Jack Miller interview

We caught up with the 'Townsville Tearaway' during the Troy Bayliss Classic dirt track event, and he had plenty to say as he prepares for life as a MotoGP rookie

Jack Miller was given the nickname ‘Jackass’ by his Pop as a youngster. It’s fitting. He’s a real character whose spontaneous post-race antics have created as much attention as his results. Even when we talk about serious stuff a smile is never far away.

That stirring he was obviously good at while growing up is now channelled into things like teaching the European crew in his new MotoGP team some Aussie slang (and worse), which will probably get them into trouble until they learn the sensitivities. He just laughs.

The summer break back home has been good for Jack as he prepares for the most important season of his career so far. He’s made a quantum leap straight into the Big League from the Moto3 championship – the first tier of the sport – where he finished runner-up last year.

Miller’s adamant the decision to bypass the Moto2 category is absolutely the right one. He plans to treat 2015 as a learning year on his Open Class bike rather than putting too much pressure on himself. “If we can finish in the top 10 I’ll be happy,” he said.

The reason behind Miller’s confidence in the timing of his move relates, in part, to the sport’s 2016 rule changes. Right now the factory Yamaha and Honda MotoGP bikes can run bespoke electronic systems but next year all bikes in the premier class must run a control or standardised ECU.

In theory Jack should be well prepared when this leveling rule comes in after spending this season on a customer-spec Honda. He’s racing for Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR team this year. The customer bikes already use a control ECU while benefiting from a few concessions relating to things like tyres and fuel usage. Don’t kid yourself though: these Open Class bikes are still incredibly fast even if they’re not the equal of the factory M1s or RC213Vs.

When he tried a MotoGP bike for the first time at the end of 2014 he described it as “the best day of his life”. Making it into the main game was a huge achievement for Miller but he also reveled on a bike with more than four times the horsepower of the KTM Moto3 machine he raced last year!

Cecchinello and his team are used to Aussies with a dirt track racing background. Casey Stoner’s world championship career also began at LCR. The crew decided to switch off much of the electronic supports and to detune the bike a little for that first ride at the Valencia circuit in Spain. It was the ideal way to let Miller acclimatise. Before long he was hanging it out and pushing the suspension to the basic limits that had been dialed in for his debut. LCR was reportedly impressed.

The learning curve steepened at the following test in Malaysia before successful surgery to remove “some old metal and bolts” in his right shoulder – remnants from a collarbone injury that are commonplace for most bike racers. It seems to have healed well so Miller took part in last weekend’s Troy Bayliss Classic Dirt Track meet in Taree (NSW) riding with the same fearless style he’s become known for.

You need good people in your corner at pivotal career points and there’s a few worth noting in the Miller camp this season like Aki Ajo who he raced for in 2014. Ajo is now his personal manager and the Finn doesn’t mince his words. In the garage working closely with Jack is Cristian Gabbarini, Casey Stoner’s Chief Engineer during his world championship winning years at Ducati and Honda. And of course family who have supported him the whole way. “Yeah I owe dad a boat at some stage” he says matter-of-factly. Evidently his father sold one along the way to help fund the dream.

Coping with intense media scrutiny while learning the nuances of MotoGP bikes and racing won’t be easy but the biggest test may come in the form of his rivalry with Alex Marquez – the younger brother of MotoGP wunderkind Marc Marquez. Jack won twice as many GPs as Alex in Moto3 last year but the Spaniard claimed the title by just two points. The off- and on-track tension between the pair was palpable. “It’s not good,” he says of their relationship now “but I’m happy to let sleeping dogs lie."

They won’t race each other this season as Alex has gone the traditional path to Moto2. Still it will be a delicate situation to manage from hereon. The Marquez family is tight and Marc’s become a MotoGP hero worldwide. On that basis Jack’s approach is smart. Just settle in this year and try not to inflame things. At the same time he still has that confident swagger -- all successful sportsmen and women seem to have it -- and he’s definitely not rattled by either of the brother’s talent or Marc’s legend status.

This is the beginning of a three-year deal with Honda, which sees real potential in Jack. All of us would love to see him win straight away in MotoGP but the reality is that won’t happen. Time will tell if the ‘Townsville Tearaway’ can emulate the success Stoner, Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner all enjoyed at the top level of this sport. If he can stay on those wild bikes, keep healthy and really apply himself I reckon Peter and Sonya Miller will get that new boat in the not too distant future.

Jack Miller interview

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