15/2/1956 - 24/5/1992
Record updated 15-Feb-07
Japaese sports car and F3000 driver. He won the Japanese F3000 Championship in 1989 beating Ross Cheever to the title in the last race. He also won a round of the World Sportscar Championship at Monza in 1992 driving with Geoff Lees in the Tom's Toyota TS010. Sadly he was killed later in 1992 in an accident at Suzuka.
In 1983 and 1984 Hitoshi raced in Japanese Formula 2 driving for Ray Racing.
Come 1988 he was driving in Japanese F3000 for Leyton House
The in 1989 he won the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship driving a Auto Beaurex Motorsport Lola T87/50. The title had looked destined to go to Ross Cheever but, on the very last lap of the last round at Suzuka, Osamu Nakako spun in front of him as was about to be lapped and Cheever was out, giving the title to Ogawa.
He won the first round of the Fuji Long Distance Series in 1990 dring a Toyota 90C-V with Masanori Sekiya, however despite setting a fastest lap in the All Japan Fuji 500 miles, the third round, he failed to finish another race in the series.
The 1991 JSPC was a different story. Driving a Toyota Team Tom's Toyota 90C-V he finished 3rd in the first and second rounds. He won round three and set the fastest lap. In round 4 he set the fastest lap again but finished off the podium in fourth spot. Round five saw yet another fastest lap but this time he finished a dissapointing 10th. 2nd in the 1000 km Fuji saw Ogawa return to the podium and he finished the series with another second in the 800 km race at Sugo. He also raced in the Japanese F300 series finishing in 5th place in the Championship driving for Stellar International.
In 1992 he won a round of the World Sportscar Championship in April at Monza driving with Geoff Lees in the Tom's Toyota TS010.
Ogawa was killed in the fourth round of the Japanese Formula 3000 Championship at Suzuka, Japan later in the year. Ogawa's Lola/Mugen T92/50 collided with Andrew Gilbert-Scott's Reynard/Mugen 92D going into Turn 1 on lap 27 out of 34. The race was stopped, with Gilbert-Scott and Ogawa classified in fourth and fifth positions, respectively. The race was won by Volker Weidler from pole setter Ross Cheever.
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