MotoGP: Horsepower top priority for Yamaha in 2008

Yamaha boss Masao Furusawa reckons top priority for engineers is to find more horsepower to bolster Valentino Rossi’s hopes of mounting a serious MotoGP title challenge in 2008.

Italian Valentino Rossi fiercely criticised Yamaha in the latter stages of a disastrous 2007 season, blasting his YZR-M1 for being too slow and too unreliable.

He has demanded Yamaha roll out a vastly improved 2008 contender or he might quit at the end of next season, most likely to ride for a rival factory after hinting he will shelve retirement plans for at least another three years.

Engine power and electronics are the two areas in which Valentino Rossi has demanded improvements, but Masao Furusawa said horsepower remains the main the priority.

“We need to improve both the engine and the electronics. We have already established the next step is to a sophisticated electronics system but the top priority right now is increasing the horsepower with the same fuel efficiency.

“I think our friction control is pretty good right now but we need less friction, especially for the position and cylinder.

“Our engine right now is pretty close to the critical piston speed,” Furusawa told MCN.