Kevin Schwantz, the 1993 500cc world champion, has lavished praise on Australian MotoGP rider Jack Miller ahead of the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2016, saying the 21-year-old Australian has all of the attributes to make it to the top.
Miller took his maiden premier-class victory when he won in dreadful conditions at the Dutch TT in June, becoming the first Australian MotoGP race-winner since Casey Stoner won at Phillip Island in 2012.
Ahead of this weekend’s Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2016 at Phillip Island, Schwantz, who won the premier-class title 23 years ago for Suzuki, told the ‘Keeping Track’ podcast that Miller has big things ahead of him.
“I really like Jack and I think he’s got the talent to be one of the best,” Schwantz said.
“It was great to see him win in Assen and I’m sure that really helped his confidence, and it’ll be interesting to see him back, even more so at Phillip Island,” he said.
“He’s got to remember when he gets there that there’s going to be all the pressure of a home Grand Prix and not let that get to him, but I think that Jack has got a really bright future.”
Schwantz, who won 25 Grands Prix for Suzuki between 1998-94, also spoke about the maturation of Marc Marquez, who won his third MotoGP™ world title in the past four seasons after taking victory in last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix
“Whoever he’s working with, whatever he’s doing race strategy-wise, he’s a whole lot smarter racer than he was in the beginning,” Schwantz said.
“Fast is one thing, but to be able to assess ‘I’ve got something I can win with’ and go for it, or ‘I don’t have anything I can win with and I need to just get some points’, that’s a hard thing to figure out. That’s one of the things that makes Marquez so exciting to watch, because he thinks every race he starts he has the opportunity or the possibility to win it. I’m impressed with Marc Marquez.”
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix
