Chris Amon, 1966 Le Mans winner, has died

We are very sad to report that Chris Amon has died. The former Formula 1 and endurance racer, most famous for winning Le Mans in 1966, had been suffering from cancer. He passed away in a New Zealand hospital, aged 73.

Chris had a long and varied career in motorsport, both in the disciplines he competed in, and his luck in each. His F1 stint lasted 13 years, without a win. Something which can’t be said for his endurance racing record: that iconic 1966 victory was behind the wheel of the Ford GT40, the company’s first of four consecutive wins and a turning point for the sport. One which inspired Ford's comeback this year with the new GT.

“The 1966 car was very stable,” Chris told us earlier this year. “Literally, you could drive down the straight one-handed at 220mph, and it never deviated.”

Chris won Le Mans in an era when drivers would race across several series all at once, and they were rock stars in comparison to today’s professional athletes. The New Zealander competing in an era when danger clouded over the sport, with drivers all too frequently killed during race weekends.

“It was a bit like the people getting run over crossing the street. It was always going to be somebody else that it was going to happen to,” he told us. “I guess you had to have that attitude, or you wouldn’t have done it.”

Following his retirement from racing, he continued working with cars in New Zealand, consulting for Toyota, presenting on a motoring TV show, and helping upgrade Taupo Motorsport Park in the country’s north island.

When we spoke to him a few months before this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, he was full of superb stories, and the epitome of 1960s racing driver cool. You can read the stuff we were able to print in our Chris Amon interview.

RIP, Chris.