Source: Supplied.

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda’s Jack Miller started the 2017 MotoGP season with an impressive eighth in Qatar earlier this morning.

The Aussie met his target in claiming a top 10 result to open the season, now aiming to consistently solidify himself in that region as the season progresses.

Miller made a brilliant start from 16th to be 10th on lap one, before surging to seventh behind Honda factory rider Dani Pedrosa on lap eight. However in tricky, cool and low grip conditions Miller settled for his top 10 target of eighth when Aleix Espargaro and Scott Redding made late race charges to move ahead.

“After all that’s happened this weekend with the weather and the lost track time, it is a great way to start the season inside the top 10,” Miller commented. “The small crash in FP1 really set us back on Thursday and then the weather pretty much dominated the next two days. What I’m happy about is that I could carry the momentum gained in the preseason and I’ve felt better each time I’ve jumped on the bike.

“It’s very positive to be in the top 10 and the only disappointment is that I was a little bit tense on the bike in the first part of the race and I was squeezing the handlebars too much and it had a bit of an impact on the transition from brake to throttle. Apart from that it was a very positive finish. It’s a result both myself and the team can build on and I want to thank my guys because they gave me a really competitive package this weekend.”

Team principal Michael Bartholemy was impressed with Miller’s result: “I predicted ninth for Jack and he finished eighth, it was just a pity that in the final laps he could not keep the pace of Scott Redding. Tito [Rabat] did a good job to score a point in 15th so we leave here with both riders in the MotoGP points.”

Miller’s result marks his best start to the season in MotoGP yet, after crashing out on debut in 2015 and claiming 14th last season at the Losail International Circuit.