EXCLUSIVE - Jack Miller: “I've got a lot more to give the sport...”

“I’ve got nothing. The phone’s not ringing. I could be heading home for an early shower.”

That was Jack Miller’s worrying verdict on his MotoGP future after returning from the summer break at Silverstone last August.

Fortunately for the 29-year-old, the phone did eventually ring.

The call was from Miller’s former Pramac team, which wanted the Australian alongside Miguel Oliveira for its new factory-backed Yamaha project.

“We were pushing hard to try and stay [in MotoGP] and, like I said, it was not looking great for a long time there,” Miller told Crash.net in the closing stages of the season.

“But fortunately for us, we've got that opportunity and I'm super motivated, super keen to grasp it with both hands and try and make it into something great.

“I feel like I've still got a lot more to give to the sport. I feel like I haven't yet reached my full potential and this opportunity is a chance to reset and almost try and rebuild again.”

It certainly wasn’t the first time Miller’s grand prix career has been in jeopardy, stretching back to his early cash-strapped days in 125cc.

But the Australian, propelled directly into MotoGP on the back of a 2014 Moto3 title challenge, never ‘folded’.

“I've been very, very fortunate,” said the four-time MotoGP race winner before pointing to images of his earlier career being beamed out on a nearby TV in the Red Bull KTM hospitality.

“They’ve had these replays on all day and to be here in MotoGP for nearly ten years and still be somewhat competitive, I can be very happy with that. It's more than I ever anticipated.

“For sure there are some testing moments, let's say. But the biggest thing I take away is just never giving up on it, never folding.

“Just keep busting my arse and always try to take the most out of myself.”

Miller spent much of his second and final season at Red Bull KTM battling chatter on the way to 14th in the world championship with best race results of fifth.

Yamaha “busting their arse” to be competitive again

Also “busting their arse”, in Miller’s opinion, is Yamaha, whose lead rider Fabio Quartararo finished just one place ahead of Miller in last year’s world championship standings.

Due to his KTM contract, Miller could not comment following his Pramac Yamaha debut at November’s Barcelona test.

But speaking before the outing he was “really keen” to try the latest version of a machine that, during his debut 2015 MotoGP campaign, swept the triple crown of riders’, teams’ and manufacturers’ titles.

“There's some history behind that motorcycle and the bones of it are great,” Miller said.

“They've had some difficult times in the past couple of years, but when I was starting out in MotoGP that was the bike everyone wanted to be on.

“Rookies were also getting on it and being on the podium, like Zarco, Jonas [Folger], Fabio [Quartararo]. Also Franky [Morbidelli]. That bike was very, very, very strong.

“Yes, they’ve struggled in recent years with the whole aero style and ride-height devices in MotoGP now.

“But I believe they're working really hard to catch up. Even though we’ve only got these ‘add-ons’ [ride height] for a couple more years, they're not sitting on their laurels and saying, ‘we'll be right in 2027’.

“They're busting their arse trying to get there now.

“So I take my hat off to them for that and for putting a second team on the grid again. I think not having four bikes has probably hindered them as well, so that will also be a big step in the right direction.”

Miller, who played a key role in developing ride-height devices and aero while at Ducati, emphasised there is no simple answer when it comes to creating a competitive MotoGP machine.

“I think if you could put it down to one point, then obviously [Yamaha] would have addressed it,” he said. “I think it's an accumulation of things, whether it be [how to use] the tyres, or the ride-height device.

“I think [the ride height devices] have come to play a part in the racing more than anybody ever expected. And how well some manufacturers have got them working now is phenomenal. Plus, the aero side of things.”

Miller also suspects the Japanese manufacturers expected ride-height devices to be outlawed earlier, contributing to the head start for the Europeans.

“I feel that maybe they anticipated they were going to be outlawed before [2027] and so didn’t need [them] ‘early doors’. But now we've obviously found out that they've been around for quite a bit of time.

“And the same with the winglets. We went through a stage where we thought winglets were outlawed. Then they basically found a way to get around the rule.

“It's also crazy to see what the back of the bikes look like now [aero wise]. But focusing a massive part of your budget on that is a huge thing.”

Asked if he believes MotoGP factories will find loopholes in the looming ride-height ban, in a similar way that wings evolved, Miller replied:

“It’s hard to say, but I wouldn't be surprised.

“We thought they’d got rid of the wings and then all of a sudden they started re-appearing and now they're more prominent than ever.”

Miller will be officially presented as a Pramac Yamaha rider during a joint launch with the factory Monster team in Kuala Lumpur on January 31.

Due to the concessions available to Yamaha and Honda, Miller will be eligible to ride at both the upcoming Sepang Shakedown (also starting on January 31) and Official MotoGP test (February 5-7).

As part of its quest to return to the top of MotoGP, Yamaha is also developing a V4 engine alongside the existing Inline powerplant, making Miller's experience of the Honda, Ducati and KTM V4 engines especially valuable.