wins for both Ford and Ferrari.

Edited by Arjan de Roos, 03 August 2016 - 10:36.

[GMiranda]

Terrible news....... I knew he was ill, but I didn't knew how serious it was. Terrible day for racing community

R.I.P and my deepest condolences to family and friends.

[F1matt]

RIP Chris, a Motorsport great who will live on in our memories.

[Keir]

Always my personal hero. FORZA AMON.

[cantabriamadrid]

Sad day

 

 

Edited by cantabriamadrid, 03 August 2016 - 12:01.

[d j fox]

Very,very sad. Lots of great memories of Chris--battling with Jo Siffert at Brands in 1968, the glorious wailing Matra at Le Mans and in GPs. A great New Zealand sportsman. RIP

[JacnGille]

Damn...such sad news so early this morning.

[barrykm]

Oh no, so very sad. An all-time favourite of mine. R.I.P. Chris.

[Charlieman]

He was so young (19) when he entered GP racing, he was not old (33) when he left GP racing, but he was way too young (73) when he passed away.

Chris Amon is one of those drivers I had a soft spot for when I became interested in motor sports in the early to middle 1970s. Unfortunately the Lauda accident at the Nürburgring in 1976 spurred his decision to quit motor racing at a time when he was still capable of driving really fast. Just think of his performances in that season’s Ensign, for instance in Zolder or Anderstorp.

My thoughts exactly. Chris Amon was quick in the nifty but fragile 1976 Ensign, and I wished that Mo Nunn could find the money to improve reliability and safety. Chris Amon's retirement was the right decision for him and Chris had another 40 years with family, friends and farming. Farewell.

[RogerFrench]

Oh dear, how sad. A true star, good guy and real racer. Damn Cancer!!

[Gary Davies]

Thanks for the memories, Chris. You left us waaaay too soon. I am reminded of a Roebuck article in which he quoted Mauro Forghieri: "We let Chris down too many times. In my opinion, he was as good as Jim Clark."  

[Macca]

Dreadful news to hear - his was a full life but too short by far. Deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

 

I met him only once, at the 1997 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he was astounded by the number of people wanting his autograph (including me). Modest and a nice guy, as well as being one of the greats in my book.

 

RIP, CAA.

 

 

Paul M

[hyperbolica]

Very sad to hear Chris passed away. I had the fortune of seeing him on track a number of times. What a great driver!

[Doug Nye]

Very sad news indeed, and unexpected even though we had known for some time that Chris was unwell.

 

In the early '60s he and I were near lookalikes facially (though I was larger and a lot heavier in frame) and I was often mistaken for being him, not least one year at Monza by the paddock crowd around the Dunlop truck, when Dick Jeffrey of Dunlop told me just to sign his autograph regardless to relieve the siege. Chris told me one time that he always felt "inside" that he was perfectly capable of winning a Grand Prix until the 1972 French GP in the Matra, when "that puncture finally settled it for me...I just accepted at last that it really was never going to happen...". He was a very good guy, a very, very fine racing driver and he has lost his life far, far too soon.  To that extent he seems to have remained relatively unfortunate, to the end. Which makes this morning's news even more poignant.

 

Sincerest condolences to his family and to all his many friends, worldwide.

 

DCN

[tcsparky]

very, very sad.. After Jimmy Clark passed, he was who I rooted for.

[Dave Ware]

Another great one has left us, and far too soon. 

 

There is something that Jackie Stewart said years ago, that I can't quite remember the words for.  I'll have to check a couple of books.  Something to the effect that he, Jochen, and Chris were the three fastest, in a class of their own. 

 

Condolences to all...

[O Volante]

This makes me very, very sad

[Glengavel]

Another great one has left us, and far too soon. 

 

There is something that Jackie Stewart said years ago, that I can't quite remember the words for.  I'll have to check a couple of books.  Something to the effect that he, Jochen, and Chris were the three fastest, in a class of their own. 

 

Condolences to all...

 

DSJ once reported that only two drivers were going through Masta at Spa without lifting - JYS and Chris Amon.

[Gary C]

I'm very sad to hear this news.

[Nick Planas]

Just got home and saw this news. This is such a shock, I was reading about him last night in one of Eoin Young's books. 73 is no age, dammit!

 

As a young fan I followed his career with great interest, always pleased if he did well, and the few times I saw him race he was really "going for it" - and I can't ever remember hearing or reading a bad word about him from anyone.... the mark of a true gentleman I feel.

 

Sincerest condolences to his family and many friends.

[Barry Boor]

The trouble is, for those of us who watched racing and revered the competitors in the 1960s and 1970s (and in some cases, even the 1950s - sob....) this is an increasingly common occurrence. Something we will never get used to but just have to learn to live with.