Our homegrown talent has been battling it out on track and making us proud! Check out our monthly column that follows all things Aussies racing Internationally on and off-road, from MotoGP to AMA Motocross. This month Miller, Gardner and Lawrence updates. Words: Ed Stratmann
With many talented Australian motorcycle racers showcasing their skills abroad in a range of disciplines both on-track and off-road, our latest column focuses on how they’re faring battling it out with the best in their chosen classes. This month we look at Jack Miller, Remy Gardner, Hunter and Jett Lawrence.
On-Track
Jack Miller – MotoGP
Jack Miller secured the 11th fastest time at the two-day MotoGP test in Qatar, with this latest outing full of upside for the popular pilot even if the results weren’t exceptional. Finishing just a tenth off his teammate in Brad Binder, who claimed ninth, there was much to be gained in terms of bike setup, track knowledge and tyre insight ahead of the first round, which will be held at the same venue in a little under two weeks’ time, as Miller will be eager to come out swinging.
“Positive last day here and I’m pretty happy where we are with the bike. I made a few setup changes today and I think we are in the right ballpark to get the season underway. I feel good and looking forward to getting back here to do it all for real,” he explained.
All-in-all it’s been a good pre-season and the boys have done a fantastic job through the winter.
“We still have a few little tweaks to make: motorbike racers are never totally happy! The conditions were tricky away from the racing line; if you make a mistake then it’s hard to come back off the dirty stuff. All-in-all it’s been a good pre-season and the boys have done a fantastic job through the winter with the improvements and I believe we have a very competitive bike to go racing.”
Remy Gardner – WorldSBK (Superbike)
Having achieved ninth in the test prior to the season launching Phillip Island opener, this saw Remy Gardner in a sound position to start off the new term on the right foot. Although plenty of encouragement could be drawn from the #87’s fifth in free practice three and seventh in the Superpole qualifier, his first race was frustratingly ended prematurely when a collision with another rider forced him out early.
We had some good fights in the sprint race and the pace was there, unfortunately we couldn’t finish inside the top three even though we had great speed.
Desperate for an improved Sunday in front of the adoring home fans, his super showing in the Superpole race that saw him battle with the frontrunners before banking sixth set the tone wonderfully.
Come the second race, though, and while the red-flag interrupted race saw him forced to start last following the restart due to him hitting Jonathan Rea’s bike, Gardner produced a smashing charge to ultimately get a credible 12th.
“Well, this weekend wasn’t meant to be. We had some good fights in the sprint race and the pace was there, unfortunately we couldn’t finish inside the top three even though we had great speed. I felt we could make another try in Race 2, but I couldn’t avoid Jonathan’s (Rea) bike and I ended up having some damage,” he reflected.
“The red flag gave us another chance, but I had to restart from the back of the grid. I think this is not good, but rules are rules. Although the guys did a fantastic job on making me able to go out again, the bike was not completely okay but we were still able to score valuable points. It’s a bit of a shame that we couldn’t convert our race potential, but we have to take the positives from the weekend; speed was there and we did a great job. Heading down to Barcelona for the second round of the season.”
Oli Bayliss – World SSP (Supersport 600)
While Oli Bayliss endured an injury interrupted off-season, the Aussie began his third year in World Supersport with a solid 12th in pre-season testing at Phillip Island. Serving as an ideal precursor to get his campaign underway on home soil, the talented Australian bagged a brilliant fifth in race one, which was especially positive given his struggles with the bike and the weather on the Friday. Although he couldn’t find his groove on the Sunday, posting a 10th place was a strong effort, thus meaning he ended the opener sixth in the championship.
“Today went not too bad. I did struggle a lot in the first couple of laps to find a good rhythm. However, after a couple of laps I found some pace…”
“That’s round one in the books and the D34G Racing Team and I walked away with a tenth-place finish in race two today and we leave the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit in sixth place in the championship,” he posted.
“Today went not too bad. I did struggle a lot in the first couple of laps to find a good rhythm. However, after a couple of laps I found some pace and then could start to push how I wanted and put some laps together. Anyway, was a pretty good first weekend of the year with the team. Now time to rest up and get fully healed for Barcelona at the end of March. Thanks so much to the team for their efforts and I have to say a huge thanks to the Australian crowd for coming out this weekend. It’s awesome racing at home.”
Off-Road
Jett Lawrence – AMA Supercross
Breathing life immediately into his February by registering a scintillating victory in Detroit, Jett Lawrence became the first rider to win two races this season in the stacked 450 class. Racing out of the gate to dominate proceedings, there was no stopping the #18, who led every lap of the main event to stamp his authority on the series. He then followed this up with a third in Glendale, where he admirably carved through the field after a challenging start to secure a deserved third to regain the red plate.
Jett importantly maintains his grip on the championship lead seven rounds in.
Next on the agenda was Arlington, and all the signs were there that another win was on the cards, as Lawrence stormed to the holeshot and surged to a commanding lead. Disaster then struck for the sensation, with two late spills ultimately meaning fourth was the best he could manage.
“There were ups and downs tonight in Arlington—lots to focus on. It was going good, then it went bad, then it could’ve been good, but then it went even worse! So, fourth place. I have to clean up a few things, but it’s always good to learn some things. I’m looking forward to Daytona this weekend. It’s been a while since I’ve raced there, so I’ll enjoy that Daytona sun,” he told the HRC website.
Jett importantly maintains his grip on the championship lead seven rounds in.
Hunter Lawrence – AMA Supercross
This month has seen Hunter Lawrence make some huge strides forward in the elite division, with him now looking right at home duking it out with the plethora of heavy hitters out there. After riding to a notable eighth in Detroit, he then really turned things up a notch in Glendale to produce his best result of the season to cross the line in fifth on a tricky track. The #96 was then arguably even better in Arlington, for he looked comfortable running upfront and battling with KTM star Aaron Plessinger on his way to banking fifth to equal his season-best finish.
“It was a good night, a lot of positives to take away. It’s a bummer—on the last lap, I was doing everything I could to pass AP [Aaron Plessinger] for fourth; live and learn. Two fifth places in a row, and ending up there after being in the wall, so that’s something I can be happy about. Thank you to the team; we’ll keep on plugging away,” he recalled.
