The bizarre reason Jack Miller was once fined by Honda after winning a race

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Jack Miller scored his first-ever MotoGP win at the 2016 Dutch Grand Prix. Miller had started down in 19th place for Honda’s Marc VDS satellite team.

It was a race that helped to establish Miller’s reputation as a wet-weather specialist. He capitalised on the chaos ahead, which included a red flag midway through and multiple accidents.

Valentino Rossi was among the riders to go down in a major blow to his title hopes. Eventual champion Marc Marquez inherited the lead, only to be passed by a 21-year-old Miller.

Even though the Australian had only once finished in the top 10 at that point, he showed immense composure to lead the final seven laps. It was the only victory he achieved on the Honda before he left for Ducati in 2018.

Jack Miller was fined for Dutch Grand Prix shooey, according to paddock rumour

Joined on the podium by Marquez and Pramac’s Scott Redding, Miller performed an Australian celebration known as a ‘shooey’. Formula 1 counterpart Daniel Ricciardo popularised the ritual when he finished in the top three for Red Bull.

Honda bosses thought it was inappropriate to drink the winner’s champagne from his race boot, though. The rumour in the paddock was that Miller received a fine.

TNT Sports pundits Neil Hodgson and Sylvain Guintoli relived Miller’s victory during the coverage of last weekend’s race. He’s gone on to score a further 22 podiums in the premier class.

“I might be wrong, but I don’t know if he received a fine for that,” Hodgson said.

Guintoli replied: “He did. From what I hear, I did get a fine from Honda.”

Hodgson added: “That rumour circulated around the paddock afterwards, and I’ve not heard anything on the contrary since.”

Jack Miller just showed how big a loss he’d be to MotoGP

Nearly a decade on, Miller’s MotoGP career could be coming to an end. Yamaha are considering a move for Diogo Moreira, which would see both Pramac’s current riders lose their seat – Toprak Razgatlioglu has already been signed.

Miller is relaxed about his future, having confronted the possibility of an enforced retirement last year. Pramac gave him a one-year deal and the final spot on the grid.

Discussing his future before the race in Assen, Miller jokingly threatened to blackmail Yamaha, saying he’d leak images of their much-anticipated V4 engine.

This sense of humour explains why he’s become so popular not just in his native Australia, but across the MotoGP world. Liberty Media would surely tap into his personality from a marketing standpoint, but his results must justify an extension.