Jack Miller is on the brink of a big adventure. Again. On the eve of the Austrian GP the news broke officially. The 22-year-old from outside of Townsville, Queensland, is to switch from Honda – who plucked him straight out of Moto3 three seasons back – to join the Pramac Ducati team.
The decision dragged out over summer, as Jack weighed the options: stay with Honda and the Marc VDS team, but on the same 2017 machine, or take the plunge with Ducati.
He actually signed the deal on Sunday evening after the Brno grand prix.
“At about 6pm. I waited until I’d got out of my leathers,” he grinned, in Austria. “It’s been negotiations, negotiations for the last … summer break and everything. It’s been a bit of a headache, so it’s nice to sign the contract and get back to focusing on the job in hand.”
And Jack says it was the spirit of adventure that spurred the change.
“It’s another risk, but my whole career has been risk. I moved from Australia when I was 14. Risk after risk. It’s the name of the game.”
Also the lure of the Italian stallion. Like Honda, it will be a 2017 machine, albeit the latest version of this year’s bike. But most importantly, it’s a different 2017 bike.
“The deal from Honda was 2017 material, with Marc VDS. The team wasn’t a problem for me, it was more the material side of things. The negotiations with Honda started to drag on, and instead of the headache I just decided maybe a change could help.
“I’ve been with Honda for three years now, and it’s always nice to try something new. It’s the first time I’ve been in a contract for more than a year. And Marc VDS is the first time I’ve been in a team for more than a year. It’s been nice, but I think change is good.
“I like the look of that GP17. They made a lot of changes for this year, so it’ll be interesting to see what they change for next year.
“I understand the Honda, and they’re looking for direction and working hard … but I like the look of that Ducati bike, and I think it will suit my style – braking late, picking the bike up, getting it out of the corner.
“But you never know until you find out. A lot of people have gone there and tried, and haven’t ridden it the way that they expected. I don’t want to be another one of those. So it’s hard to say I’m going with high expectations. I want to go with a clear mind and go and learn some more.”
Jack also sees Pramac Ducati’s interest as a vindication of Honda’s bold move, taking him straight from Moto3 to MotoGP at the end of 2014.
“To sign another factory contract after three years … you can’t say it was a mistake. A lot of people did bad-mouth me then, but I think it goes to show we proved a lot of people wrong.”
By Michael Scott
2019 Factory seat
What are his chances?
The message from Ducati is clear. Race results will be the primary benchmark for Jack Miller to grab a spot in the factory Ducati squad. His first chance will be in 2019 with current riders Andrea Dovizioso and Jorge Lorenzo both locked in for next year.
Miller’s early season performances next year on a GP17 Desmosedici will be closely watched as he bids for a prized factory slot with Ducati, who’s holding an option on his services. And sporting director Paolo Ciabatti insists that rewards will be based on achievements.
“The factory team has a target to win races and championships and we can make no exceptions to this,” Ciabatti said. “We have to put, or keep, riders in the factory team who can win GPs and can challenge for the world championship – this is what Ducati and its sponsors want.
“I don’t rule anything out, and the target is to see Jack be successful.”
Both Lorenzo and Dovizioso will be aiming to renew their contracts for 2019, only adding to the competition. While nothing will be gifted without on-track performance, Ciabatti sees Miller’s promise.
“Our intention is not to put Jack on our bike for one year, it wouldn’t make sense. So we have some possibilities to extend the relationship,” Ciabatti said. “Jack has not yet shown his true potential. He has done some very good races, some disappointing races, but his age and talent still give him a chance to be successful.
“Obviously if Dovi and Jorge continue to do a good job it would also not make a lot sense to change. But it is almost one year from now before we have to make a decision. Ducati like to leave doors open, all options are on the table.”
And if he misses out?
If Miller misses a gig in the factory team for 2019 there is still an upside if his option for a second year with Pramac is exercised. In 2019 Miller has been guaranteed a factory-supported GP19 run out of the Pramac garage.
Miller’s bike for 2018 will be the final evolution of this year’s GP17 that will be raced at the Valencia grand prix in November.
With further development in the coming months the GP17 that has made Dovizioso a title contender this year should be a strong platform on which to make an impression.
Many talented riders have jumped on the Ducati and failed to fire, but a proven package could be Miller’s secret weapon in his move from the RC213V.
“As a base for a rookie, it’s a bike on which we have a lot of data and set-up information, that is competitive and a race winner …it’s a good option to make the jump from a different manufacturer onto the Ducati,” Ciabatti said. “And our strong relationship with the Pramac team will be good for Jack. It is through that system that we took Andrea Iannone into the factory team.”
By COLIN YOUNG
How the cards fell…
Jack Miller’s move has triggered a mass reshuffle of MotoGP midfield hopefuls, with Miller departing Honda for Ducati, and the displaced Scott Redding (below) confirmed at Aprilia. The third move was confirmed in the lead-up to Silverstone: Moto2 front-runner Tom Lüthi will slot in to Jack Miller’s vacated seat at Honda alongside 2017 Moto2 title rival Franco Morbidelli.
“There were a number of options open to us when we were looking for a MotoGP rider for the 2018 season, but Thomas Lüthi was the unanimous choice, despite him being a rookie,” Marc VDS Racing president Marc van der Straten said.
What’s he got to lose?
Everything, and nothing. Many a talented rider has been lured to the glamour of the Italian beast and many have left frustrated and red-faced at how difficult the Desmosedici is to merely tame, let alone ride to race wins. Luckily for Jack, he’s got one thing on his side that all those high-profile riders before him didn’t: youth.
At still only 22 years old, he’s far younger than the Valentino Rossis, the Cal Crutchlows, the Marco Melandris, the Andrea Doviziosos and Jorge Lorenzos who have all made the switch at some point in their career and, with perhaps the very recent exception of Dovizioso (and, of course, Casey Stoner), have all had varying levels of relatively lacklustre results…
