By Peter McLaren

"Would you like a coffee?" asks Masao Furusawa as we walk towards a table in the Factory Yamah🌜a pits at Sepang. And he doesn't expect one of the hospitality staff to do it - Furusawa heads straight over to the machine a♉nd brings back an Espresso.

It's a small but telling glimpse into the character of the soon-to-be 60-year-old, who holds o🌱ne of the most powerful positions within Yamaha - and MotoGP - but operates very much on a down-to-earth, get-things-done basis.

After꧅ his final race for Yamaha at Valencia last November, Valentino Rossi said: "I have to thank first of all Masao Furusawa, because we went through some difficult moments but we were able to improve the bike and make it the best𒅌 machine."

In just over a month Furusawa will retiꦏre from Yamaha, having helped transform its MotoGP fortunes from a single podium in 2003 ("it was hell!") to winning all three world titles for the past three seasons. Talk about leaving on a high.

Furusawa's official ﷽title is "Executive Officer, Engineering Operations, Motorcycle Headquarters", but Rossi refers to him simply as "the number one a🅠t Yamaha" and he's also the man behind the YZR-M1's crossplane crank technology.

In this wide-ranging and often candid interview Furusawa looks back over his involvement in MotoGP, discussing riders such as Rossi ("l🍎ike a King") and new world cham💝pion Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha's mistakes and best moments, plus some of the cutting-edge technical challenges.

Furusawa also talks about Yamaha's long standing rivalry with Honda ("Many people in Honda want to kill me") and even reveals the "hints" he gave Ducati, when they contacted 🧸him for advice after signing Rossi for 2011...

Q:
🅺Mr Furusawa, it's good to see you here. Have you decided what your future plans will be?

Masao Furusawa:
I have another month and a half before retiring. We have had lots🃏 of discussions these past few years, one being should I stop? In the last few months the president of Yam⛦aha Motors asked me to extend my job. And I said 'no' [smiles].

It's too long for me to stay in MotoGP. Because I real🎀ly did not expect to still be here when I started back in 2003. At that time Yamaha was suffering, we had not won 🅺the championship for ten years, so I was put in charge of MotoGP to change everything.

I thought maybe five years woul꧒d be the longest for me here. But I did a big mistake in 2006 and 2007 aꦬnd Valentino was so upset.

Q:
Was that when you kind of ♓steppe𒁏d away from racing?

Masao Furusawa:
Yeah, yeah. Stepped aside. Valentino was so upset. He wan🔜ted me back at the race track. So I ♋decided to come back and I've stayed since.

You know, I was really an amateur about racing before 2003. I had never seen a r🎉ace! Before I was always changing my job in Yamaha Motors, because sometimes there was tꦫrouble in the company and they would move me around to wherever they needed me.

Q:
So you were a troubleshooter?

Masao Furusawa:
Yes! I have a nickname of 'Sophi⛦sticated Troubleshooter' or 'Fixer'! It's been lots of fun for me and I've enjoyed it a lot.

Life is short. My stepfather passed away when he was 75 and this month I will be 60 years old. My birthday is actually one day after Valentino Rossi's,🌼 on February 17th.

So maybe I have 15 year𒈔s before I die. I have lots of hobbies, but with racing I have no time to enjoy them. Soꦏ now is the time to stop my career.

On the 24th of March is the date when we agreed to stop. Some of the guys were against me stopping, but I said 'I've done enough!' Then I'll have one year as an advisor for Y𓄧amaha, but aඣn advisor is not a busy guy.

So after sev❀en years, racing will soon become another hobby for me. I'm attending the next MotoGP test at Sepang and also Qatar. And right after🐻 the Qatar test I will be back in Japan.

I wil♌l watch the race in Qatar on the TV or the interneౠt, while drinking a beer!

That will be the first time I can enjoy MotoGP as a fan, with no responsibility. Also this year will be very competitive - Casey 🌠Stoner at Honda, Valentino Rossi at Ducati and Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha.

Last year was kind of boring. Yamaha was too strong. That was good for me o♊f course, because I was strongly involved in the Yamaha MotoGP project. But this year I will just be an adviser at Yamaha.

Q:
Is that specifically as an advisor for MotoGP?

