Editing Chris Amon (section)

===1960s===

====1963====
For the [[1963 Formula One season]] the Parnell team were using the year old [[Lola Cars|Lola]] [[Lola Mk4|Mk4A]], powered by 1962 specification [[Coventry Climax|Climax]] [[V8 engine]]s. Amon was teamed with the very experienced [[Maurice Trintignant]] for the first race of the season at [[1963 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco]] and his Grand Prix career started with what was to become typical bad luck: Trintignant's Climax developed a misfire, so he took over Amon's car.

At the [[1963 Belgian Grand Prix]], Amon was partnered by [[Lucien Bianchi]] and started ahead of him from 15th position. After nine laps, however, an oil fire ended his race. He continued to experience mechanical problems at the [[1963 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch]], [[1963 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexican]] and [[1963 German Grand Prix|German]] Grands Prix; and after an accident in practice for the [[1963 Italian Grand Prix|Italian Grand Prix]] left him hanging out of his car's cockpit with three broken ribs, he missed both the Italian and [[1963 United States Grand Prix|United States]] rounds.

Amon usually qualified in the midfield and generally outpaced his teammates, who included his good friend [[Mike Hailwood]]. His best results of the year were seventh at the [[1963 French Grand Prix|French]] and [[1963 British Grand Prix|British]] Grands Prix. During this time, however, Amon's social life was attracting as much attention as his driving. He was a member of the Ditton Road Flyers, the social set named after the road in London where Amon shared an apartment with American [[Peter Revson]], Hailwood and [[Tony Maggs]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/april-2014/98/all-work-no-playboy|title=All work no playboy|date=2014-10-09|access-date=2016-08-03}}</ref>

Parnell was nonetheless impressed with Amon's results in what was regarded as less-than-competitive machinery and promoted him to team leader. Parnell died from [[peritonitis]] in January 1964 and his son [[Tim Parnell|Tim]] took over the team.

====1964====
In a series of four pre-season races in Britain and Italy, Amon recorded three fifth places at [[Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit|Snetterton]], [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]] and [[1964 Syracuse Grand Prix|Syracuse]]. He failed to qualify for the first F1 race of the season, the [[1964 Monaco Grand Prix|Monaco GP]], but at the next race, the [[1964 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch GP]], he scored his first World Championship points. The rest of his season, however, was blighted by mechanical problems.

====1965====
Parnell was offered [[BRM]] engines for 1965, but only if it ran [[Richard Attwood]] as its regular driver. Reluctantly, Parnell agreed and Attwood took Amon's place. Spotting an opportunity, Bruce McLaren quickly signed Amon for his new [[McLaren]] team, but when no second McLaren F1 car materialised, Amon could only drive in sports car races.

At the [[1965 French Grand Prix|French GP]] Amon rejoined Parnell to stand in for an injured Attwood. Amon also competed in a Formula Two race in Stuttgart and won.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chris Amon Takes Formula Two Race|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0ZMtAAAAIBAJ&pg=7258,3417210&dq=chris+amon&hl=en|newspaper=The Montreal Gazette|date=19 July 1965|page=24}}</ref> He returned to Germany for the [[1965 German Grand Prix|German GP]] as second Parnell driver, but mechanical failure again forced an early retirement. His last drive before Attwood's return, a non-championship race in [[Autodromo di Pergusa|Enna]], [[Sicily]], also ended in retirement.

====1966====
During 1966 Amon continued to race for McLaren in [[Can-Am]]. He was intended to drive the second McLaren M2B but difficulties with engine supply meant that the team never made the intended expansion to two cars. ([[James Garner]]'s character Pete Aron's helmet and car livery in the film ''[[Grand Prix (1966 film)|Grand Prix]]'' were modelled on Amon driving a McLaren, which caused the movie makers to have to encourage other cars to be painted in the 'Yamura' colours and other drivers (Bruce McLaren included) to wear Amon-style helmets.)

However, an opportunity arose to drive for the [[Cooper Car Company|Cooper]] F1 team after [[Richie Ginther]] left them for [[Honda Racing F1|Honda]]. Amon drove for Cooper at the [[1966 French Grand Prix|French GP]] and was scheduled to drive for them for the rest of the season, until the more successful [[John Surtees]] left [[Scuderia Ferrari]] to join Cooper and Amon found himself dropped.

Amon made one other F1 appearance during the year, driving a Brabham BT11 powered by an old 2-litre BRM engine at the [[1966 Italian Grand Prix|Italian GP]] under the banner of "Chris Amon Racing". He failed to qualify.

