Motor racing legend dies

Former Ferrari driver Chris Amon, often described as one of the best in Formula One never to have won a race, has died at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer.

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 success, 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.

Amon finished on the podium 11 times, also driving for March and Matra among 13 teams in a career that spanned 14 seasons.