MILLER GIVES RINS A STOPPIE RIDE AND NEARLY HITS BAGNAIA

Jack Miller turned a difficult Friday at Motegi into a moment of entertainment for Japanese fans, giving fellow Yamaha rider Alex Rins an unusual lift back to pit lane after practice.

Both riders had struggled for pace: Miller finished 18th in Friday Practice for the Japanese MotoGP, with Rins 20th. Rins’s factory Yamaha ran out of fuel shortly after he crossed the finish line, leaving him stranded on track. After signalling for help, he got a lift from Miller on his Pramac Yamaha.

The Australian could have simply taken his passenger back, but instead performed a stoppie on the approach to Turn 11, then tried to get his knee down. Rins later said: “He’s crazy! The stoppie wasn’t bad, but when he tried to get his knee down, I nearly s— myself!” With no footpegs to hold on to, Rins said his right leg was stretched out and he feared that a crash would “smash everything up”. Still, he added: “We had fun and earned ourselves a few minutes on TV.”

Miller had hoped Rins would get his knee down too, saying it would have made “an amazing photo”, before realising his passenger had nowhere to put his foot. The front tyre had cooled after Miller crossed the grass to collect him, making him nervous when he first braked. “The rear came up surprisingly well,” he said. “If I’d known it would work out like that, I’d have pushed it a bit further. It made a few people laugh: that’s what we’re here for.”

The stunt drew praise from MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson, who called Miller “a legend” and said: “Absolutely nobody would think of doing that – only Miller – and that’s why we’re going to miss him.”

The two-up stoppie was not Miller’s only drama. During the closing time attacks, he had a near miss with former Ducati team-mate Pecco Bagnaia. Miller had followed the Italian for a tow on his first soft rear tyre, then tucked in behind him again for another attempt. When Bagnaia ran slightly deep at Turn 11, their lines converged as Miller released the brake. Miller’s front began to slide as he tried to avoid a collision.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to hit him’,” Miller said. “As I did that, the bike grabbed grip, and I punched myself in the face!” He added that the lap was effectively over, and although he tried to push on, the tyre was “all about done”.

Miller spent much of Friday testing a new Yamaha engine map aimed at improving throttle progression. After the red flag, he returned to his previous setting, found his rhythm and made adjustments over his next three runs. He said there was still potential to improve the bike’s braking, while the rear moved around as he leaned into right-hand corners. Getting the engine braking right was also proving difficult, possibly because of Motegi’s new asphalt.

The new surface could also influence tyre choice for Sunday. Miller said the soft rear appeared to offer better performance, with wear looking similar to the medium, and believed riders could manage it if they controlled slip and temperature. Michelin said both compounds remained options for the Grand Prix, with the Sprint expected to provide more information about their performance and durability over distance.