About Chris Amon
Christopher Arthur Amon (; 20 July 1943 – 3 August 2016) was a New Zealand racing driver and motorsport executive who competed in Formula One from 1963 to 1976. Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win a Formula One Grand Prix, Amon won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966 with Ford, as well as the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967 with Ferrari. Born and raised in Bulls, Amon learned to drive aged six and initially competed in hillclimbing before progressing to national motor racing competition in 1962. Amon joined Reg Parnell Racing the following year, making his Formula One debut at the Monaco Grand Prix. After a non-classified championship finish in his rookie season, Amon scored his maiden points finish with fifth-place at the 1964 Dutch Grand Prix. Following intermittent Grand Prix appearances in 1965, Amon became a test driver for McLaren and moved into sportscar racing. After winning the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Ford GT40 Mk.II alongside Bruce McLaren, Amon was signed by Ferrari for 1967, achieving his maiden podium at the Monaco Grand Prix amongst winning the 24 Hours of Daytona; he finished a career-best fifth in the World Drivers' Championship. After struggling with reliability at Ferrari in 1968 and 1969, Amon departed the team in search of Cosworth DFV-powered machinery. He scored several further podiums with March in 1970 before a two-year stint with Matra. Amon then made sporadic appearances for Tecno and Tyrrell in his 1973 campaign. Amon had founded Chris Amon Racing in 1966—when he entered the Italian Grand Prix in a privateer Brabham BT11—and competed with them at four Grands Prix in 1974, driving the AF101. Amon made further appearances for BRM, Ensign, and Wolf–Williams before retiring at the end of the 1976 season. Amon was renowned for his poor luck in Formula One, losing out on several World Championship Grand Prix victories due to mechanical faults. Across 14 seasons, he achieved five pole positions, three fastest laps, and 11 podiums, with two non-championship wins at the 1970 BRDC International Trophy and the 1971 Argentine Grand Prix. Outside of Formula One, Amon won the Tasman Series in 1969 with Scuderia Veloce. Amon was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 1993 Queen's Birthday Honours, and inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.