John Piper

Project Chief Designer/ Director Special Projects, Visioneering Ltd

John Piper has built an enviable reputation for his design and engineering skills within the top echelons of motorsport – Formula 1 and sportscars.

After graduating in mechanical engineering from Kingston University, his love of motorsport led him to David Price Racing in Formula Three and Formula 1 and then, via the Triplex Rover GpA Touring Car team, to Williams F1 Grand Prix Engineering. He was Nigel Mansell’s race engineer there in 1985 and then became Design Project Leader on the prototype Metro 6R4 rally car. He moved to Benetton in 1986 to work on transmission systems and suspension dampers, then had spells as Technical Director at Prodrive Engineering on the Subaru rally programme and as Chief Designer on TWR’s Jaguar XJR Group C car and the Le Mans Jaguar V12 in 1990-91. He then undertook a series of design projects with various motorsport companies, including Alfa Romeo’s Supertouring car gearbox, before working as a consultant to Reynard Racing Cars to head up the company’s Special Vehicle Projects division.