Johannes Bernhardus Theodorus "Hans" Hugenholtz, known in English-speaking countries as John Hugenholtz (October 31, 1914, – March 25, 1995) was a Dutch designer of race tracks and cars.

Personal life

Hugenholtz's father, of the same name, was a Protestant minister and peace activist who moved his family to

Purmerend Purmerend () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The city is surrounded by polders, such as the Purmer, Beemster and the Wormer. Purmerend's population grew relatively slowly until the 1960s ...

in 1918 and Ammerstol in 1924. Hugenholtz studied to be a lawyer and became a journalist by profession, but his interests were in cars. As a young man, he was an amateur motorcycle racer. Hugenholtz and his wife, Marianne Sophie van Rheineck Leyssius, were involved in a car crash in

Zandvoort Zandvoort () is a municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is bordered by coastal dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland National Park and the Amsterdam ...

on January 10, 1995. His wife died immediately, while he succumbed to the injuries two months later at home. His son, Hans Hugenholtz Jr. (born 1950), is a race car driver.

As a circuit designer

Hugenholtz designed a variety of circuits used for

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

which have been praised for their challenging nature and innovative features. The latter includes the use of multiple layers of stretching, chainlink fences ("

catch fence The following is a glossary of terminology used in motorsport, along with explanations of their meanings. 0–9 ;1–2 finish: When two vehicles from the same team finish first and second in a race. Can be extended to 1–2–3 or 1–2–3– ...

s") to slow down and catch cars running off the track, decreasing the chance of driver injury compared to the customary solid barriers. Such a concept was ultimately perfected for oval tracks (and some road courses) in the early 2000s in the form of the SAFER barrier. Amongst others, he designed the circuits Suzuka in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(1962),

Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, a ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

(1963), the

Hockenheimring The Hockenheimring, officially Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg () is a motor racing circuit situated in the Rhine valley near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other mot ...

's "Motodrom" stadium section in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

(1965),

Jarama Jarama () is a river in central Spain. It flows north to south and passes east of Madrid where the El Atazar Dam is built on a tributary, the Lozoya River. It flows into the river Tagus in Aranjuez. The Manzanares is a tributary of the Jaram ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

(1967),

Ontario Motor Speedway Ontario Motor Speedway was a motorsport venue located in Ontario, California. It was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: United States Au ...

(together with Portland-based architect Michael Parker) in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

(1970), and

Nivelles Nivelles (; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monstreux. The Nivelles arrondissement ...

in Belgium (1971). Although often credited with designing the Zandvoort circuit as well, the layout was largely dictated by the existing road layout, with Sammy Davis acting as the principal design consultant.

Other work

Hugenholtz founded the ''Nederlandse Auto Race Club'' in 1936 and was director of the

racing circuit from 1949 to 1974. He also founded the ''Association Internationale de Circuits Permanents'' in Paris, and the ''Pionier Automobielen Club'' in 1956, leading to the ''Fédération Internationale des Voitures Anciennes'' (FIVA). He was involved in the stillborn projects of the Dutch Barkey (1948) and Delfino (1989) cars, the latter based on the

Alfa Romeo Alfasud The Alfa Romeo Alfasud (Type 901, 902 and 904) is a small family car manufactured and marketed from 1971 to 1989 by Alfa Romeo as a front-engine, four-door, five-passenger entry-level model over a single generation — with facelifts in 1977 a ...

chassis and drivetrain.Autodesign in Nederland, by Jan Lammerse

References

Biography in family history
(page 32)

1914 births 1995 deaths People from Westerveld Formula One people Motorsport venue designers Dutch designers Dutch motorsport people Road incident deaths in the Netherlands

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

{{f1-bio-stub