Johannes Bernhardus Theodorus "Hans" Hugenholtz, known in English-speaking countries as John Hugenholtz (October 31, 1914,

Vledder Vledder () is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Westerveld, and lies about 24 km northwest of Hoogeveen. It is located along the small river Vledder Aa. History Prehistoric settlements have been f ...

– March 25, 1995,

Bentveld Bentveld is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zandvoort, and lies about west of Haarlem. Part of the village is located in the municipality of Bloemendaal, however it can be considered annexed s ...

) was a Dutch designer of race tracks and cars. Hugenholtz's father, of the same name, was a Protestant minister and peace activist who moved his family to Purmerend in 1918 and

Ammerstol Ammerstol is a village, part of the municipality of Krimpenerwaard in the Netherlands. It is located about southeast of Gouda, on the Lek River. Between 1817 and 1985, Ammerstol was an independent municipality. Until 2015, it was part of Bergam ...

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

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 ...

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). Hugenholtz designed a variety of circuits used for

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

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

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(1962), Zolder in

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(1963), the

Hockenheimring The 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 motor racing events, it has hos ...

's "Motodrom" stadium section in

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(1965), Jarama in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(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: USAC (and now In ...

(together with Portland-based architect Michael Parker) in

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(1970), and Nivelles 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. Delfino van Hugenholtz (1989)

Besides circuits he was involved in the stillborn projects of the Dutch "Barkey" car (1948) and the "Delfino" (1989), the latter based on the Alfa Romeo Alfasud chassis and drivetrain.Autodesign in Nederland, by Jan Lammerse Hugenholtz and his wife, Marianne Sophie van Rheineck Leyssius, were involved in a car crash in

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.

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 {{f1-bio-stub