Marco Bezzecchi
Jack Miller recently took part in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race as part of Yamaha’s factory efforts and enjoyed a hard-fought battle that saw the Australian, alongside Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Andrea Locatelli, secure a P2 finish.
It marked the Australian’s second consecutive runners-up finish at the illustrious endurance race, having first entered the race with Yamaha last year, amid the Japanese brand’s ongoing struggles in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
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Despite finishing nearly two minutes behind Honda’s race-winning entry, the race allowed Miller to properly flex his talents on two wheels among a grid that featured over 140 riders across 50 different teams.
In fact, Miller’s exploits at the Suzuka 8 Hours have marked his only trips to the podium since his last top-three finish in MotoGP that came in 2023, while he was racing for KTM.
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In an interview with Auto Hebdo, Miller was asked about how it felt to be competing amongst the frontrunners once again, especially at such an iconic circuit.
“It was really enjoyable,” he replied, before laughing as he added, “It’s great to overtake people on the straights. It’s really cool to be in the fight for the win, pushing hard on every lap and closing the gap on the leaders. It’s a great feeling.”
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However, he was dissatisfied with the rain that scuppered his charge, concluding, ” I was disappointed by the wet conditions, because in the dry, I really felt we had a genuine chance of winning. But then again, it was the same for everyone.”
With Miller reportedly on his way out of MotoGP at the end of the current campaign, Yamaha’s World Superbike effort has emerged as the favourite to land the 31-year-old’s talents for 2027.
His impressive performance atop production machinery at Suzuka will certainly have aided his case, too. Despite an imminent exit, Miller has continued to give his all for Pramac during MotoGP race weekends.
The Pramac ace shocked the German GP paddock by netting himself a spot in Q2 on Friday afternoon last weekend, before claiming another handful of points with a P12 finish.
While his future is yet to be confirmed by the Italian satellite outfit, it is highly unlikely that Miller is rewarded with one more season in the premier class.
Saying that, an exit was touted for him last year, before Yamaha decided to keep hold of Miller for his development prowess.
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