In part one, we looked at HRC and their approach, or perceived approach, to the winter testing programme and the political landscape attached to the Mighty Red machine and how they paint their plans on the MotoGP canvas. Now, we move on to their rivals.

Firstly, we will take a look at the other side of the Japanese coin and analyse the approach of Yamaha to what looks likely to be a year of growth born from the seed of success in 2004 with Valentino Rossi and Jeremy Burgess (multiple world champion and crew chief extraordinaire respectively) at the helm. We will also look at how their partnership with the Japanese engineers produced a winning package in 2004 and how that will most likely continue and evolve during 2005, starting with their testing programme and with the addition of Colin Edwards II to the ranks.

I referred in part one to Yamaha and Honda being the 'big two' in terms of dominating the podium of success in 2005. But, whilst HRC make their mark through the number of machines on the grid and through having the largely dominant machine thanks to Rossi and Burgess prior to their departure (and you have to opine that as being true based on 2004 results from HRC), Yamaha are on the move and are looking to stamp a wider mark of authority on the series this coming season but via a different plan of attack.

So, what do Yamaha do have in mind, potentially, and what will need to change in their approach work to achieve their goals?

Of late, Valentino Rossi has been intimating that the approach to success for Yamaha in 2005 is different to the approach entered into during winter testing last year and even before that in the minds of the engineers back in Japan at the end of 2003. His comments in verbal number have been minimal but their meaning holds far more impact. Rossi's comments have suggested that 2005 will be about all of the riders at Yamaha, not just about the one, him. In effect, it appears that after having removed the crown from Honda last season, Yamaha want to keep it and add a constructor's title to Rossi's rider's championship win.

They want to take the dominance of one machine and multiply that by four although that is maybe a little optimistic. I would say a multiplication of three in the first instance as Toni Elias is a rookie to the class will be entering a learning curve a lot steeper to the one he faced in the 250cc class. The only real expectations, in my opinion, can be laid at the door of factory riders Rossi and Edwards and Tech 3 rider Ruben Xaus. Rossi is defending his title, Edwards is looking to cut loose after 2004 turned into a political minefield for him and you also have to figure into the equation the explosive, fast and fearless Spaniard, Xaus. After an impressive debut season in 2004 on a Ducati, with a rostrum in Qatar and some impressive qualifying performances on the resume, achieved on an under funded and underdeveloped motorcycle, Xaus will be looking to come on strong this season. Those three have the ability to be a force to be reckoned with and if Elias can make an immediate impact then that would be a welcome bonus.

Before we get to 2005, let's take a look back to how this new Yamaha buoyancy began and blossomed in earnest last season after a few seasons on track, seemingly destined to be a sleeping giant unable to be woken from its slumber.

For 2004, the plan was simple. Get Valentino on the bike, get Jeremy Burgess in the garage and turn the YZR-M1 into a winning machine. There were no plans to replicate Valentino's bike and have all four riders at the time (Rossi, Checa, Melandri and Abe) all gunning for the title and all attempting to give feedback as to how the development was to proceed. That would never have worked (see HRC 2004 for confirmation). Burgess knew this only too well, that would have been a leap of faith too far. The focus had to be on Rossi and Rossi alone as it was with the Italian at Repsol Honda, as it was with Doohan before him.

Only when the genesis of an idea is handled correctly can you spread the goodwill about but it's become more than apparent that being selfish in the first instance and concentrating all your efforts in one direction is the way to go.

Sure, the answers Rossi and Burgess and their excellent crew would hopefully provide would flow down the river of distribution and benefit Carlos Checa, followed of course by the Tech 3 team, but, breathing new life into a struggling project was what the immediate prognosis was. Jeremy Burgess was the man who helped Yamaha identify where they could be most successful in achieving that goal and Valentino Rossi was to be the rider to turn the theory into results.

However, it wasn't just Burgess that called the plan of attack and it wasn't just Burgess that was responsible for handing Valentino a motorcycle he could win on. Before Rossi had even signed, the revisions to the 2003 M1 had started to take shape back in Japan. There was already an initial belief that changes to the engine were needed to increase drive predictability and to improve linear power and to make sure that after a gruelling race distance the tires were not shot to pieces by inconsistent power delivery through the rear. They also needed to rectify the problem of where to position the bike's mass, something that an in-line four engine should have an advantage with because of its compact design.

The chassis needed to be adjusted because although it was gaining a reputation for being the most agile and for being the lightest chassis on the grid, it was prone to 'skipping' and 'shifting' on the bumpier surfaces on the calendar. There was no versatility in this department, something Biaggi had spoken of from the start of his time on the bike.

The front was lifting and the swingarm needed attention; there were a few important changes that needed to happen before the bike could really be competitive. The process of design was implemented with the construction of four engine types and four chassis specifications, but the application to tarmac productivity needed a team who knew how to handle significant changes in design approach and as stated above, that's the reason Rossi and Burgess were employed.

The most telling comments regarding the 2004 season and the newly revised M1 came around this time last year at the Sepang winter test from notable Yamaha factory representatives including Masao Furusawa - General Manager of Technology development. Remarks made struck home just how important Rossi was to their future success. The opinion from the garage was that the first handful of laps from Rossi (after he memorably rolled out of pit-lane for the first time NOT on a Honda) was to be the most important laps in the entire history of the M1 project.

The designers and engineers had done their bit (hopefully) now what was needed was experience and talent, and they got that at Sepang last January after Checa had initially tested the prototype upgrades at the Valencia GP at the end of the 2003 season. The marriage of design theory and rider application had to work, the engineers and Rossi had to agree that the engine and chassis packages on offer were the right ones to turn the project into a winner, and Jeremy Burgess had to give the working machine direction and define the detail and make the tires work in tandem with the bike.

They did that, and did it well and the rest, as they say, is history.

So, to 2005. With the foundations already built and sturdy, what can Yamaha do to continue their growth, become a force to be reckoned with in the constructors championship and what steps have they taken to stop Honda from bouncing straight back at them in the riders title chase?

Firstly, the bike. The 2004 M1 is an ideal blueprint to work from and the changes needed to make the machine even more versatile should not be as radical as the changes described above prior to the 2004 season. The engine specification will be analysed and improved, not in terms of overall performance but certainly in terms of power. The one area Rossi mentioned more often than not last season that needed looking at was the horsepower, usable horsepower to launch the bike out of the corners without disrupting driveability and traction. Along with that, the engineers will have looked at the fuel capacity ruling and revised the electronics, fuel injection and throttle response software to 'curb' the fuel usage and will have configured the engine mapping to squeeze every last drop of usable power out of the power plant.

The 2005 'lab bike' used at Sepang prior to the winter testing ban had upgrades to the engine but is not thought to be the engine that Yamaha will start the season with. There is, apparently, a further revised version that will be tested by the factory riders Rossi and Edwards when it is ready. The chassis may be adjusted for lateral flexibility, but not by much and the length of the wheelbase appears to be set at an ideal length after Rossi and Burgess first changed those parameters on the 2004 bike at the Sepang test last season. The aluminium, inverted swingarm appears to be a success; I can't envisage much tinkering with that component.

As far as parity down the ranks, the news appears to be that all four Yamaha riders will be starting the season with a 2005 machine. There will not be, as has been the case elsewhere down the years, a situation where the satellite team will use the previous season's factory machine with developmental parts trickling down as and when the funds can be found to purchase the parts, acquire the time of the Japanese engineers and after political games are played out in terms of permission to use said parts. The D'Antin team for example being a classic case of an under funded satellite team with no testing time and no support from the factory concerned for what was, in effect, an 'older' model.

The Tech 3 team have a solid team budget in place, have both Spanish riders bringing in Fortuna cash, have a great working relationship with the European and Japanese branches of the factory and are run effectively by Herve Poncharal.

With all that said, one of the major changes, and I believe most important changes made by Yamaha is in the addition of Colin Edwards II on the Gauloises sponsored works squad as team-mate to Valentino Rossi. That signing may well prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the winter and for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Compatibility and its effect on expanded development. Colin and Valentino are similar in size, weight and have various traits in their riding styles that should see Colin adjust to the Yamaha with relative ease as Rossi has developed the bike so it responds to his style. Colin of course rides the bike with a lot of weight over the front wheel, and although Valentino is not as dependant on that feel from the front there isn't much in it in terms of getting the bike into the corner, getting the wheel arc alignment to their liking and getting the bike upright and fired out of the corners.

They are both smooth, although Colin appears to keep to a rhythm better than Valentino does, whilst in reverse Rossi gets away with being more aggressive than Colin appears to and has an uncanny knack of finding the limits of adhesion with the tires extremely quickly meaning he has more time to dial in a set-up based on that adhesion. But, again, there isn't much in it. Plus, and this is a big plus, we have yet to see seen Colin on a competitive motorcycle (apologies Aprilia) in MotoGP where he has been given free reign to adjust the bike to his liking. Although there were many promises prior to 2004 regarding the level of machinery Colin would receive from HRC, the man didn't exactly get 'the good oil' when he needed it, leaving him unable to put all his experience with the Michelin tires to good use. The 04' profile of tire and Colin's chassis were, shall we say, incompatible. Not comfortable, no say in changing the situation, no consistent results -- Seems simple said like that doesn't it?

Secondly, it's expected that the Texan won't have those political shackles around his wrists this year and with a chassis much more versatile than the one he had with the RCV in 2004, with a tire profile that definitely works with the Yamaha and with full factory support behind him this, on paper anyway, could be the year the Tornado gathers pace again. It's a big year for Colin but as always the confidence is there in his own ability and when Valentino Rossi approaches Yamaha and states he thinks Edwards is the man for the other factory ride, well, you take that as a huge compliment. And, that's another reason why I believe Rossi's comments on Yamaha expanding the winning theme down the ranks holds true. If Rossi knew that was the plan for 2005 and he went and touted Edwards for the job, you would have to say Yamaha are serious about said expansion and have listened to Valentino's comments, although Colin won't just be a team player, he wants to win the world title, of that you can be sure. Davide Brivio's press release comments should be filled with much glee if this situation works out.

And finally, as we touched on above, tires.

Colin has been a trusted employee of Michelin for many years and he is at the top of the food chain in terms of knowledge of the product, a fact that appeared to escape the Honda racing hierarchy in 2004. Yamaha however appear to know this only too well, Rossi knows it and Colin certainly knows it. That experience is invaluable in an age where tires are making all the difference. Just look at the woes Honda had with the 04' Michelin last season, woes that didn't materialize at Yamaha. If you were Colin Edwards right now, wouldn't you be affording yourself a sly grin in anticipation? -- I would.

We will see how Yamaha's testing ethos plays out as of next week based on the theory a few have subscribed to, myself being one, that the distribution of the 2005 bikes to all four riders is a sign of real determination to keep Honda behind them.

In part three, we will get to Ducati and take a look at the best of the rest.