Jack Miller put on a show at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix, making a spectacular comeback. However, his lack of pace explained in part by grip problems with his bike did not allow him to maintain this position in the leading group and he finally finished in 10th place in his competition on the Motegi track.
Jack Miller offered a spectacular start to the race Japanese Grand Prixleaping
from 14th to 5th place in a single lap. Taking advantage of its usual power at start-up, the pilot
KTM navigated precisely through the first few turns, avoiding collisions and sliding onto the inside line. “ I had good power at the start and a nice trajectory,” explained
Miller. « I found myself in the top 5 and I thought: holy shit, now I’m in a really good place. »
However, this meteoric start proved to be fleeting. Very quickly, Enea Bastianini followed him and took the advantage in the 4th round, relegating Miller in 6th place. Franco Morbidelli et Marco Bezzecchi were quick to follow.
Miller held on for a while, but on the 8th lap, he had to give in to the pressure of Morbidellifollowed closely by Bezzecchiwho overtook him in the 9th round.
Fabio di Giannantoniotaking advantage of the weaknesses of
Miller, also found an opening two rounds later.
Jack Miller :
« we still have work to do to improve stability and rear grip »
Jack Miller fought to maintain his place, but the gap widened as the race progressed.
Aleix Espargaró finally passed him on lap 20, pushing him back to 10th position. For the Australian, the reason for this gradual decline was clear: the lack of speed in the corners. “ From the middle to the exit of the turn, the others attacked me like starving people” a admitted
Miller. « Every time I tried to pass with more speed, the rear wheel stuck. At least the front was stable, but the rhythm was missing. »
Despite an encouraging start to the weekend during testing,
Miller failed to maintain its pace. “ I did a few decent laps, but I expected better,” he said. “ We still have work to do to improve stability and rear grip. »
As the next home race approaches, at Phillip Island, Miller hopes that the change of circuit will bring different opportunities. “ It’s a completely different route, and I can’t wait to see how it goes there! “. See you in two weeks…
MotoGP, Japan J3: classification
