was a Japanese racing car driver.

Career

During the 1980s, he competed in several Fuji Grand Champion Series races. Ogawa won the 1989 All Japan Formula 3000 Championship and finished 2nd in the same championship in 1990. In the same year, teaming up with

Masanori Sekiya is a racing car driver, most famous for being the first Japanese driver to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1995. Sekiya drove in single-seaters in his early career, contesting the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship and Formula Nippon from 1987 ...

, he won the JAF Grand Prix All Japan Fuji 500km, held at

Fuji Fuji may refer to: Places China * Fuji, Xiangcheng City (付集镇), town in Xiangcheng City, Henan Japan * Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan * Fuji River * Fuji, Saga, town in Saga Prefecture * Fuji, Shizuoka, city in Shizuoka Prefec ...

. In 1992, he won the first round of the

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Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

in C1, partnering Geoff Lees.

Complete Japanese Formula 3 results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Japanese Formula 3000 Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Death

Ogawa was killed in an accident on lap 27 of an All-Japan Formula 3000 race held at Suzuka in May 1992. Ogawa aimed to overtake

Andrew Gilbert-Scott Andrew Gilbert-Scott (born 11 July 1958) is a former British racing driver. Early career He started his racing career in the Formula Ford British championship in 1981. In 1983, he moved to the Lola Formula Ford works team. Gilbert-Scott was s ...

's car on the main straight, but the latter held his position while Ogawa moved slightly to the side. He clipped the rear left wheel and the front of his car became lodged in the rear bodywork. Both went down the straight at speed and went into the gravel trap, which was insufficient in slowing down either car. Gilbert-Scott spun, hit the tyre wall and flipped, landing upside-down. Ogawa went in nose-first, hit a mound in the gravel trap and was launched over the tyre barrier, hitting a high-fence supporting pole. Both cars were wrecked and the race was stopped immediately. As a result of the accident at least one cameraman, several photographers, and Gilbert-Scott all sustained injuries. Ogawa was freed but had suffered severe leg, head and neck injuries and was pronounced dead on the way to hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogawa, Hitoshi 1956 births 1992 deaths Japanese racing drivers Japanese Formula 3000 Championship drivers Japanese Formula 3 Championship drivers Racing drivers who died while racing People from Okazaki, Aichi Sport deaths in Japan 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers Long Distance Series drivers TOM'S drivers Japanese Sportscar Championship drivers