Masao Furusawa:
It can b🌠e anything, but it will mainly be🔯 for racing.

After t🌸hat I will completely move to some of my personal 'skunkworks' projects and hobbies: Motorcycles, Cars, Snowmobiles, ATVs, Water Veh𒆙icles, Sea Fishing, Sculpturing, Drawing, Painting... I will still be busy.

Q:
How have you p🧔lanned so that this time - unlike in 2006 and 2007 - you can step away and Yℱamaha can still be as strong in MotoGP?

Masao Furusawa:
Back in 2006 and 2007 was a little bit early to step aside. I havꦍe learned many things from my own mistakes! Now I'm🌃 pretty much confident I can transfer my knowledge and technology to other senior people to keep Yamaha winning.

2004 and 2005 we were winning and it was a successful experience. But after that were two years of mistake. Then three years of success with the Triple Crown. So I'm comfortable to leave her🍸e.

But we cannot be arrogant. If we look down on anything then there is a chance to lꦕose 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.

Q:
Looking back at the M1. I remember the first version had carburet🥂tors...

Masao Furusawa:
Oh yes.🥂 2002. For 2003 I recommended to change from carburettor to a fuel-inject♍ion system and chain-driven camshafts.

I had always apꦍproached problems as a kind of outsider, a consultant, looking in and recommending this, this and this. But doing it is different. It was such a big shock when I jumped in to MotoGP in 2003. 'Wow! This is all my responsibility'.

And the results that year [one🦋 podium] were terrible. 2003 was hell❀!

I thought many things were wrong, but I was new to racing, so it was just my own ideas from logical thinking, analysis and experience. Reality is not necessarily the same. So some people were sceptical. Looking at me and thinking 'we understand what🐟 you are saying, but reality is different.'

It can be really hard to convince 🦂everyone to go in the same direction. So I did some trick. I came ⭕up with a pretty good idea - the crossplane crankshaft [utilising 'big bang' technology] - and then right after I joined MotoGP I started a design. Half a year later the first prototype ran on the racetrack near the Yamaha headquarters.

Everybody was looking and the first thing the test rider said was 'this bike feels slow'. So everyone looked at me, thinki💦ng 'Hmmm. You are the guy who thought of this...' And then he said 'But the lap time is so fast. It just feels slow because it is very, very smooth and stable.'

That was Christmas time in 2003. Then Valentino Rossi came to Yamaha and rode for the first time here [at Sepang] in January 2004. He is really a genius. He r🦹ode 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.

I had prepared lots of combinations fo🐽r him to try: Four-valve system, five-valve system, crossplane, single plane. And he pointed to the crossplane crankshaft bike with f♔our-valve.

Before, everybody was so scared to look at a new engine, because for a long tim♚e Yamaha had been successful wiꦿth the five-valve. People said 'How can you throw away the five-valve system?'

I said 'It is a very interesting system. It's lots of fun for a produ🍒ction bike, but the purpose of racing is not fun. Fun is ok, but the first thing we have to do is win. The problem we have had is Yamaha is losing the game for over ten years. So we have to change.'

So the four-valve system and crossplane crankshaft was the b👍est, but it was also a brand new engine design, which is why the power was so slow. But despite that, Valentino still pointed to that engine and said 'this is it'.

Q:
Is that a lesson you want people at Yamaha to remember, that something migꦬht not necessarily produce the best numbers on a design simulation, but𒁏 the most important thing to remember is the human connection with the machine?

Masao Furusawa:
Right. And you ne♛ed to remember that Valentino was kind of like a King. We all huddled around him when he came in after riding to listen to what he had to say - would he give 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' to our ideas?

So when Valentino gave the 'thumbs up' for four-valve and crossplane crankshaft everybody knew iဣt 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 f♛or making a clear and correct choice.

I had showed some results and evidence [to support the engine change] with the prototype ꦦrunning on the test track, but maybe only 50 percent of people thought 'ok I will follow you'. The other 50 percent still thought 'that is not the 🌟reality on the race track'.

But after Valentino said 'yes', everybody knew it was the right thing and we were able to get a lot of power from people all working as a team. That is one reason why we have had su♕ch good results.

