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 Motorsport 
Wednesday, July 20 2022
The best case for me': Jack Miller opens up on ‘unreal' KTM switch

Jack Miller says his first long-term deal in seven years will keep him keen for a longer stay in MotoGP and avoid the mental drain of contract speculation.

Miller announced last month that he would be joining the KTM factory team on a two-year deal starting in 2023. It’s the first multiyear contract he’s signed since joining the premier class with Honda in 2015, with his subsequent Ducati deals rolling over annually.

Bologna had long telegraphed that it intended to switch Miller off his factory bike and onto one of its satellite machines to make way for either Jorge Martin or Enea Bastianini in 2023, but the Australian took his destiny into his own hands with a switch to Austrian machinery until at least the end of 2024.

“And potentially more,” he told the In the Fast Lane podcast. “There’s an option there for some more as well.

“I’ve never had that since Honda, and every single other contract I’ve ever had has been a one-year contract, so it’s kind of nice not to have to do this s**t every single year.

“Sorry to say it like that, but I hate that whole negotiation thing.

“It just takes that one thing out of the back of your brain. Even though as a rider you say, ‘Ah, it doesn’t affect me’, that shit definitely gets to you.”

Miller has long railed against the mental taxation of the annual contract speculation, but it was about more than just having to constantly justify his ride in MotoGP.

The Townsville native has collected three wins and 18 podiums in his more than seven years in the premier class, and through his Ducati career he’s only ever improved his championship position year on year.

He’s a popular and known quantity in the paddock capable of top-class rides, especially in mixed conditions, but with Ducati very much focused on outcomes for Francesco Bagnaia and the up-and-coming Martin and Bastianini, Miller was unlikely to have the chance to use his abilities to influence the team and drive it forward.

KTM, however, is still looking for the pieces to click together to turn its peaky bike into a consistent frontrunner, and it’s the work in progress that excited Miller most about his next two years.

“At this point in my career, that’s what I feel is best for me. That’s a best-case scenario for me,” he said.

“I can hang around [at Ducati], maybe keep my job, maybe not, maybe go back to Pramac, but for me this challenge excites me, it keeps me keen.

“I’ve been doing this since I was seven years old — I’ve been doing it for 20 years now.

“It’s finding what keeps you excited, what motivates you, and I think that’s what motivates me the most, the project and the idea of hopefully going over there with the knowledge that I’ve gained in my time in MotoGP and taking that knowledge to KTM, a brand that’s so hungry to try to succeed in MotoGP.

“I’m keen to get amongst it and see what I can do on that bike as well, to challenge myself.”

And at 27 years old, Miller admitted he also has an eye on the twilight of his career — though retirement isn’t on the horizon yet.

“I don’t want to say I’ll finish my career with them, because I have a few more years left in me, but that’s the way it’s heading,” he said. “I’m getting older. Coming home definitely makes you miss it, and that’s the way I’m heading.

So I think to go over there is something new, something fresh, something to excite me for the next two to four years, and we’ll see where we are after that, see where my heart lies, if I still love it as much as I do now and that kind of thing.

“I’m super excited and super grateful for those guys to give me the chance too to start something new like that at this stage.”

It’s not just about his position on the MotoGP grid but also how that affects his quality of life beyond the paddock.

“At this point in my career I feel like [it’s about] that stability and understanding of knowing what’s going to happen for the next year,” he said. “I can plan my life around it and understand what’s going on and what I want to do going forward. I think that’s unreal.

“It’s about being where you want to be with your people. That’s my biggest thing. It’s just having that stability of knowing you’re going to be with those guys next year.”

And there’s also a rare piece of history on offer if Miller’s plan goes well.

“There are a lot of things there that I feel can be cool and kind of motivate me,” he said. “Guys have tried to win on three manufacturers and haven’t succeeded — that’s something that I’ve got a chance of doing as well.

“I don’t want to talk too soon, but that’s the kind of thing that goes through my head when I’m making a decision like that, for sure.

“I think that’s the best case for me.”

Posted by: AT 12:40 am   |  Permalink   |  Email
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