The 2016 MotoGP World Championship roars into life this weekend at the Losail Circuit in Qatar, already underway with the opening practices in the books. While all eyes are on the likes of Lorenzo, Rossi and Marquez, Australia remains hopeful of a strong year for Jack Miller.

We’ve been following Miller’s progress in the lower tiers as closely as we could for years. However once he signed with Red Bull KTM things became far easier with a strong PR department, which of course was when his results rapidly improved and as a nation everybody really stood up and took notice.

From his Qatar win in 2014 it’s been a whirlwind ride of sorts for Miller, just missing out on the Moto3 World Championship that year, but still being snapped up by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in a three-year premier class contract regardless.

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Expectations were neither here nor there last year. Equipped with an Open specification RC213V-RS as part of the LCR Honda outfit, he had plenty of highs – including some sub-class wins – but also a heap of lows that dented his confidence and experience in the process.

Now, things are heating up for Miller and expectations are increasing as part of the formidable Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS MotoGP team. The Open class has been scrapped altogether and we’re seeing the field using controlled electronics packages, so the gap to the front should be reduced.

The opening session on Thursday was positive for Miller as his broken leg sustained in the off-season was largely improved and we’re hearing he’s the fittest he’s been during his career to date. He knows this is another major step in his career and he wants to make the most of it.

“I am feeling better on the bike with my right leg compared to the test here two weeks ago but I’m still not satisfied,” Miller said following FP1. “I want to be closer to the front, but we have made some positive steps in the set-up to find a direction that should be good for qualifying and the race.

“I need to get the front-end more stable and have the confidence to push for faster times. The track was a little bit dirty from the rain yesterday and it was windy but overall a good start to the weekend.”

It’s hard to really gauge just how competitive Miller’s satellite bike is against the factory Hondas of Marquez and Pedrosa, however there’s every chance HRC officials will be monitoring his progress directly with the likes of current and former teammates Tito Rabat and Cal Crutchlow. And with ex-Moto2 champion teammate Rabat a rookie, Miller is effectively the Marc VDS team leader.

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If Miller can get the better of them, as he did 2006 MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden on similar equipment last year, then that’ll be a hefty feather in the cap for the 21-year-old from Cairns. And where that leads for 2017 – and, more importantly, beyond – will be pivotal for his hopes of becoming world champion.

And with both Ant West and Remy Gardner out of the world championships this season, Miller has become the sole local focus of Australian fans on grand prix weekends. With that, he’s got the support of a very supportive nation behind him.

And before we wrap this up, condolences to the family of Tunisian rider Taoufik Gattouchi, who was tragically killed at 49 years of age following an incident in the Losail 600 Cup support race at the Losail International Circuit. It’s never nice to hear of this type of thing in the sport and our thoughts are with everybody involved at this sad time.

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