Jack Miller is set to miss out on the forthcoming weekend’s Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon as he seeks to make a full recovery from the back, wrist and hand injuries which have been plaguing him in recent weeks.
Having made history with his superb win at Assen earlier in the season, a heavy crash at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in August has since disrupted his campaign.
Miller will be temporarily replaced by his friend Nicky Hayden at Aragon as the former MotoGP™ World Champion steps up to help out the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team in the absence of the Australian, but the 21 year-old is gunning for a quick return – especially with his home race at Phillip Island on the horizon.
Having missed three of the past four races Miller will sit out this weekend in Aragon to ensure he's fully fit for Motegi on 16th October, which comes the week before the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on 23rd October.
Speaking to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s official podcast, 'Keeping Track', Miller said, “The hand is the main issue at the moment, but I've still got three broken vertebrae in my back as well. Not riding 100 per cent fit with all of the injuries I've got at the moment seems like an unnecessary risk.”
He continued, “We decided to sit out (at Aragon) to try to be as ready as possible by the time I get to Phillip Island for my home race. It's one of my favourite tracks and somewhere I believe we can be really good at.”
On how his Assen victory has given him a boost, Miller added, “I think the whole year this year, the perception has changed a lot. I think people understand that my work ethic is the same as the other guys, that we are working as hard as any other guy and we do deserve to be there in the class of MotoGP, it's not because I'm lucky.”