Hitoshi Ogawa
Hitoshi Ogawa ( Japanese 小河 等 , Ogawa Hitoshi ; born February 15, 1956 in Okazaki , Aichi Prefecture ; † May 24, 1992 in Suzuka ) was a Japanese racing car driver .
Career in motorsport
Monoposto
Hitoshi Ogawa began his career in 1981 in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship , where he was eighth overall in 1981 (Master Osamu Nakako ) and sixth overall in 1982 (Master Kengo Nakamoto ). In 1987 he was runner- up behind Ross Cheever . After another year in Formula 3 , he switched to Formula 3000 and in 1989 he won the overall ranking of the Japanese championship. The championship was decided in the last round of the last championship run on the Suzuka International Racing Course when championship leader Ross Cheever collided with Osamu Nakako, who was spinning in front of him, and was eliminated. His last full single-post season was 1991 when he finished fifth overall in Formula 3000.
Sports car racing
In addition to his single-seater use, Ogawa regularly competed in sports car races. Between 1981 and 1992 he took part in 51 events and celebrated 5 overall and one class victory. In 1986 he became a works driver at Toyota and finished the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship in 1991 in second overall. In 1992 he drove a works Toyota TS010 in the World Sports Car Championship and won the 500 km race in Monza with Geoff Lees .
Death in Suzuka
Hitoshi Ogawa had a fatal accident on May 24, 1992 in the Formula 3000 race on the Suzuka International Racing Course. In the 27 lap he collided on the start-finish straight with his Lola T92 / 50 while trying to Reynard 92D of Andrew Gilbert-Scott to overtake with this. Both vehicles got off the track and crashed into the track in the first corner. While Gilbert-Scott's car was overturned in the gravel bed, Ogawa's car flew over the guardrail and got stuck between it and a frame for a television camera. Ogawa suffered severe injuries to his legs and head and died on the way to the hospital. In addition to Gilbert-Scott, the cameraman and several photographers also suffered serious injuries.
statistics
Le Mans results
| year | team | vehicle | Teammate | Teammate | placement | Failure reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 |
 Tom's Team Toyota
|
Toyota 88C |
 Paolo Barilla
|
Tiff Needell
|
Rank 24 | |
| 1989 |
Tom's Team Toyota
|
Toyota 89C |
Paolo Barilla
|
 Ross Cheever
|
failure | Engine failure |
| 1990 |
 Toyota Team Tom's
|
Toyota 90C-V |
Geoff Lees
|
Masanori Sekiya
|
Rank 6 |
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ogawa, Hitoshi |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 小河 等 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese racing car driver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 15, 1956 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Okazaki , Aichi Prefecture |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 24, 1992 |
| Place of death | Suzuka |