1. Generally, do you judge this year as a success for Yamaha? 

"Since Donington we have been very competitive and have achieved much success in the last four races. But ultimately the season has not been completely successful because we have not reached our goals for 1999 - to challenge for the title. Max looks like finishing fourth in the championship and last year he was second - and that was when Mick Doohan was fit all season. So although there are many positives, there is also much room for improvement."

2. Three wins and some exceptional late season form (six podium places in the last four races) have been the highlights of Yamaha's season. But there were some difficulties along the way too. What have been your own personal high and low points? 

"Of course my favorite moments of the year were our three wins - the best season for Yamaha wins since 1993. Especially good was Norick's victory in Rio because it was such an exciting race as well. Low point had to be in Barcelona when Biaggi, Laconi and Abe all crashed. Max's hand injury in Paul Ricard - and it's implications for his season - was a bad moment too."

3. Why has it taken so long to run consistently at the front? 

"I think there are a few reasons but mainly because we tried a new set-up at the beginning of the year that yielded great speed but made the bike too nervous and we weren't able to rectify it properly until August's test in the Czech Republic. That test was a watershed in our season and since then we have made excellent progress. Also if you look at our rider line-up now, only Norick and Regis had any experience of Yamaha GP machinery at the start of the year and I think that is important."

4. How will the YZR500 and 250 be improved and what are your hopes for 2000? 

"Our technicians in Japan will be making some advances with the YZR series over the winter by better understanding our rider's styles and requirements. We will evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and produce a motorcycle that suits them more." "I hope that in 2000 we will show the form we have at the end of this year immediately and have all our riders pushing for race wins and subsequently the 500 and 250cc world titles."

5. Yamaha's GP rider line-up will remain as-is for 2000. Is rider continuity part of Yamaha's race strategy and what is each rider's strongest point? 

"Rider continuity is very important for Yamaha - we haven't enjoyed such consistency since the days when Wayne (Rainey) and Luca (Cadalora) rode for us and I think we have missed out as a result. For me Max's strongest asset is his power of concentration, Carlos has tenacity and personality, Regis is very quick and still very young, while Garry already has awesome control of a 500. Norick's strength is his motivation, while Olivier has such a strong mind and very good technical knowledge. Finally, Shinya has so much natural talent, is very mature for a young man and extremely intelligent. I think our current riders are very talented and make a very strong squad.