haha, right..
And then you read, besides his engineering genius, he paints and is a cartoon artist? wtf?? Makes me feel small..
I love that he takes his experience and innovation from racing and applies it to his hobbies/projects.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
Thank you News, that is really a good interview. In the last part it seems he's indirectly teasing Preziosi, with those partial hints about CF 'good for F1' and the need for frame flexibility in race bikes that is linear 'from front to rear' -- something presumably hard on the Ducati. The joke about Rossi being a possible 'additional noise' in the Ducati equation is very witty and amusing.
What impression I always get from Furusawa? He praises only Rossi so much that everyone else looks like ...... They are friends and respect each other.. I know that, but a little bit too much unless you are a die-hard Rossi fan. He must be over confident or what. Who gave lots of hints to go faster to a competitor? He may not think Ducati is a competitor anymore as his beloved Rossi joins them.
I've a feeling Ducati may have approached Furusawa primarily to join them... resulting in 'hints', 'ideas' and what not that he claims to have given Ducati. Really wonder what made Furusawa not consider joining Ducati, when it way anyway his end of term at Yamaha, unless he was stuck with choosing between his loyalty to engineering at Yamaha and the superhuman team work/spirit with Rossi and co. A quintessential engineer would pick either I'd presume..
Nice interview though - really admire his sheer brilliance.
Joined Oct 2007
4K Posts | 744+
Tuscany, Italy
A real Japanese is very unlikely to change sides even after retirement, and Furusawa is a Yamaha man in and out. He sounds more like he's teasing Preziosi and his friend Rossi, rather than giving hints (assuming he would be capable of giving useful hints for developing a bike that is almost the opposite of his design philosophy).
Joined Aug 2007
11K Posts | 3K+
Pomona NY
Truly a superlative interview. A brilliant guy and seemingly very sweet natured.
Masao Furusawa:
Yeah, yeah. Stepped aside. Valentino was so upset. He wanted me back at the race track.
An opening for comment by Jum if there ever was one!
I will watch the race in Qatar on the TV or the internet, while drinking a beer!
See! After all those years and all the hard work – Furusawa just wants to be a typical Powerslider.
Last year was kind of boring. Yamaha was too strong.
Nice to know it’s not just the fans who thought so.
So some people were sceptical. Looking at me and thinking 'we understand what you are saying, but reality is different.'
Gives you perspective. If Furusawa had difficulty convincing the factory people that his ideas were the way to go – how hard is it for a rider? This statement goes a long way to supporting what I’ve been saying for ages about the difficulty of swaying the group-mind when it comes to doing anything not orthodox to standard or accepted company way of thinking.
Then Valentino Rossi came to Yamaha and rode for the first time here [at Sepang] in January 2004. He is really a genius. He rode the crossplane bike for just five or six laps and then came back and said 'this bike is the best one'. Even though it was slow, because the power was not so much.
A good example of either Rossi’s “genius” instincts or perhaps in reality – Rossi’s capacity to inspire others to greatness. Perhaps a little of each.
So when Valentino gave the 'thumbs up' for four-valve and crossplane crankshaft everybody knew it was the way forward and worked in the same direction. We didn't have much time. Only two months to the race in South Africa. So I really owe a big thanks to Valentino for making a clear and correct choice.
A good reminder of how much can really be accomplished in two months time.
History is repeating. You know Filippo [Preziosi, Ducati Corse general director] came to me and asked lots of questions. The last question was 'will you come to Ducati?' [laughs]. No, no, no. Anyway I gave him lots of hints to win and it looks like he copied my strategy. It looks like now Valentino is a little bit confused with the Ducati... That is good! But still I am keeping a good friendship with Valentino. Sometimes he calls me and I give him some small hint. A clue.
Sounds like Furusawa really wants Rossi to do well – irregardless. Yamaha can’t be too happy to hear this kind of thing.
I think we can keep a good relationship with each other - and I need his autograph for a poster! I'm still a fan of Valentino.
Awwww.
I'm always looking precisely at the racing, with not too much tears and shouting. I don't get too high or low. Although, to be honest, the first race win with Valentino in South Africa was very exciting. One guy in the team passed out, some guys were crying and some were jumping into the pool...
LOL!
The first year he [Jorge] came to Yamaha [2008] he crashed so many times and he wanted to change the bike. So I talked to him and said 'please, adapt your riding style to the bike'. I said exactly the same thing to Valentino, and Valentino changed his riding style in just 10 seconds. Jorge was new to MotoGP so he took longer.
Discuss! Endlessly!
Historically, Honda's advantage has usually been a technical one. Right from the founder, Soichiro Honda, there have been many good engineers at Honda. Then around 2003 they became maybe a little arrogant in racing. They believed any riders could come to Honda and win.
As we all knew, tho it is interesting to hear it confirmed by a true insider.
The next job after that is a bike. This is my baby. A RD250LC from back in 1981. I still have some problems with it. The last Christmas card I drew showed this bike doing a stoppie! And then another bike has some heating problems. Pretty shabby design for the cooling system. Sometimes it is overcooled in winter and overheats in summer. I'd like to fix that.
