Source: Ajo Motorsport.

Luck was not on the side of Queensland’s Jack Miller on Sunday at Motegi, in round 15 of the Moto3 World Championship as he crossed the line a fighting fifth.

Red Bull KTM Ajo rider Miller led much of the race, but made a mistake at turn 11 of a thrilling last lap to drop down to fifth place.

“We worked very hard these past two weeks to arrive here strong and we took steps forward in every session this weekend,” the 19-year-old reflected. “It was a shame about mistake I made on the last lap, because our pace was still very good and I led for a large part of the race.

“The KTM worked very well thanks to the excellent work from the whole team. On the final lap, entering the corner, I went in too strong; when I tried shifting down as fast as possible I made a mistake which meant I passed the braking point. Nevertheless, we finished the race and have picked up points. The objective now will be to win the next race.”

A typical Miller start saw him gain a position off the line, completing the first lap in second. The Australian shared the lead of the race with Danny Kent and Alex Marquez in a constant series of overtaking moves.

On the final lap, Miller headed the leading group until turn 11, where he accidentally put his bike in neutral and had to go wide to prevent a crash. He finally concluded the race in fifth place.

With three races left on the calendar, Miller lies in second position in the overall standings with 206 points, now 25 behind Motegi winner Alex Marquez.