KTM boss: “Right time for Jack Miller to leave Ducati comfort zone”
The Australian ended a five-year stint at Ducati and has switched to KTM, where there is belief that his newfound maturity can turn the team into a force to be reckoned with.
He is linking up with team manager Guidotti, having spent three years under him at Pramac Racing, but that was a very different version of Miller.
"Jack is very mature now. He also got married," Guidotti said to Speedweek.
"I think it's the right moment to leave a comfort zone like he had at Ducati. It is a new challenge, a great challenge.
“But he is very motivated. Moving from one factory team to another factory team gives you a lot of confidence.
"Of course he is a different person, he has grown a lot in the last two years. I'm also three years older, everyone has changed!”
Miller has won four races in the premier class, most recently winning the Japanese MotoGP last season.
But he is leaving behind the Desmosedici, last year’s best machinery, and lending his experience to the development of the RC16.
"The qualities of Jack are well known: he is very fast, but sometimes a bit impetuous at the beginning of the race, which is why he does not manage the package he has so well,” Guidotti said.
“But his approach to the races, his experience and his speed are what interests us.
“We know what he can bring us, it will certainly be a very useful contribution. If he can find the consistency he lacked in the past over the course of the season, even better.”
In return Miller will be demanding of KTM. He and teammate Brad Binder had underwhelming outings at the preseason Sepang test which left Guidotti admitting “the expectation was a little bit too high”.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
