Image: Russell Colvin.

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS rider Jack Miller received a hero’s welcome from home fans after a courageous seventh place in Sunday’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Miller’s stirring performance came despite racing with a fractured right tibia held together by a plate and seven screws.

Making his trademark rocket-ship start, Miller stunned the stars of MotoGP by taking his Honda RC213V to the front and leading the opening four laps of the 27-lap encounter. Cheered on by local fans Miller outpaced Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viñales and eventual winner Marc Marquez with his daring early charge.

The gritty Aussie remained a podium contender until just after the halfway mark when rear grip levels dropped and Miller raced to ensure a top 10 finish.

“It was great feeling to be leading my home race at Phillip Island, but maybe going hard early hurt me later in the race with rear grip when I had to switch engine maps,” Miller reflected.

“It would have been nice to be able to push a bit harder at the end of the race but it was a solid weekend considering my injury, starting fifth and finishing seventh in front of my home fans, I’m happy with that.”

The amazing recovery of Miller from his injury, suffered just 24 days ago in a trials bike accident, was tribute to his determination and an intensive rehab program, placing him in a strong position heading into Sepang in Malaysia this weekend.