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During the second round of the 1998 JGTC at Fuji Speedway, with 47,000 spectators in attendance of the 67 lap race, the race was held in torrential rain with limited visibility. Following the parade lap, the safety car drove through the starting line at 150 km/h (93 mph), suddenly slowed down, causing 910 Racing's Porsche 911 RSR of Tomohiko Sunako to aquaplane and strike into the rear of Kaoru Hoshino's 911 GT2. Of the GT300 cars, the third car in front of the Porsches (and 22nd on the grid), the BMW M3 of Yasushi Hitotsuyama, behind, managed to avoid the Porsche by driving onto the grass and then back to the circuit, while the Porsche struck into a barrier and rested on the grass. A caution flag was waved out.
Seconds later, the Team Ferrari Club of Japan's Ferrari F355 Challenge of Ota, slowed down, causing his car to aquaplane and swerve left directly onto the Porsche; both exploded into a fireball on impact as a result. The Ferrari, after hitting the wall, slid across to the other side of the track and rested at the pit stop exit; another Porsche swerved to avoid Ota.
Luckily, the driver of the blazing Porsche managed to stumble out of his car with a fractured right leg and was shortly attended by rescue officials.
Shortly, the RE Amemiya RX-7 of Shinichi Yamaji stopped in front of the Ferrari while the other cars drove on, he took a fire extinguisher from his own car to extinguish the fire and then helped to release Ota's safety harness before marshals arrived.
Ota was trapped in his car for almost 90 seconds while exposed to 800-degree temperatures and had to be dragged out of the car by a safety marshal, to lay him on the ground, while his charred visor melted on his face. Ota while attempting to get up, at first fell; in another attempt, another marshal spotted Ota and picked him up to be bundled to the circuit's minivan, rather than the ambulance.
The race was to be rescheduled to a shortened 51 lap race, but thick fog rolled in over the circuit causing the race to be delayed. Organizers waited, hoping that the weather would improve, but by 17:00 the organizers announced that the race was officially called off and all results were voided. Ota was taken to a hospital in Gotemba where he was treated for third-degree burns to his face and neck area and minor burns to the rest of the body, but was fortunate to survive. He required plastic surgery to the nasal area as a result of the visor melting on his face. He also suffered from intoxication from the fumes he inhaled from the fire.
He was unable to function his right arm, right shoulder and fingers properly, causing an end to his professional career.
