MILLER SAYS HIS MOTOGP CAREER EXCEEDED HIS DREAMS

Jack Miller says his MotoGP career has surpassed what his teenage self could have imagined, even though the world championship he once hoped to win will remain out of reach. The Australian is preparing to leave the premier class when his Yamaha contract ends, closing an 11-year run that began with an unusual leap directly from the 125cc category to MotoGP.

Yamaha has not offered Miller an extension to ride for satellite team Pramac in the new 850cc era. Moto2 title contender Izan Guevara is set to take his place on a one-year factory Yamaha deal. Miller will stay with the manufacturer, however, moving to its factory World Superbike team in 2027, where he is due to replace Xavi Vierge.

The move will take Miller away from the MotoGP paddock he has called home since 2011. He made his premier-class debut with LCR Honda in 2015, aged 20, after finishing runner-up to Alex Marquez in the 2014 125cc championship by just two points. Honda’s decision to promote him straight to MotoGP meant he bypassed Moto2.

Across 216 premier-class races, Miller has claimed four victories, two pole positions and 23 podiums. His first win came at Assen in 2016, around 15 months after his debut. He later won back-to-back races for Ducati in Spain and France in 2021, then added victory at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. That remains his most recent MotoGP win.

Looking back, Miller told Australian Motorcycle News: “It’s been a hell of a ride!” He said he had “definitely exceeded my expectations” and described his journey as “better than I could have ever dreamed of.” He added that he felt “extremely lucky” to have spent the past decade living his dream.

Miller believes his 19-year-old self would be pleased with what he has achieved. He acknowledged that riders are always looking for more, and that being caught up in the present can make it difficult to appreciate the bigger picture. Taking a step back, he said, helps him recognise how far he has come.

His original ambition was to become world champion, and he accepts that will not happen. But he has won with two manufacturers and is not ready to treat the remaining races as a farewell lap. “I still have a lot of racing left this year,” he said, adding that difficult conditions could create opportunities. “So, I’ll keep pushing to try and get another victory, or achieve something special before the end.”

Miller also reflected on how much he has changed since arriving in MotoGP as a brash young rider. He admitted he was a “d—— kid” at the time and had not yet developed the work habits needed to train properly. The difference between then and now, he said, is “night and day.”

“I’m extremely proud of the changes I’ve made in my career,” Miller said. He came to understand that his approach at the time would not work, figured out what kind of athlete he needed to become, and made what he described as the right decisions and steps to succeed in MotoGP. His next challenge will be to carry that experience into World Superbikes.