Jack Miller Interview after Qualifying
On the renaming of turn four as Miller Corner
Jack Miller: “So Andrew (Fox – Circuit Owner) came to the wedding last week, and that was his wedding gift I guess you could say, so that was kind of cool of him. You know it’s amazing for them to recognise what I do for motorcycle racing, what I’m about, I’m about promoting motorcycle racing in the most positive way I can. I love this sport, I love everything about it and it shows that not only to be a world champion or anything like that, but if you can be a nice guy and go fast from time to time, then it definitely pays off.”
Q: So what message do you have for the fans at home tomorrow?
Jack Miller: “We’re going to need their support for sure, the more fingers crossed the better. But I feel good coming in, it’s awesome already, the reception today there’s so many fans out there, it’s so good to see grand stands full. Heaps of motos getting around, it’s amazing to see the amount of support we’re getting here. I’m feeling the extra pressure but it’s a good kind of pressure. I love it, it’s amazing to be a part of this and to have this sort of feeling coming back to the island for so many years and coming back to this reception has been amazing.”
Q: There’s a lot going on, this hasn’t distracted you?
Jack Miller: “Not really no, we’re professionals, we know at the end of the day what we have to do, what’s important. So just trying to block out the noise as much as possible, I mean sure it’s been busy, but I’ve had busier races for sure. Italy for Ducati isn’t easy, this ones alright.”
Q: There’s been some talk about better protection from wildlife that tends to end up near the track here, could the circuit do more to stop furry things and things with feathers getting that close to the racing?
Jack Miller: “For sure, don’t get my wrong, it’s very dangerous to have kangaroos and what not running around on the race track when you’re doing 350 kilometres per hour, but like I said at the safety commission yesterday I understand there’s not a six foot fence the whole way around this joint. But that kangaroo definitely didn’t just waltz in. It was burrowed in somewhere and the noise of these bloody 300 hp machines starting to go around – even Moto3 didn’t wake him up – but the MotoGP bikes certainly did.
“At the end of the day he had the track at such an iconic location like this, you’re always going to have an issue with wildlife. Whether it’s seagulls or whatever those dodo looking birds, albatrosses (Cape Barren Geese) or whatever they are. You’re always going to have an issue. What are we going to do exterminate the whole island? I don’t think so. It’s all a apart of it. Like I said it’s not nice to have it on the race track at 350 km an hour but at the end of the day, what are you going to do? I’m sure there’s nothing thats waltzing in over the fence now, they are six deep with people the whole way around. I don’t think that’s too much of an issue.”
Q: Was there any sort of outcome from the discussion yesterday?
Jack Miller: “That was basically it. Everyone knows, when you come to Australia there is wildlife. All you have to do is drive down one of our hundreds of highways and you see the numbers of road kill on the side of the roads, and there’s a lot of animals for not as many people. It’s definitely different in other parts of the world, but that’s part of it. For sure surface wise that’s more my area [at Phillip Island circuit], where I think she’s been on there for about 10 years now and she’s starting to get pretty loose. Just bumps, not so much on the racing line, but as soon as you go off, or anyone goes wide, at turn one or turn 8, I managed to hit the deck. It’s kind of at that point where she’s probably due for a freshen up.”
Q: You said you were struggling at the three corners, is it just a bit of turn-in that you’re missing?
Jack Miller: “Pretty much, those places are corners off brakes, you’re trying to really force the bike around and yea it’s kind of understanding the whole way around. It’s more about getting it balanced right, yesterday we really chased to have the bike more on its nose, and I think we’ve improved that area, but we may need to bring the back up a little bit, as the pivot really helped us. Before going to the pivot we dropped the bike quite a considerable amount mainly for the wind, and yea I think that we need to make a half step back kind of thing, to balance it back out and get some normality about it.”
Q: You guys were saying that the final seven laps is where things are going to be decided?
Jack Miller: “100 per cent, it’s a long race around here… I dunno if you guys remember when I led was it the first seven or eight laps of this grand prix like a dickhead and rode off like an absolute idiot, smoked my tyres and I can tell you it was the longest 10 laps of my life towards the end of the race when you do that.
“I think the biggest threat for tomorrow, or biggest contender would definitely have to be Marc he has plenty of experience of winning around here he seems to be in good form. He’s the one I’m looking at probably the most, Vinales being the other one. He’s quietly creeping around there and he’ll be strong tomorrow in the race, and generally he’s pretty good on the tyres so, yea I think if we can manage our tyres pretty well… as I said it’s a lot of unknowns we’ve never raced this case, this rear tyre. So I put 19 laps on the hard, it wasn’t too bad, but I’d be interested to see what 27 laps has in store for us tomorrow.”