Every year seems to race by quicker and quicker, but, to be honest, when December came around this year it became ever-so clear that 2015 is right around the corner. Aside from the content you see, we’ve been flat out ensuring we have the budget to continue charging into the new year!

In fact, whether you’re a website publisher like myself, a team, or privateer searching for sponsorship to go racing at this point of the year, we’re all in a similar boat. And for the local distributors, they’re also busy allocating their 2015 budgets and ensuring product is racing out the door for Christmas and beyond.

The progress of Jack Miller on a MotoGP bike so far has been extremely positive when you consider the sheer step from a 250cc Moto3 machine to the 1000cc MotoGP bike, which bodes well for his rookie campaign in 2015.

Source: LCR.

At just 19, Miller has quickly adjusted to the basics of a MotoGP bike, with seat time and experience now a very important part of his ongoing development. HRC sees ‘something’ in him and believe he’s worth the three-year factory contract, so we’re excited to follow him along the way.

What can we expect from Jack in 2015? Considering he’s on the production variation of Honda’s all-conquering RC213V (the RS, which should be much improved on this year’s RCV1000R), points would be the initial target. What’s good for Jack is that he has the likes of Nicky Hayden and Eugene Laverty to compare himself to on the same spec equipment.

Locally, we’re yet to hear anything concrete when it comes to the 2015 teams. Team Honda Racing is expected to retain Wayne Maxwell and Troy Herfoss last we heard last week, but we’re now hearing that the team could defend its championship in the Australasian Superbikes rather than defecting to Australian Superbikes. Or, could we see them in both?

Yamaha Racing Team is where we await the big news, being who will ride the 2015 YZF-R1 (or M) and a large amount of riders are waiting and hoping for contact or an indication from Yamaha. Who will it be (either on a three or two-rider team)? That’s anyone’s guess right now. YRT has a major decision to make when it comes to who they’ll sign, hedging on experience and youth.

Image: Jeff Crow.

Aside from the silly season, a heap of Australian road racers joined Troy Bayliss in the Moto Expo Baylisstic Scramble at Melbourne Showgrounds last weekend, including Herfoss, Japan-bound Josh Hook, Glenn Scott and more.

What events such as these do, as much as anything, is really help profile our domestic racers alongside the likes of Bayliss and a who’s who of top-level off-road and dirt track riders. Now, the Bayliss Classic is next on the schedule and it will no doubt be awesome to watch once again in the new year.

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