Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) capped off a positive weekend on home soil by claiming top Independent Team honours at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, but the Australian rider was left wanting more after his P7 finish:
“I expected a little bit more to be honest today but it was a good result nonetheless,” began Miller. “Top Independent, we’ll take it, on a bike that last year wasn’t inside the top ten, I’m happy to bring it home today. We were there quite close to the guys but didn’t quite have enough. I tried to manage the tyre, I don’t know if you guys saw but I was really trying to manage the tyre, especially at the start. I had a really slow map, guys were passing me around the outside, exiting Turn 6, but I was just like ‘stay calm, it’ll all come back to you, it’s alright’ and to be honest it didn’t.
“My tyre went off just as quick as there’s did so we have to study a little bit more but, (I’m) happy enough. We’ll take it, like I say on a bike that wasn’t inside the top ten last year to be strong all weekend, I’m happy.”
It was déjà vu for Miller from 2017: a second row start converted into the race lead on lap 1. The Ducati rider wouldn’t stay in P1 for long though, with his aforementioned slower ‘B’ map setting giving other riders the chance to pass: “I said today ‘put me in the ‘B’ map straight away, from the start, don’t let me get excited’ you know and I went on ‘B’ map and tried to manage it as best I could.”
Having to be on a slower map setting must be difficult when all you want to do is go as fast as possible at your home Grand Prix, but this has only made Miller hungrier for more upon his return next year: “It is hard but it’s an amazing feeling as well, I’m so fortunate to be here, to be in those positions twice and it’s given me more hunger for next year.”
Before next year, the Australian has an appointment with the Sepang International Circuit next weekend. And it’s a track he’s looking forward to racing at: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Malaysia. It’s a track where we have ridden the Ducati before so to go back there and see how we’ve developed over the year… I’m really looking forward to it.”