Chief Toyota test driver killed in LFA wreck
#16
1UZFE/2JZGTE
iTrader: (11)
RIP Nur-Meister
Originally Posted by Lexus Magazine
IF YOU’VE NEVER heard of Hiromu Naruse before today, all you really need to know is that he’s a legend. So much of a legend, in fact, that the performance-auto elite has nicknamed him the “Nur-Meister,” which sounds sort of amusing until you run it through a German-to-English translator: Sole Champion, Only Master, One and Only Master. To call that a nickname with cred is a major understatement, no matter what language it’s in.
Naruse has earned it. It’s hard to find a prime test course the man hasn’t driven on during a forty-year career that led to his current job as Lexus’ long-time chief test driver, a position that requires him to put new Lexus models—at some point, it was probably your model—through nutty, high-speed maneuvers, both in closed courses and on the world’s open roads.
Put differently, he’s the guy who takes an engineer’s brilliance and translates it into real-world performance, suggesting enhancements here and there, and even determining the best places to test a Lexus prototype.
Case in point: it was Naruse who first suggested actually racing early LFA supercars at the 24 Hours Nürburgring, Europe’s infamous version of the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona race—and where international racing reputations either skyrocket or go down in flames. Ask him why he suggested the idea, and he’ll tell you that he did it not just so he could actually race the LFA (which he did, and well), but so Lexus could “speed up the development process by three years.”
Which is another thing you should know about Naruse: Despite his love for what is essentially scientific stunt driving, he’s also vested in the quality of the vehicles he tests, which he knows will end up in your driveway. He’s a thinker. He’s precise. He pays close attention to what he’s doing to a car. And that’s probably why, unlike most veteran test drivers, he has never crashed a prototype. Not once.
So, with all that in mind, here’s a few fast, precise questions for The One and Only Master.
LEXUS: Bottom line—what makes a good test driver?
NARUSE: To create the best car, you need the ability to feel it, and to understand it. Think about food. If the first, middle, and last impressions—look, taste, and finish—are good, people remember it with a good feeling. Creating a vehicle is the same. Test drivers are like chefs, and I take the role of head chef.
What was it like to drive the Lexus LFA prototype the first time out?
I have to say, when I drove the LFA for the first time, it was scary. It was like a monster.
You put it through some pretty hairy tests last year.
When we raced the LFA in Nardo, Italy, I thought I might not return to Japan alive. The purpose of this “test” was to evaluate the car’s durability at 200 mph for a long period. The race was in the dark with no lights on the track, plus there were birds flying at me—and imagine if a tire burst! We created the final LFA through these kinds of test experiences.
What’s your most memorable moment as a test driver?
Well, I can you that for a little while during the LFA races, I knew how to draw the back of a Porsche without looking—we had been behind them at first. But when the Lexus LFA passed Porsche for the first time, we had such big emotions! After that, other racing manufacturers started showing us respect. They told us, “Lexus has created such an impressive car!”
What are your top words of wisdom for Lexus’ younger test drivers?
I tell them that the digital technology used to design vehicles, such as a CAD program, does not by itself create a vehicle’s aji, or flavor. As drivers, they need to push to get into their project vehicles and drive them as soon as possible—to me, this is the most efficient way to understand a new vehicle’s challenges. I tell them to trust in the power and ability of a human, a driver, to accomplish this.
So how did you add aji to the LFA?
Here’s one example: at one point during test-driving, while driving the prototype around a high-speed curve, I realized the response I was getting at 4,000 rpm was not what it should be. When I got back to the engineering team, the best way to describe what I wanted was to tell them to make the engine respond “sharp like a Japanese sword.” That’s what they did, and I hope Lexus owners who get a chance to drive the vehicle can feel the results.
Any advice for new owners of the LFA?
First, don’t get caught speeding. I am joking, but let me tell you: the LFA goes fast.
IF YOU’VE NEVER heard of Hiromu Naruse before today, all you really need to know is that he’s a legend. So much of a legend, in fact, that the performance-auto elite has nicknamed him the “Nur-Meister,” which sounds sort of amusing until you run it through a German-to-English translator: Sole Champion, Only Master, One and Only Master. To call that a nickname with cred is a major understatement, no matter what language it’s in.
