Jack Miller: “Then I’d pack my bags and head home!”

Yamaha had a disastrous weekend at Spielberg. Pramac rider Jack Miller was hit particularly hard, finishing last in both the Sprint race and the Grand Prix. This weekend sees the MotoGP event take place at Motegi – where things can really only get better for Miller.

“Back here in Japan. The track looks incredible! Fresh tarmac – that should be good. I love riding here at Motegi. I’ve got some good memories here, but this year the circumstances are quite different,” said the Australian on Thursday ahead of the race weekend. “The weather forecast looks a bit changeable for the weekend. Hopefully it’ll rain on Saturday and Sunday and we can have a decent weekend. If not, we’ll give it our all and see what we can achieve. I’ve got a feeling that we should have a solid weekend on this track – especially with the new tarmac. Much better than that bloody last one.”

Miller is therefore hoping for rain at Motegi. ‘Jackass’ has often demonstrated throughout his MotoGP career that he copes very well with wet conditions. The track layout could also work in the Yamaha rider’s favour. “The track does have a lot of straights, but they’re not particularly long,” mused Miller. “The bike handles well; it brakes quite well and turns in nicely. If we’ve got grip, it should go well – provided nothing strange happens with the tarmac, the tyres don’t give out or something else unusual occurs. And yes, if it rains, there’ll be plenty of grip on a wet track too.”

The hard tyre? Not an option for Miller

Michelin has brought a hard tyre compound for this weekend. “That’s not an option. If we had to use that tyre, I’d pack my bags and go home,” laughed Miller. “No, that was meant sarcastically, but then again, maybe not. Let’s see what we can pull off this weekend.”

Miller has been on the move a lot over the last few days – just like all the riders and teams. The journey to Japan was a long one. “I’ve probably spent more than 150 hours on planes, trains or in cars over the last two weeks,” the 31-year-old reckoned. “I was glad to get off the train from Tokyo last night, arrive here and spend another night in a proper bed.”

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02.10.2026 - 01:55