Jan Flinterman

Johannes Leonardus 'Jan' Flinterman (2 October 1919 - 26 December 1992): Dutch Royal Air Force pilot during World War II and racing driver who, together with Dries van der Lof, was the first driver from the Netherlands to compete in Formula One. Trained as a Spitfire pilot, he flew with the RAF's 126 Squadron in Malta earning the nickname 'Crazy Flinn' with his exploits. In May 1944 he transferred to 222 Squadron as a Flight Lieutenant and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after a huge dogfight over Paris. By war's end he had also been awarded Holland's Order of Orange-Nassau and the Vliegerkruis (Flying Cross).

In 1950 he began racing using a Cooper-BSA Formula 3 car, which led to a chance in 1952 to become the first Dutchman to race in the Formula 1 World Championship. He participated in one World Championship Grand Prix—the 1952 Dutch Grand Prix on 17 August 1952—and when his Maserati suffered a rear axle failure, he took over teammate Chico Landi's similar car, finishing ninth and scoring no championship points. It was his only Grand Prix race and he returned to aviation. By the 1960s he had become a member of the board of Martin's Air Charter, a company which became Martinair Holland in 1968.