Amon did however, score his biggest success to date when he partnered Bruce McLaren in a 7-litre [[Ford GT40]] Mark II and [[Ken Miles]] to Ford's dead-heat "photo-finish" after Miles was instructed to slow down despite leading at the [[1966 24 Hours of Le Mans|Le Mans 24-hour race]],<ref>{{cite news|title=New Zealanders Win Wild-Finish LeMans|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6sRYAAAAIBAJ&pg=3014,1737396&dq=chris+amon&hl=en|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|date=20 June 1966|page=7}}</ref> spearheading a formation finish.<ref name=gp /> He subsequently received an invitation to meet [[Enzo Ferrari]] at the Ferrari home in [[Maranello]], where he signed to race for Ferrari in 1967 alongside [[Lorenzo Bandini]], [[Mike Parkes]] and [[Ludovico Scarfiotti]].<ref name=":1" />

====1967====
Amon's first year with Ferrari did not begin auspiciously. En route to [[Brands Hatch]] for the pre-season Formula One [[1967 Race of Champions|Race of Champions]], he crashed his road car and, following race practice, had to withdraw. Tragedy then struck the Ferrari team when Bandini died following a crash during the [[1967 Monaco Grand Prix]], [[Mike Parkes]] broke both his legs at the [[1967 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]] and, in the aftermath, [[Ludovico Scarfiotti]] went into temporary retirement. Amon, therefore, became Ferrari's only driver for the rest of the season, until joined by [[Jonathan Williams (racing driver)|Jonathan Williams]] for the final race in [[1967 Mexican Grand Prix|Mexico]]. Amon scored his first podium in his first official outing for the Scuderia in Monaco and at the end of 1967 had achieved four third places finishing fifth in the Drivers' Championship, in what was going to be the most successful season of his career.

Amon's Ferrari contract also included sports car racing and he began 1967 by winning the [[24 Hours of Daytona|Daytona 24 Hours]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Ferraris Roar To 1–2–3 Sweep|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5w5ZAAAAIBAJ&pg=4857,3540454&dq=chris+amon&hl=en|newspaper=The St. Petersburg Times|date=6 February 1967}}</ref> and [[1000km Monza]] events with Bandini in the 4-litre [[Ferrari 330-P4]].<ref name=":1" /> He finished the year partnering [[Jackie Stewart]] to a second place at the [[1000 km Brands Hatch|BOAC 500]], thereby clinching the manufacturer's world championship for Ferrari by one point over [[Porsche in motorsport|Porsche]].

====1968====
[[File:Grand Prix 68 Zandvoort .Chris Amon (Ferrari), Bestanddeelnr 921-4611.jpg|thumb|Amon driving for Ferrari in the 1968 Dutch Grand Prix]]
1968 was the year [[aerodynamics]] first played a significant role in F1 car design and Amon worked with engineer [[Mauro Forghieri]] to place [[aerofoil]]s on the [[Ferrari 312]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Roebuck|first1=Nigel|author-link=Nigel Roebuck|title=Legends|website=[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]] magazine archive|date=October 1998|page=18|url=http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1998/18/legends|access-date=9 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809222259/http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/october-1998/18/legends|archive-date=9 August 2016}}</ref>

In January 1968 Amon had returned home to New Zealand and Australia to compete in the [[1968 Tasman Series]] which was used by many of the top Formula One drivers as a warm up series to the World Championship. For the 1968 series Ferrari decided to use the 2.4 engines with a new [[Dino 166 F2]] chassis rather than a downsized 3-litre V12. Using the 246T Amon won the first two rounds of the Tasman Series, including the [[1968 New Zealand Grand Prix]], before narrowly losing the series to the [[Lotus 49|Lotus]]-[[Cosworth DFV|Ford]] of [[Jim Clark]]. The [[Dino 246 Tasmania]] was better handling than Clark's Lotus 49T which was still wingless and a difficult proposition. Impressed by Amon's driving in the NZ rounds, Ferrari dispatched a new four-valve version of the 2.4 V6 for the Australian rounds and this gave another 15&nbsp;hp,<ref>E. Young. ''Forza Amon''. Harper Collins NZ, Auckland (2003) p209-10</ref> but with lesser reliability which, combined with the fact Clark was the best driver in the world at the time, cost Amon the series, although in the final round at Sandown Park he duelled wheel to wheel with Clark before being pipped at the line.<ref>E. Young. ''Forza Amon'' (2003) p205-10 & M. Hughes. Remembering Chris Among
,Motorsport 3-8-2016</ref>

