Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) put in an impressive performance the first time he got on a Desmosedici, and three days of testing at Sepang have only furthered that. The Queenslander was fifth fastest on Day 3, just behind Ducati Team’s Andrea Dovizioso – and Miller says there’s margin to improve.
“The performance throughout the three days has been really good,” begins the Aussie. “I’ve really felt at home with the team and felt comfortable, not only with the lap time this morning but I think we have a small margin where we can improve – when we put a new tyre in I’m able to improve more and more, taking a few risks here and there but still feeling pretty much in control. It’s been a positive day for us here, we did the race simulation which went really well, I’m happy with my rhythm and my race pace, so I’m happy.”
Did he say he was happy? He did, but that didn’t mean quite perfect, with a few things to work on. But that’s the name of the adaptation game, and Miller affirms its positive trend.
“With two months off of the bike, you have muscles that start to hurt, and there are some small things that we need to work on,” he explains. “In general the pace was very fast, but also very consistent and the way the Ducati handles the soft tyre was really polite, I didn’t feel I burnt it up too much. I understood halfway through the simulation where I need to work on as I was a bit too hard on it at the beginning. The more I ride the bike, the more I understand it and get the feel for it.”
Finally, Miller says yes, he has looked at other data, and although he’s adapting, he’s not adjusting everything all at once: “I wouldn’t say I’m riding to adjust my style to the Ducati, but just starting we have so many more fast guys on the bike – we’ve got Jorge, Dovi and Danilo who’s been going really well also. I’m just studying those guys, what they’re doing differently, what I’m doing differently and trying to blend the two styles.”
Next up, it’s time for the paddock to head for Thailand and Buriram for their first taste of MotoGP™’s newest venue, where everyone will be adapting – and Miller gets another shot at a top five finish on the timesheets.