Mayb꧋e if Valentino hadn't come to Yamaha, I would have been [jokes about a noose around his neck!].

Q:
On that note, Valentino is not at Yam൩aha any more. He has gone to Ducati. It looks like they are also making a lot of changes for his first year.

Masao Furusawa:
History is repeating. You know Filippo [Preziosi, Ducati Corse gener🥂al 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.

Q:
Wow! That was🌟 very sporting. When did he come and talk to you?

Masao Furusawa:
Before the Valen๊cia test. Before Valeꦍntino first rode the Ducati.

Q:
Can I ask 💧𓃲what you told Filippo, or some of what you told him?

Masao Furusawa:
Yes. The first thing he asked me, was to invite myself and my wife to visit the Ducati factory. Because I was a fan of the Ducati, it really touches the heart - I mean the production bike. Not the MotoGP! I am not a fan ofꦜ what I race against!

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 friendsh🃏ip 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 neꦐed his autograph for a poster! I'm still a fan of Valentino.

Q:
How did you feel when🗹 you were watching Jorge and Valentino battling so closely at Motegi last year? From the TV images you seemed relaxed, compared with some other people in the team...

Masao Furusawa:
This is interesting for me. Everything has both sides. In order to be a good engineer for racing, you have to lots of fun and passion. ꦉBut if you have strong passion, almost ▨crazy, it's too much. Your vision is so narrow.

I would say I have a much more open-mind, a wider vision than 'crazy guy'! But weakness is maybe not so professional🎃 to the racing. But at the same time I am always calculating, analysing and using lots of logic, which is different from most of the emඣpirical methods in racing.

For me it is really good, beca😼use everybody here is so crazy when they are watching the races. They are so excited. I'm pretty much relaxed. I'm excited, but m💃uch less than the typical people in the paddock.

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 𝔍win, in Rossi's first race for Yama🉐ha, 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 ridi🌸ng 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 Jor🥂ge [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 ꦦto 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 s﷽o smart. More like Valentino.

Also Ben is clever and the co💎mbination 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.

Q:
What are your impres🀅sions of Yamaha's main rivals in MotoGP, Honda and Ducati♎?

Masao Furusawa:
Honda is now recovering very much and has been fast here. Ducati is doing som♓ething wrong. Maybe Valentino is too good for Ducati, so that makes another 'noise'.

Last year Nicky Hayden went better, but at this test he hasn't been so fast. But sooner or later the Ducati is coming up. I am sure Valentino 🃏will help Ducati very much, but there is a good time-delay for Yamaha.

Th🌞e strongest competitor is definitely Honda. Honda is so hungry to beat Yamaha. Usually Honda is better than Yamaha, so with Yamaha winning f💟ive [rider] titles in the last seven years - many people in Honda want to kill me [laughs]! Lots of people have been fired at Honda and the staff are always changing.

Q:
What do you think has bee𓆏n the main problem for Honda?

Masao Furusawa:
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 raci𝔉ng. They believed any riders could come to Honda and win.

That was why Valenti✅no was so disap꧟pointed with Honda. Otherwise I could never get Valentino, so thanks to Honda very much! But Honda learned something from their mistake and now Honda is eager to get a good rider, like Casey Stoner. Then they plan to combine a good bike with good riders to maybe catch and someday take over Yamaha. I hope not.

My dream was beating Honda, even before I joined Yamaha. One of the dreams came true - I beat Honda in racing - but I did not beat Honda with production bike ♏[sales]. I transferred MotoGP M1 technology to R1, but the R1 is not as successful. Still it has good sales in the 1000cc class, but we need to do s😼omething more and I have run out of time.

So 50 percent of my dream came true. It's not so🉐 bad. I've enjoyed it a lot and now is the time to move on.

Q:
How much direct involvement have you had with the design⛄ of this year's M1?

Masao Furusawa:
I rather like to step back and look, but sometimes I'll come in and suggest something if I think it'꧋s needed. Then I just fade away, like old soldiers! Now the bike looks pretty good. If something happens maybe I will come back, but very limited time because I will be so busy with my own projects.

I still like engineering very much. On my business card I put 'Exe𝓡cutive Officer and Engineer'. I always downgrade, because a couple of years ago I was a 'Chief Engineer' and now it just says 'Engineer'!

