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John Glimmerveen is a freelance writer and author specializing in automotive, motorcycle, and motorsports subjects. In addition, John is the owner and senior instructor at the Ju-Jitsu Center of Richmond Hill, in Georgia.
Born and educated in the United Kingdom, John has been involved with motor sport (both car and motorcycle) for more than forty years. This involvement started with motorcycles where he competed in Trials, Motor-Cross and eventually Road Racing–both on solo and sidecars. He has competed at all levels up to international in a successful career that spanned eighteen years. When he retired from riding, he worked for a number of international race teams both in Europe and the United States culminating in a period working as a race technician for Keith Huewen in Motor Cycle Grand Prix.
His involvement in international sidecar racing first brought him into contact with the racecar industry. During the design phase of a sidecar chassis – the first aluminum honeycombed chassised example - John was assisted by the Theodore F1 team and their chassis builders Henshall Bonded Assemblies. Subsequently he has been employed within racing in the United States in most capacities, including mechanic, technician, race engineer, crew chief, team manager, technical college instructor, and also for a period as production manager at Élan Motorsports Technologies and Van Diemen International (both part of the Panoz group).
His engineering knowledge was gained working within the U.K. engineering industry, which helped to finance his early racing activities. He completed a formal four-year apprenticeship in the U.K. as a fabricator/welder and obtained his City and Guilds in both fabrication engineering and later in Motor Cycle engineering at the Crewe College of further education.
John initially trained in martial arts to keep fit for motorcycle racing, but this involvement has become a lifetime endeavor. He has amassed over 25 years experience and is currently a 2nd. Dan (Nidan) black belt in Ju-Jitsu. He has trained under the WJJF (World Ju-Jitsu Federation) international coordinator Professor Robert Clark and follows the WJJF syllabus at his recently (2009) opened Ju-Jitsu Center in Richmond Hill Georgia, USA.
John has written numerous articles for the specialist racecar and motorcycle press and is currently the American point of contact for the UK published motorcycle technology magazine Moto Tech. His articles have also appeared in: Race Tech, Victory Lane, and Hack'd (a specialist sidecar magazine).
The SAE (Society of Automotive Engineer) published John's first book in 2004. The book, entitled Hands-On Race Car Engineer, received critical acclaim in some of the worlds most prestigious motorsports magazines including: Race Tech, Race Car Engineering, Grass Roots Motorsports, Racer and Autosport.
He is currently working on a second book entitled: Hands-On Race Car Component Fabrication Techniques.
Besides martial arts, John's main hobby is coaching youth Soccer players.
He lives with his wife, Grace, near to Savannah in Georgia, USA.