Jack Miller: “Always criticism - I had to prove myself more to continue my job”

Wayne Gardner, Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner left an incredible legacy as Aussie riders in MotoGP, and now the hugely-popular Miller carries the torch.

But he insists that his early days - and skipping from Moto3 straight into the premier class where he rode for Honda and Ducati before KTM - were fraught with the need to live up to the legends of the past.

“There is always a lot of criticism and it comes with the territory of being a little bit outspoken,” Miller told MotoGP.com.

“If you put yourself out there, there are positives and negatives. Generally more positives but there is a lot of doubt.

“Is it the Australian thing? Coming after a lot of successful riders, the only ones that have made it have been super-successful world champions.

“Theirs are big boots to fill so there is extra pressure and expectation.

“Now not so much, but in the past I had to prove myself more to get a bump up in job, or to continue my job, or to move up the ladder.

“I’ve been constantly working my way up the pecking order.”

Miller swapped his factory Ducati seat to join KTM this season, and heard the whispers of critics even before his first race.

“It was already happening as I was signing the contract!

“The comment I read was ‘he’ll be moving to WorldSBK’ - like that’s a bad thing?

“They try to use that as an insult.

“Let’s give it a crack and see what happens! A change was what I felt that I needed.

“Throughout winter testing I heard ‘maybe he’s not getting along…’”

'I'm an idiot, a bit of a clown! People enjoy a character'

Miller is now one of the most popular names and faces on the MotoGP grid.

“I’m at the point where I don’t really care,” he said about his unique personality. 

“I have my opinion. If you ask and it’s what you like, good. If it’s not? That’s your problem, not mine.

“I feel complete in terms of where I’m at in my racing career. I’ve done alright, better than I imagined.

“I was a cocky kid but, deep down, you never know. There have been points in my career where I thought I’d be heading home shortly, to get a job!

“People enjoy a character. That’s who I am, at the end of the day.

“An idiot, a bit of a clown! But I’m real. I’ll happily give everyone my time.

“I remember being a fan watching guys like Valentino Rossi get mobbed. It’s cool to push the next generation on, and to show them that you don’t have to be a robot! Or to be a certain way to succeed.”

Miller has been on the MotoGP podium with three different manufacturers.

This year he has been part of KTM’s impressive push, finishing third in Spain.

This weekend, the Austrian MotoGP, is KTM’s home race.

“I feel like I’m getting better,” Miller said.

“I don’t get flustered or stressed as much. I still take the job as seriously as I ever did, but with the experience that you gain, you become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

“A younger me would be a lot more stressed.”

He assessed his season so far: “Six out of 10. I was happy with the sprint races in Germany and Jerez. But there were moments, in Austin, I felt strong but then I dumped it.

“In Assen, I felt good on Friday, again dumped it when I felt that we could do something decent.

“There have been a lot of ‘what ifs’.

“You can’t get too overly stressed about it. When you’re learning a new bike, what it wants…

“You try to make it second-nature and the only way to do that is to push it.”