In 1999 he made a successful job of switching machinery, working hard with his Marlboro Yamaha Team crew to develop Yamaha's YZR500 into a winner. But he had more than his fair share of bad luck. A hand injury - sustained when he crashed out of the lead in France - was a handicap and a couple of other falls dented his confidence.

But his dedication won out and he was the most successful rider of the season's closing stages, taking a win in South Africa and second-place finishes in the Australian, Rio and Argentine GPs. During those four races he scored almost twice as many points as any of his rivals.