The Manfeild motor racing track has been renamed after one of New Zealand’s greatest Formula One drivers, Chris Amon.
“It’s hard to get a higher honour for dad,” his son, James, said.
“He would be extremely humbled by this, but he’d also probably say ‘what’s all this fuss about?’.”
New Zealand motorsport legend, Chris Amon, reacquaints himself with the Formula 5000 1974 Talon MR1A racing car he drove in the 1975 Tasman Cup.
The announcement to rename the main track to “Manfeild: Circuit Chris Amon” was made in the Manawatu town of Feilding by Manfeild chief executive Julie Keane at the track on Thursday.
The race track, which hosts the New Zealand Grand Prix, was largely designed by Amon, who died in August 2016, aged 73.
When Manfeild was being set up by Robbie Lester in the early 1970s, Chris Amon was involved.
Lester had drawn seven different cardboard cutouts to go on to a map and he took the designs to Amon who chose the design that is still in place today.
“He said don’t have too many corners,” Lester said.
“Too many corners doesn’t get good racing, it spreads it out.”
James Amon said his father designed the track to reward skilled drivers, not the fastest cars.
“He created the curved banked corners to allow for aggressive overtaking which rewarded drivers who could corner well.
“We knew Chris the father, the farmer – to hear all the tributes is humbling. A lot of people are in the sport for themselves and dad was a very honest and humble man,” Amon said.
“It took us a while to realise his life before us was very different. He kept his cards fairly close to his chest, but after a few drinks he used to open up a bit.”
Amon was born in Bulls and brought up on a sheep farm. He was taught to drive by a shepherd on the farm.
He learned to drive when he was 6 and became one of the world’s best-known drivers in the 1960s and 70s, although Amon said his father was always a farm boy at heart.
“He was a farmer through and through – he was the guy who fixed all the mechanical problems and breakdowns on the farm.”
At 19, he went to Europe to launch his international career and built an imposing reputation, particularly after his win with Bruce McLaren in the 24-hour Le Mans race in France.
While Amon was less successful than McLaren in the Formula One championship – never once winning from 96 Grand Prix starts – it was generally recognised that he was the most talented driving at speed.
He is widely regarded as the best driver to never win an F1 world championship race.
Keane said Chris Amon was a special piece of Manfeild history.
“We want to remember a legend who was with us at the start and will be with us always. The Manfeild circuit is his and the corners are his legacy.”