Naruse has earned it. It’s hard to find a prime test course the man hasn’t driven on during a forty-year career that led to his current job as Lexus’ long-time chief test driver, a position that requires him to put new Lexus models—at some point, it was probably your model—through nutty, high-speed maneuvers, both in closed courses and on the world’s open roads.
Put differently, he’s the guy who takes an engineer’s brilliance and translates it into real-world performance, suggesting enhancements here and there, and even determining the best places to test a Lexus prototype.
Case in point: it was Naruse who first suggested actually racing early LFA supercars at the 24 Hours Nürburgring, Europe’s infamous version of the grueling Rolex 24 at Daytona race—and where international racing reputations either skyrocket or go down in flames. Ask him why he suggested the idea, and he’ll tell you that he did it not just so he could actually race the LFA (which he did, and well), but so Lexus could “speed up the development process by three years.”
Which is another thing you should know about Naruse: Despite his love for what is essentially scientific stunt driving, he’s also vested in the quality of the vehicles he tests, which he knows will end up in your driveway. He’s a thinker. He’s precise. He pays close attention to what he’s doing to a car. And that’s probably why, unlike most veteran test drivers, he has never crashed a prototype. Not once.
So, with all that in mind, here’s a few fast, precise questions for The One and Only Master.
LEXUS: Bottom line—what makes a good test driver?
NARUSE: To create the best car, you need the ability to feel it, and to understand it. Think about food. If the first, middle, and last impressions—look, taste, and finish—are good, people remember it with a good feeling. Creating a vehicle is the same. Test drivers are like chefs, and I take the role of head chef.
What was it like to drive the Lexus LFA prototype the first time out?
I have to say, when I drove the LFA for the first time, it was scary. It was like a monster.
You put it through some pretty hairy tests last year.
When we raced the LFA in Nardo, Italy, I thought I might not return to Japan alive. The purpose of this “test” was to evaluate the car’s durability at 200 mph for a long period. The race was in the dark with no lights on the track, plus there were birds flying at me—and imagine if a tire burst! We created the final LFA through these kinds of test experiences.
What’s your most memorable moment as a test driver?
Well, I can you that for a little while during the LFA races, I knew how to draw the back of a Porsche without looking—we had been behind them at first. But when the Lexus LFA passed Porsche for the first time, we had such big emotions! After that, other racing manufacturers started showing us respect. They told us, “Lexus has created such an impressive car!”
What are your top words of wisdom for Lexus’ younger test drivers?
I tell them that the digital technology used to design vehicles, such as a CAD program, does not by itself create a vehicle’s aji, or flavor. As drivers, they need to push to get into their project vehicles and drive them as soon as possible—to me, this is the most efficient way to understand a new vehicle’s challenges. I tell them to trust in the power and ability of a human, a driver, to accomplish this.
So how did you add aji to the LFA?
Here’s one example: at one point during test-driving, while driving the prototype around a high-speed curve, I realized the response I was getting at 4,000 rpm was not what it should be. When I got back to the engineering team, the best way to describe what I wanted was to tell them to make the engine respond “sharp like a Japanese sword.” That’s what they did, and I hope Lexus owners who get a chance to drive the vehicle can feel the results.
Any advice for new owners of the LFA?
First, don’t get caught speeding. I am joking, but let me tell you: the LFA goes fast.
#17
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
Sad day for sure. Huge loss for Toyota.
#18
Lexus Champion
Naruse was the man. His vision was the LFA, how befitting that if he meets his end it's doing something that he loved in a car he helped create. We can only give him the respect he deserves for bringing out the cars that we love. The Supra, MRS, now this LFA. A car he has worked on since it's inception! Poor Naruse, why did this happen, how did this happen? Akio Toyoda I'm sure is crying right now about the news. What went wrong? Naruseeee!!
#22
The Nur Edition is supposed to be an optional upgrade to the LFA road car and not a race car. As such it is supposed to be fitted with airbags, but was not in this case probably only because it was just a tester.
