Promising start ends in the gravel for motivated Aussie.
The Grand Prix of Japan ended in disappointing style for LCR Honda rider Jack Miller as he crashed out at the Twin Ring circuit in Motegi on Sunday.
As had been forecast, the MotoGP showpiece was affected by wet weather with heavy rain having fallen at the track prior to Sunday’s race.
Starting from 22nd on the grid, Miller made encouraging early progress through the field. The Australian was looking to challenge for a top 10 spot when he suffered a problem with the front-end that dropped him back.
Following that first crash, the North Queenslander battled on but his race was then over after a braking error to ensure a promising weekend ended in frustration.
“It was a disappointing end to the weekend,” Miller explained. “I tried hard to be a little bit calmer this time with the wet conditions, I didn’t look to overtake so many people and got in a nice groove and got settled, but then I had small loss of the front and I’m not really sure why.
“After that I tried to work my way back into a points position, but it was not quite possible. I caught up to Laverty, but when I was right behind him I locked the brake up on the white line and that was the end of my race. It was a real shame, I’m not very happy but we also gained a lot of experience out of this.”
Miller will now reset his focus ahead of this weekend’s Pramac Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island – his first home MotoGP in the premier class.