One of my favorite “vintage” bikes.
Some of the engineers thought about using carbon fibre, but for me no. Carbon fibre is very good for keeping rigidity and it is very lightweight. But for a motorcycle I don't think it is so good. When you lean over 45 degrees there is almost no suspension, so you need some flexibility in the frame. And with carbon fibre it is really hard to control stiffness. For carbon fibre the stiffer it is, the better, which is why it is perfect for a Formula One chassis.
Okay “engineers” this is your cue. BTW - what's become of ol' Lex-Ray Eyes these days?
Masao Furusawa:
Yeah, yeah. Stepped aside. Valentino was so upset. He wanted me back at the race track.
An opening for comment by Jum if there ever was one!
I will watch the race in Qatar on the TV or the internet, while drinking a beer!
See! After all those years and all the hard work – Furusawa just wants to be a typical Powerslider.
Last year was kind of boring. Yamaha was too strong.
Nice to know it’s not just the fans who thought so.
So some people were sceptical. Looking at me and thinking 'we understand what you are saying, but reality is different.'
Gives you perspective. If Furusawa had difficulty convincing the factory people that his ideas were the way to go – how hard is it for a rider? This statement goes a long way to supporting what I’ve been saying for ages about the difficulty of swaying the group-mind when it comes to doing anything not orthodox to standard or accepted company way of thinking.
Then Valentino Rossi came to Yamaha and rode for the first time here [at Sepang] in January 2004. He is really a genius. He rode the crossplane bike for just five or six laps and then came back and said 'this bike is the best one'. Even though it was slow, because the power was not so much.
A good example of either Rossi’s “genius” instincts or perhaps in reality – Rossi’s capacity to inspire others to greatness. Perhaps a little of each.
So when Valentino gave the 'thumbs up' for four-valve and crossplane crankshaft everybody knew it was the way forward and worked in the same direction. We didn't have much time. Only two months to the race in South Africa. So I really owe a big thanks to Valentino for making a clear and correct choice.
A good reminder of how much can really be accomplished in two months time.
History is repeating. You know Filippo [Preziosi, Ducati Corse general director] came to me and asked lots of questions. The last question was 'will you come to Ducati?' [laughs]. No, no, no. Anyway I gave him lots of hints to win and it looks like he copied my strategy. It looks like now Valentino is a little bit confused with the Ducati... That is good! But still I am keeping a good friendship with Valentino. Sometimes he calls me and I give him some small hint. A clue.
Sounds like Furusawa really wants Rossi to do well – irregardless. Yamaha can’t be too happy to hear this kind of thing.
I think we can keep a good relationship with each other - and I need his autograph for a poster! I'm still a fan of Valentino.
Awwww.
I'm always looking precisely at the racing, with not too much tears and shouting. I don't get too high or low. Although, to be honest, the first race win with Valentino in South Africa was very exciting. One guy in the team passed out, some guys were crying and some were jumping into the pool...
LOL!
The first year he [Jorge] came to Yamaha [2008] he crashed so many times and he wanted to change the bike. So I talked to him and said 'please, adapt your riding style to the bike'. I said exactly the same thing to Valentino, and Valentino changed his riding style in just 10 seconds. Jorge was new to MotoGP so he took longer.
Discuss! Endlessly!
Historically, Honda's advantage has usually been a technical one. Right from the founder, Soichiro Honda, there have been many good engineers at Honda. Then around 2003 they became maybe a little arrogant in racing. They believed any riders could come to Honda and win.
As we all knew, tho it is interesting to hear it confirmed by a true insider.
The next job after that is a bike. This is my baby. A RD250LC from back in 1981. I still have some problems with it. The last Christmas card I drew showed this bike doing a stoppie! And then another bike has some heating problems. Pretty shabby design for the cooling system. Sometimes it is overcooled in winter and overheats in summer. I'd like to fix that.
One of my favorite “vintage” bikes.
Some of the engineers thought about using carbon fibre, but for me no. Carbon fibre is very good for keeping rigidity and it is very lightweight. But for a motorcycle I don't think it is so good. When you lean over 45 degrees there is almost no suspension, so you need some flexibility in the frame. And with carbon fibre it is really hard to control stiffness. For carbon fibre the stiffer it is, the better, which is why it is perfect for a Formula One chassis.
Okay “engineers” this is your cue. BTW - what's become of ol' Lex-Ray Eyes these days?
Thanks for that link.
very nice read, about everything. what a down to earth guy!
Finally a little inside news.
Last year was kind of boring. Yamaha was too strong. That was good for me of course, because I was strongly involved in the Yamaha MotoGP project. But this year I will just be an adviser at Yamaha.
But we cannot be arrogant. If we look down on anything then there is a chance to lose the game, because all the competitors are so, so keen to win. This is the kind of message I will transfer to the people here.
what a big favor to Preziosi:
History is repeating. You know Filippo [Preziosi, Ducati Corse general director] came to me and asked lots of questions. The last question was 'will you come to Ducati?' [laughs]. No, no, no. Anyway I gave him lots of hints to win and it looks like he copied my strategy.