#23
Lexus Connoisseur
I am one of the very fortunate ones here on ClubLexus to meet Naruse-san and experience his expert skills in the LFA in person.
Here is my ride with Naruse-san back in October in Miami in the LFA. I got a chance to meet him and "TEAM LFA" during the long lead press event for the LFA. He has had a long history with Toyota and the development of Lexus and Toyota products. He will be sorely missed.
VIDEO: 10-21-09 LFA Press Preview - Flipside909 Exclusive - HIROMU NARUSE
Here are some pics of Naruse-san in Miami...
Here he is taking a break in between hotlaps:
This is a pic of me, Naruse-san, Scott Pruett and my good friend and co-hort Joaquin (my.IS Editor) in front of the European loaned White LFA.
R.I.P. Hiromu Naruse
Here is my ride with Naruse-san back in October in Miami in the LFA. I got a chance to meet him and "TEAM LFA" during the long lead press event for the LFA. He has had a long history with Toyota and the development of Lexus and Toyota products. He will be sorely missed.
VIDEO: 10-21-09 LFA Press Preview - Flipside909 Exclusive - HIROMU NARUSE
Here are some pics of Naruse-san in Miami...
Here he is taking a break in between hotlaps:
This is a pic of me, Naruse-san, Scott Pruett and my good friend and co-hort Joaquin (my.IS Editor) in front of the European loaned White LFA.
R.I.P. Hiromu Naruse
#24
Lexus Fanatic
Sad indeed.
Given Mr. Naruse's status, the status of the LF-A itself, and the fact that the crash also involved a BMW product, I wouldn't be surprised if BMW also sends a team of engineers to the crash site to do a little checking of their own. Mercedes often does this with fatal crashes involving their products, but, in this case, of course, the fatality was in the LF-A, not the BMW.
Given Mr. Naruse's status, the status of the LF-A itself, and the fact that the crash also involved a BMW product, I wouldn't be surprised if BMW also sends a team of engineers to the crash site to do a little checking of their own. Mercedes often does this with fatal crashes involving their products, but, in this case, of course, the fatality was in the LF-A, not the BMW.
#26
Very sad news. My condolences to those affected, particularly the family of Naruse-san and also the other, so far unnamed passenger, and also best wishes for a recovery to the other 2 in the E90.
It goes with the territory however that racing and test driving is a dangerous business. The LF-A prototypes had collisions in the 2008 24h race, an engine fire at 2009's 24h race, and at 2010's 24h race also another crash. Not to mention, one of the 2010 VLN qualifying events the LFA participated in was cancelled partway through due to a fatal Aston Martin crash. There was also a fatality in a test track crash involving the LS 400 decades ago. The F1 race driver who helped with the NSX's development was killed in a race accident several years later. It is a dangerous business, even with the safety precautions taken.
It will hopefully be illuminating to see what the investigation finds.
It goes with the territory however that racing and test driving is a dangerous business. The LF-A prototypes had collisions in the 2008 24h race, an engine fire at 2009's 24h race, and at 2010's 24h race also another crash. Not to mention, one of the 2010 VLN qualifying events the LFA participated in was cancelled partway through due to a fatal Aston Martin crash. There was also a fatality in a test track crash involving the LS 400 decades ago. The F1 race driver who helped with the NSX's development was killed in a race accident several years later. It is a dangerous business, even with the safety precautions taken.
It will hopefully be illuminating to see what the investigation finds.
#29
Here's a quote that has a different tone when read today:
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-new...h-ar92440.html
Just one month ago, shows how risky the LFA development process has been.
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-new...h-ar92440.html
As a fatal premonition, Naruse said on May 26: "When we raced the LFA in Nardo, Italy, I thought I might not return to Japan alive. The purpose of this ‘test’ was to evaluate the car’s durability at 200 mph for a long period. The race was in the dark with no lights on the track, plus there were birds flying at me – and imagine if a tire burst! We created the final LFA through these kinds of test experiences."
#30
Consider also that Mr. Naruse was 67 years old. It's also possible that a medical problem unrelated to the car caused him lose control. Although there's little reason to speculate at this point. I have no doubt the German investigators will get to the bottom of it. Deepest condolences to the families of all involved.