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Amon was part of a well-known trio of New Zealand drivers
competing in Formula One in the 1960s and early 70s alongside
Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme, who both enjoyed more successful
careers in the sport's premier series.
Bad luck was often cited as the key reason for his lack of
Formula One victories, with former world champion Mario Andretti
once famously saying: "If he became an undertaker, people would
stop dying."
Like McLaren, with whom he won the Le Mans 24-hour endurance
race in a Ford GT40 50 years ago, he founded his own team but
Chris Amon Racing failed to achieve much success.
"Chris battled cancer in recent years but retained not only a
close interest in Formula One -- and his very wide range of
favorite topics -- but also his wonderful sense of humor
complete with infectious chuckle," Amon's family said in a
statement.
McLaren chairman Ron Dennis praised Amon as he paid tribute to
the driver.
"It was with profound sadness that I heard the news this morning
that Chris Amon had passed away," Dennis said in a statement.
"He nearly won a fair few, but always it seemed that his luck
would run out before he saw the chequered flag," Dennis
recalled, terming Amon as "one of the fastest racing drivers".
Williams also paid tribute to Amon who finished on the podium 11
times, also driving for March and Matra among 13 teams in a
career that spanned 14 seasons.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by John
O'Brien)
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