Then Filippo did almost the same process as I did for Rossi in 2004. He prepared maybe two or three types of bike in Valencia. And Valentino selected the 'right' one. But from now on I don't want to say anything.
It looks like now Valentino is a little bit confused with the Ducati... That is good! But still I am keeping a good friendship with Valentino. Sometimes he calls me and I give him some small hint. A clue.
I think we can keep a good relationship with each other - and I need his autograph for a poster! I'm still a fan of Valentino.
I'm always looking precisely at the racing, with not too much tears and shouting. I don't get too high or low. Although, to be honest, the first race win with Valentino in South Africa was very exciting. One guy in the team passed out, some guys were crying and some were jumping into the pool...
Q:
Would you say that win, in Rossi's first race for Yamaha, is the moment you remember most about your time in MotoGP?
Masao Furusawa:
Yes. That is a good memory for me.
Q:
In place of Valentino you have Ben Spies, who is riding alongside Jorge Lorenzo. How much has Jorge developed the bike in the past and can he develop the bike in the way Valentino has in the future?
Masao Furusawa:
There is a big age difference between Valentino [31] and Jorge [23]. Jorge is still young and a 'curious boy'. He is still growing up. So far he has almost no knowledge to develop the bike, to be honest, but I'm very much expecting to look at him for the next couple of years. He is changing a lot.
The first year he came to Yamaha [2008] he crashed so many times and he wanted to change the bike.
So I talked to him and said 'please, adapt your riding style to the bike'. I said exactly the same thing to Valentino, and Valentino changed his riding style in just 10 seconds. Jorge was new to MotoGP so he took longer.
Our advantage with the bike is in smooth riding and being very fast in the corner. Not fast in a straight-line and stop-start style. So Jorge understood and then last year he learnt many things, had almost no crashes and was on the podium almost every time. Now he is so smart. More like Valentino.
Also Ben is clever and the combination with the two guys is very good. And, thanks to Valentino again, he and I developed the bike and all we need from now on is just a little bit of set-up and modification.
---------
.
very nice read, about everything. what a down to earth guy!
Finally a little inside news.
Last year was kind of boring. Yamaha was too strong. That was good for me of course, because I was strongly involved in the Yamaha MotoGP project. But this year I will just be an adviser at Yamaha.
But we cannot be arrogant. If we look down on anything then there is a chance to lose the game, because all the competitors are so, so keen to win. This is the kind of message I will transfer to the people here.
what a big favor to Preziosi:
History is repeating. You know Filippo [Preziosi, Ducati Corse general director] came to me and asked lots of questions. The last question was 'will you come to Ducati?' [laughs]. No, no, no. Anyway I gave him lots of hints to win and it looks like he copied my strategy.
Then Filippo did almost the same process as I did for Rossi in 2004. He prepared maybe two or three types of bike in Valencia. And Valentino selected the 'right' one. But from now on I don't want to say anything.
It looks like now Valentino is a little bit confused with the Ducati... That is good! But still I am keeping a good friendship with Valentino. Sometimes he calls me and I give him some small hint. A clue.
I think we can keep a good relationship with each other - and I need his autograph for a poster! I'm still a fan of Valentino.
I'm always looking precisely at the racing, with not too much tears and shouting. I don't get too high or low. Although, to be honest, the first race win with Valentino in South Africa was very exciting. One guy in the team passed out, some guys were crying and some were jumping into the pool...
Q:
Would you say that win, in Rossi's first race for Yamaha, is the moment you remember most about your time in MotoGP?
Masao Furusawa:
Yes. That is a good memory for me.
Q:
In place of Valentino you have Ben Spies, who is riding alongside Jorge Lorenzo. How much has Jorge developed the bike in the past and can he develop the bike in the way Valentino has in the future?
Masao Furusawa:
There is a big age difference between Valentino [31] and Jorge [23]. Jorge is still young and a 'curious boy'. He is still growing up. So far he has almost no knowledge to develop the bike, to be honest, but I'm very much expecting to look at him for the next couple of years. He is changing a lot.
The first year he came to Yamaha [2008] he crashed so many times and he wanted to change the bike.
So I talked to him and said 'please, adapt your riding style to the bike'. I said exactly the same thing to Valentino, and Valentino changed his riding style in just 10 seconds. Jorge was new to MotoGP so he took longer.
Our advantage with the bike is in smooth riding and being very fast in the corner. Not fast in a straight-line and stop-start style. So Jorge understood and then last year he learnt many things, had almost no crashes and was on the podium almost every time. Now he is so smart. More like Valentino.
Also Ben is clever and the combination with the two guys is very good. And, thanks to Valentino again, he and I developed the bike and all we need from now on is just a little bit of set-up and modification.
---------
.
Attachments
He comes across as one of the genuine nice guys of the paddock. Highly intelligent and has a sense of humour.
Some great comments.
