The first European race of the MotoGP season takes place this weekend with the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao.
A track famed for its undulations and fast corners, it’s the latest round of a season that is proving every bit as gripping and unpredictable as fans would have hoped.
For Jack Miller, meanwhile, it’s a chance to try and achieve another podium place to build on his top-three finish in Austin last time out, and he admits he feels as though he has made a step forward on the back of that result.
“[The season’s] been up and down. Like a roller coaster, much like this track where we are now,” Miller tells Give Me Sport.
“I felt like we made a step forward last week. Not only because of the podium and all that, but also just the way we worked throughout the weekend.
“I think we found our direction, let’s say, we were sort of p***ing in the wind up until that point, and we were able to sort of locate what we needed to work on and also find some solutions.
“So I think it was a big, big weekend for us last weekend, in more ways than one. And I feel good now. We’re coming to a new track and coming to the European part of the season.
“I think the real stuff sort of starts now.”
AUSTIN, TEXAS – APRIL 10: Jack Miller of Australia and Ducati Lenovo Team celebrates the third place on the podium during the MotoGP race during the MotoGP Of The Americas – Race on April 10, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images)
The championship is wide open, too. Enea Bastianini has won two of the races so far but the fight has only just begun, and Miller, when asked about the opportunities that could present, thinks that that competition is a good thing:
“Definitely. With Enea winning two races, he’s sort of stepped up a fair bit. But the rest of us have, you know, been very hot and cold. So I think it’s all definitely there to play for still. And I think that trend will continue on throughout the season, because I think, in this championship, it’s going to be hard to run away with it.
“I think with the way that the championship is at the moment with the amount of guys and the amount of talent there is in the field and then also the number of good bikes there are it’s amazing for the sport to be in this position, to have every manufacturer on the grid being able to win a race. And also just to have that level of competition, I think it’s fantastic for the sport.
“It’s definitely stressful because you know, those days where you’re maybe not feeling 100%, you can quite easily be knocked down the points. That’s the stress of it all, but it makes it awesome.”
As mentioned, Miller achieved a podium place in Austin, and he hopes the similar levels of uniqueness that Portimao has like Austin can work in his favour:
“It’s similar in some respects, definitely. They’re both very, very unique tracks.
“I think you have to approach them as if they are no different, but they’re definitely a lot different than you would say, your typical tracks with Mugello, Barcelona, those sorts of ones. It’s got its own character, for sure here. It’s a physical one, maybe not as physical as Austin, but definitely physical.”
AUSTIN, TEXAS – APRIL 10: Jack Miller of Australia and Ducati Lenovo Team lifts the front wheel during the MotoGP race during the MotoGP Of The Americas – Race on April 10, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images)
One of the challenges is the elevation changes around the circuit, but Miller says that’s all part of the fun:
“You’re constantly fighting the bike more or less, because the biggest issue for us with a MotoGP bike, you’ve got 350 horsepower and a 150-kilo motorcycle so you’re fighting really all the time. So then with all the elevation changes, you’re constantly fighting the wheelie even more. So that definitely makes it tough. So just trying to get your maximal power to the ground here is hard, but it definitely makes for fun riding.”
There’s more to come in Europe, too, after Portugal, and Miller says he’s looking forward to it with it clear he feels the championship is about to step up in intensity:
“A lot of races in this period are at tracks that are very familiar. The last couple of tracks we haven’t really been to because of COVID. Like with Indonesia being brand new and Argentina not being there for two years.
“Now it’s tracks that are basically more familiar for everybody. So the levels kind of step up even more. And for sure. I think the European season is really when things start to form and take shape, and you get to understand who your real rivals are for the year.”
next story previous story
News Now – Sports News