JACK Miller will start from the first pole position of his MotoGP career after winning an exciting qualifying for the Argentine Grand Prix.
In wet but dry conditions, Miller dared to switch to slicks in order to achieve the first pole position in the premier class of an Australian driver in five and a half years.
It is also the first pole position for a satellite Ducati. Miller beat Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Tech3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco on his last lap of the session.
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“I’m thrilled, I can’t thank the team enough for bringing me here,” said Miller. “It’s a cool feeling, that’s for sure.”
The 12 riders started the Q2 session on rain tires, Miller drove a flying lap that put him well in the top 10 before betting that slick tires were up to the task.
“I remember the Moto3 race a few years ago when it was wet and they were all on slicks and had really good grip and I know the rain tires overheat here very quickly,” he said.
“I got on the rain tires, did a lap and it was a pretty good lap time, I was happy to have one on the bench. Then it was an all-in bet for the slicks. “
Miller wasn’t the only one testing the water for dry rubber.
Yes, no surprises, Marc Marquez was also the one who tried slicks, but he came right back for another set of wet tires without starting a flying lap.
The Australian persisted and took three laps to beat his rainy season. His fourth lap, driven after the checkered flag, did the trick.
“For me, once I made my bet, I had to stick with it,” Miller said.
“I knew that I had to change clothes and drive pretty fast in order to do as many laps as possible, to build up some temperature and understand where I can push and where I have to stay calm. I just kept working to deal with it.
“Through (turns) 7 and 8 was the worst, it was completely wet, a lot of stagnant water and was very dangerous. I almost went under there a couple of times by just trying to touch the gas a little and it just tried to spill over on me. “
The Pramac crew hugs Miller after he takes pole position. Image: MotoGP.comSource: Supplied
Miller’s pole win results in a mixed grid due to the wet conditions.
Tito Rabat, the former teammate of the Australian at Marc VDS, will start from the best grid position of his MotoGP career after the fourth qualifying, alongside Alex Rins’ Suzuki.
World Champion Marc Marquez was only able to take sixth place after returning to rain tires, 0.611 seconds behind Miller’s pace to round off the second row.
Qatar winner Andrea Dovizioso will start from the middle of the third row after fighting his way out of Q1. His Ducati factory colleague was not so lucky, Jorge Lorenzo missed the last transfer place in Q2 and was from 14.
The factory Yamaha will have to fight their way up from low grid positions if they want to repeat their 1-2 from last year. Maverick Vinales qualified in ninth place, while Valentino Rossi only finished eleventh.
The MotoGP race starts Monday morning at 4 a.m. AEST.