Having ended the season fifth in the MotoGP standings and flexed his muscles on many occasions in the stacked class, 2022 was certainly a year filled with positives for Jack Miller. Here is the run down on his final season with the Ducati Lenovo MotoGP team. Words: Ed Stratmann…
Persistently showing he could mix it with the frontrunners, his one win and five podiums underlined his class in a year where his Ducati Lenovo teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, secured the championship. Moreover, his 12 top six finishes, 10 top five qualifying results and the fact he still did so well despite DNF’ing four races accentuates what a solid crusade he enjoyed.
While Miller, who finished fourth in MotoGP in 2021 and had two wins that term, didn’t replicate these feats in 2022, it was interesting to hear him state he feels this year was actually his best season in the elite class.
“I finished fourth last year in the championship and fifth this time, but this has probably been my strongest season,” he insisted after the finale at Valencia. “Most podiums I’ve ever had, and definitely my best MotoGP win in Japan. Especially after the Catalunya test [in June] the results have been really strong, apart from the mistakes here and at Misano and then getting cleaned out at Phillip Island. Apart from those ones, it’s been pretty solid and I’m really happy with how the second half finished off for me, even if we couldn’t sign it off how I wanted to here.”
Consistently fast and handling the pressure and weight of expectation that inherently comes with riding for factory Ducati, the #43 deserves immense credit for doing so admirably despite the relentless speculation surrounding his future with the Bologna marque that followed him for large swathes of the season. Forced to endure so much chat about him being replaced for 2023 and with his every move under the microscope, the charismatic Aussie handled the situation with aplomb, as he rarely got flustered and instead let his riding do most of the talking.
There was, however, the odd instance where the frustration got the better of him, with him at one point taking a pop at Enea Bastianini, who was later confirmed as the man who’ll replace him in 2023, earlier in the campaign. “Taking photos and celebrating after one podium? I don’t think that means anything,” Miller asserted.
“I’ve been working with these people for five years. When the results come, they come. I do the best I can for the company. I am a liked person, people like me a lot. I sell a lot more motorcycles than other people do. And that’s a big thing in this business. So, for sure, I have a lot of factors coming in my way.”
Seeing as Miller was such an exceptional teammate to Bagnaia, who’s preference was clearly for him to stay, it’ll be interesting keeping an eye on the dynamics with two Italians under the coveted factory Ducati awning next year. “He‘s been criticised too much lately, and I’m very happy for him too,” Bagnaia told Sky Sport Italia when asked about Miller.
“Keep him and touch nothing, now that there is this perfect harmony? I feel very, very good with him; we also work a lot together, and I don‘t think we can do it with other riders. In addition, I think he is very strong as a rider. On this track he helped me a lot; I improved too by looking at his data. I think it‘s a difficult balance to repeat if a new rider comes along.”
After all the rumours and innuendo, Miller ultimately announced he’d be joining Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in 2023, where he’ll join forces with Brad Binder, in a move that also sees him reunite with former Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti.
While his Ducati departure was tinged with sadness, Miller leaves having forged fantastic relationships with the team and the brand, plus displayed what a terrific team member and what a positive person he is to be around.
“Having Jack alongside Brad in our team means we have another strong asset. I know him well, I know how he likes to work and what he can bring to the box,” Guidotti noted. “I believe his character and the way he will ride and push our KTM RC16 will help us a lot at this stage of our project. Like Brad, Jack is a pure racer: he will find the limits and the maximum of any condition and any package and still go for it to get the result and that is quite a rare quality. The next two seasons will be exciting!”
Joining on a two-year deal following a five-year spell with Ducati, seeing how he fares on the Austrian bike will be fascinating. Encouragingly, the early signs were positive after his first test on the RC16, with him commenting that he adapted more smoothly than expected, which bodes well for the future, especially considering the issues that plagued the KTM riders last term.
Set for another test in February next year, getting further time on the bike will be crucial as he looks to perform even better and build on his excellent 2021 and 2022 campaigns. All things considered, 2022 was definitely a year to remember for the 27-year-old, where he yet again proved he has what it takes to win races and mix it with the best of them in the elite division while further cementing his status as one of the most populars riders on the grid due to his engaging, fun-loving and likeable personality.
