Extended debrief with Jack Miller after Saturday race at Phillip Island

MotoGP 2023

Round 16 – Australia Grand Prix
Saturday – Jack Miller

Jack Miller lost touch with the leading group a few laps in, during the full length MotoGP race held on Saturday at Phillip Island.

At some points it was a pretty lonely race for the 28-year-old Australian, busy at the start, and it got busy for him again at the end, but during the middle part of the race he was running alone.

Ultimately Miller finished in seventh place and moved closer to eighth place in the championship.

Jack Miller

“Felt pretty good with the race, I felt reasonably strong as I have done all weekend through the middle of the track, sector two and sector three, felt good.

“Last sector, especially in race trim, I was just trying to nurse the rear through 11 and 12, but I was lacking a bit of front end, some support let’s say, and I wasn’t able to let the roll through the corner as much as I like to. So I was kind of slow into the corner, and having to pretty slow on the way out to not smoke the rear tyre.

“Tyre was in relatively decent condition towards the end of the race so was able to fight back with the other boys.

“I probably did ten or 12 laps by myself, front lacked grip, and started having some serious moments, I don’t know if it was the cooler air or what. On the front tyre, it started pretty sketchy, especially towards 11 and 12, don’t know why, but Brad’s comments were similar, in terms of the cold air when you are on your lonesome, in the slip made a bit of a difference.

“All in all it has been positive Phillip Island Grand Prix, the backwards format, see what we can do tomorrow in the Sprint Race.”

So almost the opposite of normal, it was beneficial to be in the slipstream to keep some temp in the tyre…?

“Just to get that temp, I mean it was getting cooler and cooler, so just to get that temp back in the tyre, and when Alex Marquez towards the end of the race I noticed it got a little better.”

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In practice this morning I noticed there were some what looked like some pretty serious rear geometry changes being made to the bike…?

“We tried a little lower bike, what did we do this morning, trying to think now… Pivot position, that was it, just trying to generate a little more grip, was all that was about, quite a normal one for us these days, quick in and quick out, good to be able to do that during the session.”

If the forecast rings true and perhaps we don’t get a Sprint Race tomorrow, is that doubly frustrating for you, as one of your stronger opportunities…?

“For sure, it is home… You know I feel sad for the Aussie fans, but that is the risk we run down here… I mean we have had the most beautiful, stunning location for a motorcycle track for the last three days, but the irony of that is it also turns to shit… Fingers crossed.. We all have been panicking too much, it might just do the typical Phillip Island thing and does the opposite of what it is going to do, we will have to just and see I guess…”

Mike Webb was saying yesterday, more aero in MotoGP now makes the windy conditions even more precarious…?

“To a degree… Wouldn’t say it is worse here… Coming out of turn two towards Stoner, I definitely remember it being more sketchy in the past than it is nowadays, in terms of wheelie and wind coming down the main straight, it definitely can get more hairy than what is these days, it has its positives and negatives like any sort of new item… At the end of this front straight at 350 km/h and bikes come past you in the slipstream you can feel that I can tell you that for free.”

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