Chris Amon Racing, also known simply as Amon, was a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

team established by New Zealand driver Chris Amon. It competed as a privateer team in the

1966 Italian Grand Prix The 1966 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on 4 September 1966. It was race 7 of 9 in both the 1966 World Championship of Drivers and the 1966 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. The race was the 36th Itali ...

, then as a constructor in its own right in the

1974 Formula One season The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 DriversResults of 1974 FIA International Championships, 1975 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, pages 88–89 and the 1974 I ...

Background

Chris Amon made his Formula One debut in , driving for Reg Parnell's privateer team. After finding himself without a full-time drive in , he entered a

Brabham BT11 The Brabham BT11 (also known as Repco Brabham BT11) is a Formula One racing car built in 1964, mainly for use by privateers in grand prix racing, but was also used by the Brabham works team during 1964 and 1965. It was the only competitive car o ...

BRM British Racing Motors (BRM) was a British Formula One motor racing team. Founded in 1945 and based in the market town of Bourne in Lincolnshire, it participated from 1951 to 1977, competing in 197 grands prix and winning seventeen. BRM wo ...

engine at the

Italian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...

, under the banner of "Chris Amon Racing". With most of the other cars running 3-litre engines, Amon struggled in qualifying and failed to make the grid. From until , Amon drove for

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

, March and

Matra Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and we ...

, winning several non-championship F1 races while developing a reputation for bad luck in World Championship events. He then struggled in with the small Italian Tecno team. But encouraged by the potential of the underdeveloped

Gordon Fowell Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

chassis, Amon tried running his own Formula One car in . Financial backing came from John Dalton, and the car, designed by Fowell, followed the Lotus 72 in some areas of construction, with sophisticated torsion-bar suspension and side radiators. The venture failed completely: retiring from the first race, Amon withdrew from the second, and the car was unable to qualify for two more before the team closed down due to financial problems.

Amon AF101

The AF101 was the only Formula One car built by Amon Racing; the AF101 designation deriving from A for Amon and F for Fowell. Fowell and Tom Boyce designed the car which featured a single central fuel tank, titanium

torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...

s and a forward driving position. One unusual (for the time) feature of the AF101 was that the fuel tank was located between the driver's cockpit and the engine. Structurally, it proved to be weak and was not ready for a Formula One appearance until the fourth race of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix. Amon was only able to qualify 23rd, due to brake-disc vibration that became worse with the tyres required for the wet race that followed. Despite cautious driving, a

brake shaft A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction. Backgroun ...

finally broke and Amon was forced to retire after 22 laps. Following further work and testing, Amon returned for the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

and qualified twentieth, but due to mechanical problems, he was unable to start the race. Further problems meant Amon was not able to reappear with the AF101 until the German Grand Prix when both Amon and

Larry Perkins Larry Clifton Perkins (born 18 March 1950) is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia. Biography Early years Growing up on a farm in Cowangie in the Mallee region of Victoria, Larry, the son of racing driver Eddi ...

failed to qualify. Amon did not reappear with the AF101 until the

, three races before the end of the season, but this time he was unable to qualify. That signalled the end of both the car and Chris Amon Racing, leaving Amon to close down the team after the race when the money ran out.

Complete Formula One results

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key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

)

Non-Championship results

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References

External links

F1 Rejects profile
{{Formula One constructors Formula One constructors Formula One entrants New Zealand auto racing teams New Zealand racecar constructors 1966 establishments in New Zealand 1974 disestablishments in New Zealand Auto racing teams established in 1966 Auto racing teams disestablished in 1974