In 1970, Chris Amon was scheduled to run in the Indy 500 with McLaren, one of his rare outings with the team founded by friend and co-Le Mans winner Bruce McLaren. Unfortunately, spooked by the walled oval in practice and incapable of getting the M15 up to speed, the Kiwi decided to take a pass on the race. Amon had also been upset by the accident in practice of team mate Denny Hulme, who suffered third degree burns on his hands.
Strangely, a few weeks later, and after Bruce McLaren had been killed in a testing accident at Goodwood, Amon was apparently oblivious to any sense of danger when he hounded Pedro Rodriguez's BRM for all its worth on the daunting and perilous old Spa circuit in the Belgian Grand Prix!
