Hans Hugenholtz
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Hans Hugenholtz (* October 31, 1914 as Johannes Bernhardus Theodorus Hugenholtz in the Westervelder district of Vledder; † March 25, 1995 in the Zandvoort district of Bentveld), also known as John Hugenholtz , was a Dutch planner of motorsport racetracks and for a long time also the track director of the circuit Park Zandvoort . One curve of this route, the Hugenholtzbocht , is named after him. Among other things, he designed the Formula 1 racetracks for Nivelles-Baulers in Belgium, Suzuka (Japan), Zolder (Belgium) and Jarama (Spain) as well as the Hockenheimring - Motodrom . He is also considered a pioneer of safety technology in motorsport because he first used " safety fences" on the tracks and planned run- off zones as early as the late 1960s .
Life
Hugenholtz drove amateur motorcycle races as a young man and founded the Nederlandse Auto Race Club ("Dutch Auto Racing Club") in 1936 after high school and while studying law in Utrecht . Here he acted as secretary until 1947. He had to break off his studies due to the war and began his professional career in 1945 as a journalist for various Dutch newspapers, in which he wrote about motorsport, traffic and technology, among other things. When converting a temporary race track in the dunes of Zandvoort that had existed since 1939, Hugenholtz planned large parts of the almost 4.2 km long permanent route, which was first used in August 1948. From 1949 to 1974 he was director of the course, partly parallel to it (from 1949 to 1970) also tourism director of the city of Zandvoort. In 1951, Hugenholtz founded the Association Internationale de Circuits Permanent in Paris , a worldwide association of operators of permanent motorsport race tracks that has since ceased to exist.
He demonstrated his passion for historic automobiles in 1956 when he co-founded and temporarily president of the Dutch Pioneer Automobile Club (PAC), which in turn was one of the pillars for the establishment of the International Automobile Veterans Association Fédération Internationale des Voitures Anciennes (FIVA) in 1966 . Under the name of John Hugenholtz , he often took part as a driver at racing events with historic vehicles.
Hugenholtz died at the age of 80 from the consequences of serious injuries sustained in a car accident near Zandvoort on January 10, 1995. His wife Marianne Sophie van Rheineck Leyssius died at the scene of the accident.
His son Hans Hugenholtz jun. (* 1950) was a racing driver, including a Dodge Viper in the FIA GT series (officially like his father earlier under the name John Hugenholtz ), and has been CEO of the Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker Cars since August 2007 .
Individual evidence
- ^ "Circuits of the Past: Nivelles-Baulers" (groups.msn.com, Dutch)
- ^ "Spyker: Interim boss exchanged" ( Memento from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ( Auto, Motor und Sport website on August 15, 2007)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hugenholtz, Hans |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hugenholtz, Johannes Bernhardus Theodorus (full name); Hugenholtz, John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch race track planner and motorsport official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 31, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Westerveld |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 25, 1995 |
| Place of death | Zandvoort |