16 Facts About Shigeaki Hattori

Shigeaki Hattori was a Japanese professional race car driver and team owner based in the United States.

Shigeaki Hattori was not related to Naoki Hattori, whom he briefly raced against in CART.

Shigeaki Hattori was born on November 3,1963 in Okayama, Japan.

Shigeaki Hattori moved to the United States in 1995, and began competing in the Indy Lights series in 1996 at the age of 32.

Shigeaki Hattori stepped up to CART in 1999, racing for Bettenhausen Motorsports.

Shigeaki Hattori started 7 races, with a best finish of 15th at Gateway International Raceway.

Shigeaki Hattori raced in the Indy Racing League from 2000 until 2003.

Shigeaki Hattori's best IRL finish was a 6th at Texas Motor Speedway in 2002 and he finished 13th in IRL points in 2001 for Treadway-Vertex Cunningham Racing.

Shigeaki Hattori led a total of 28 laps in his 26 series starts.

Shigeaki Hattori attempted his first race in the Craftsman Truck Series at the season-finale at Homestead Miami Speedway in 2004, with sponsorship from Aisin AW.

Shigeaki Hattori failed to qualify his No 01 Toyota Tundra.

Shigeaki Hattori was signed to drive the No 9 Tundra for Germain Racing-Arnold Racing in 2005, with sponsorship from Aisin AW.

Shigeaki Hattori's team returned in 2014, fielding the 80 in several Nationwide series events.

In 2022, Shigeaki Hattori formed Shigeaki Hattori Motorsports to compete in the GT4 America Series with Seth Lucas and Matt Plumb.

Shigeaki Hattori died on the morning of April 5,2025 in a traffic collision on North Carolina Highway 73 near Huntersville, North Carolina.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a 2025 Toyota Crown, driven by Shigeaki Hattori, was traveling westbound when it crossed the centerline into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with another vehicle.