Christopher Arthur “Chris” Amon was born on July 20, 1943, and died on August 3, 2016.

He was a New Zealand motor racing driver.

Amon was active in Formula One racing in the 1960s and 1970s – and is widely regarded to be one of the best F1 drivers never to win a championship Grand Prix.

Chris’s reputation for bad luck was such that fellow driver Mario Andretti once joked that “if he became an undertaker, people would stop dying”.

The former Ferrari Technical Director Mauro Forghieri stated that Amon was “by far the best test driver I have ever worked with- He had all the qualities to be a World Champion but bad luck just wouldn’t let him be”.

Other than racing, Chris Amon also ran his own Formula One team for a short period in 1974.

Not only Formula One, Amon had some success in sports car racing, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1966.

Following his retirement from F1, Amon dedicated himself to running the family farm in New Zealand’s Manawatu District for many years.

When he retired from farming, he lived in Taupo in New Zealand’s North Island.

During the early 1980s, he became more well known in New Zealand from test-driving vehicles on the TV motoring series Motor Show and later consulted for Toyota New Zealand, tuning the 1984 Toyota Corolla and subsequent cars for sale there.

Chris also appeared in TV commercials for the company, where much was made of the acclaim he won from Enzo Ferrari.

He took part in the 2004 EnergyWise Rally where he won ahead of Brian Cowan.

He drove a Toyota Prius for the even.

He died in Rotorua Hospital due to cancer.

Chris Amon passed away at 73 years old.