After the first race of the F1 season in [[1968 South African Grand Prix|South Africa]], Amon achieved [[pole position]]s in three of the following four races (at the [[1968 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish]], [[1968 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian]] and [[1968 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch]] Grands Prix) but ever-present mechanical problems meant he secured only a single Championship point from them. Throughout the rest of the season he never qualified lower than fifth place and nearly scored victories at the [[1968 British Grand Prix|British]] and [[1968 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian]] rounds and he suffered a 100&nbsp;mph crash in [[1968 Italian Grand Prix|Italy]] which demolished his car.<ref>{{cite news|title=Amon continues Circuit mastery|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9aUtAAAAIBAJ&pg=5581,4757414&dq=chris+amon&hl=en|newspaper=The Montreal Gazette|date=21 September 1968|page=27}}</ref> In Britain, he duelled to the line with [[Jo Siffert]]'s [[Lotus 49|Lotus 49B]] and in Canada he dominated the race despite a malfunctioning [[clutch]]. Seventeen laps from the finish, however, his car's [[transmission (mechanics)|transmission]] failed and a distraught Amon had to be consoled by [[Jacky Ickx]]. From at least ten promising starts that season he was only able to finish five races and score ten Championship points. His best finish was second place to Siffert's Lotus-Cosworth at the [[1968 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]].

Outside F1, Amon was runner-up in the [[Formula Two]] race at [[Zolder]], Belgium, testing the [[Dino 166 F2]]. He also came third in that year's [[BRDC International Trophy]].

====1969====
[[File:Amon, Ferrari 312P - 969-06-01.jpg|thumb|Amon in the 3.0L Ferrari 312P during the 1969 Nürburgring 1000 km.]]
Amon began 1969 with success driving the Dino engined [[Dino 246 Tasmania|246 Tasmania]] in the [[1969 Tasman Series|Tasman Series]] that included winning both the [[1969 New Zealand Grand Prix|New Zealand]] and [[1969 Australian Grand Prix|Australian]] Grands Prix.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chris Amon N.Z. Prix|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iLZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=7045,1027915&dq=chris+amon&hl=en|newspaper=The Spokesman-Review|date=3 February 1969|page=12}}</ref> In straight fights, he beat new Gold Leaf Lotus team leader, Jochen Rindt, into second in the races at Pukekohe and Sandown.<ref>E. Young. ''Forza Amon''. Harper (2003) p225-7 & M. Hughes. "Remembering Chris Amon". ''[[Motor Sport (magazine)|Motor Sport]]'' 3-8-2016.</ref> He would ultimately win the seven race Tasman Series, probably the best of the seven-year 2.5-litre international formula series in this country and the nearest to World Championship level racing in New Zealand, with ferocious competition between Rindt, Graham Hill, Amon and Williams driver [[Piers Courage]]. It was actually much more serious racing than the McLaren dominated Can-Am series in the US in which the big sports cars required few gear changes and were essentially cruised to victory with little real competition, where the Tasman cars were essentially marginally lower power F1 cars, as difficult to drive as GP cars on unforgiving very dangerous narrow tracks.  Amon finished with four wins, two-thirds and one retirement, but in Formula One his poor luck continued. Despite six starts from top-six positions, he was only able to achieve a third-place at the [[1969 Dutch Grand Prix|Dutch GP]]. The ageing 312 was still quick at the start of the season and after the Lotus 49Bs of Rindt and Graham Hill crashed spectacularly after high wing failure in the opening laps at Barcelona, Amon dominated the Spanish GP until the almost inevitable engine breakage on lap 56, 40 seconds ahead of Stewart's Matra. At Monaco Amon ran second to Stewart for the first 17 laps losing a second a lap to Stewart,  but still gaining a second a lap on the third placed G. Hill who survived the race of attrition to win. Ferrari's F1 [[List of Ferrari engines#V12|V12 engine]] was too unreliable and although its replacement had proven very fast in testing, it had suffered many mechanical breakages. Amon had no reason to believe it would be any more dependable than the V12, so although the new engine was clearly more powerful, he decided to leave Ferrari for a [[Cosworth DFV]] powered team. He was more influenced by views of Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt, who believed it was essential to be Ford DFV-powered to be competitive.

In addition to Formula One, Amon also drove for Ferrari in the [[1969 International Championship for Makes]], partnering [[Pedro Rodríguez (racing driver)|Pedro Rodriguez]] to a fourth place in the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch and coming second at the [[12 Hours of Sebring]], but retiring from the [[1000km Nürburgring]] and [[1000km Monza]] races, all in the [[Ferrari 312P]] sportscar. He also drove in a few Can-Am races. His last race for Ferrari would be the 1970 1000&nbsp;km Monza, where he finished as runner-up.