Nearly all of🏅 my hobbies involve some engineering.

Q:
I think you have a Mazda car that you've kep🐲t for a long time and use for your experiments?

Masao Furusawa:
The MX Miata. It is 18 years old. I've changed it a lot: Reinforcement to increase the rigidly and I put a performance damper into the car body to create 🌌a damping force. This is an idea from Yamaha Motors bec෴ause all of the automotive companies just increase the rigidity of the chassis, but sometimes we need a damping force.

Now I increase the stiffness and the damping force. My Miata is fantastic. Only one problem: The torsional stiffness [twist] because it is an open-to𒀰p. This is the last thing I have to fix, but I've been too busy!

My Miata has almost no mileage, les෴s than my rental car. I also have three cars and two bikes and no time to use theꦬm.

Q:
Will🐻 the Miata be the first of your personal projects after you stop🔥?

Masao Furusawa:
Yes. First job is the Miata. I have to fix 'scuttle shake' [chassis vibration typical in convertibles]. Then I'm thinking of purchasing some reasonably-priced accelerometers, p🐲utting them on the Miata, acquire data into the PC and doing nodal analysis.

I was a professional analyst of vibrations back in the 1980s. I developed nodal analysis software and it was sold to automotive compa🗹nies worldwide. It was pretty good business. Then I used the tools I had already⭕ developed to analyse my own car.

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.

Q:
Do you ever look for commercial opportunities when you come up with improvemen🦹ts?

Masao Furusawa:
N▨o. It's just for my own enjoyment. And bragging: 'My bike is better!'

I am also a painter and cartoon artist and I want to spend more time doing 3D solid-model sculptures, with computer graphics, as well as⛦ making actual wooden sculptures. A♋t the same time I would like to enjoy skiing and snowmobiling. I have a lot of things to do.

I have enjoyed myౠ life and I want to continue enjoying it in the future.

Q:
🍌In terms of ✅MotoGP's future, what will be important, technically, in the new 1000cc class?

Masao Furusawa:
In 2012, with the strong regulations that are coming, we will have to focus on fuel efficiency. That will be the big thing 🔯with the one-litre bikes and be the main difference from the 2006 [990cc] bikes. So for the electronic control system we have lots of things to do. That will be the key.

Otherwise a bike is a bike - always two-wheels, one chassis, one eng𒊎inᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe.

Q:
Given your background in vibration analysi🅷s, did you ever consider the use of carbon fibre for 🎉the Yamaha chassis or swingarm?

Masao Furusawa:
Some of the engineers thought about using carbon fibre, but for me no. Carbon fibre is very good for keep✱ing 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 theꦦ stiffer it is, the better, which is why it is perfect for a Formula One chassis.

Q:
So how do you find the right bal🧜ance between enough chassis flex and too much flex?

Masao Furusawa:
We do analysis, simulation and also experimental tests to acquire real data, which we feed into the simulation software to help improve the accuracy. But it can be difficult to get righ🦩t.

ꦆThis is one of the keys to a good chassis: You must have smooth stiffness changes from the steering head to the rear.

In 2006 we made a mistake with the chas🌺sis. We designed a chassis that was much more flexible on the lateral sid𒐪e, but to do that we needed to make some parts with a thin cross-section [so that they would flex more] which can be pretty hard.

So instead of decreasꦕing the stiffness of these parts, we reduced the🍌 thickness of the frame in the middle. Point-to-point the overall stiffness was the same, but now the distribution of the stiffness was not 'smooth' and not changing in a consistent way along the bike.

That makes for a pretty bad chatter problem. Chatter is not a linear problem. It is self-excited vibrations. Once it starts, more a♉nd more vibrations happen and finally you have a big problem.

One of the solutions is to keep continuous stiffness changes from the head to the rear. Even then you can still get some chatter, but not 🦩so muc෴h.

So, in the future, what we really need is a damping fo꧋rce for the chassis, but so far that is not so successful. Sometimes we tried a performance damper like on my Miata. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

This chatter phღenomenon is probably the last remaining problem to be cracked by motorcꦆycle engineers.

End of interview.