Image: Supplied.

North Queenslander Jack Miller’s first day back at Alma Pramac Racing was a positive one at Sepang on Sunday, setting the fifth-fastest lap-time as MotoGP testing resumed in Malaysia.

Miller posted a 2m00.178s in 43 laps on the opening day of testing, placing him 0.751s outside of Dani Pedrosa’s quickest lap at the top of the charts and directly behind teammate Danilo Petrucci.

Riding the Desmosedici GP17 while the likes of factory riders Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lorenzo and Petrucci get to grips with the updated GP18, Miller managed to make it four Ducatis in the top five overall in a promising start to the pre-season.

“We have worked hard on the race pace, also thinking about the details, step-by-step,” Miller explained. “We also tried different tyres and felt comfortable with all the solutions. The pace with the medium tyre was already very positive, then at the end of the session I managed to improve further with the soft rubber. The feeling is really positive – even if it is only the first day of testing, I can say that I am very satisfied with the bike.”

Following three years with Honda on satellite machinery, Miller’s transition to Pramac Racing has been a swift one to date after already impressing in the Valencia and Jerez tests. He enters the Sepang shakedown fresh from a number of weeks training in Southern California over the holiday period.