Front row and third place in sprint positives at the Sachsenring.
Pace early on is an area Jack Miller is still looking to improve in the grand prix distance races, ultimately finishing P6 on Sunday in Germany with his highlights from the weekend including a front-row start and podium in the sprint.
Miller qualified third on Saturday in drying conditions and rode to P3 in Saturday’s bout, 3.287s from race winner Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
Like he did in the Italian GP a week ago, the Australian shot to the holeshot in Sunday’s race at the Sachsenring, leading until he a had moment at The Waterfall on the opening lap which dropped him back.
By lap five Miller was in P6, crossing the line as low as seventh throughout the race before securing a top six result, just three-tenths shy of Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Ducati) in fifth at the conclusion of the 30-lap outing.
Miller admitted after Mugello he was ‘missing a bit of pace at the beginning’, maintaining post-Germany that generally he needs a bit more pace at the start of the races without worrying about the tyre.
“A good start as always,” Miller said. “My bike gets off the line so well. Maybe there was a bit too much commitment into The Waterfall on the first lap, I almost became a statistic in that corner.
“It was pretty close! It shook me up a little but I was able to regroup over the next 5-10 laps and build into it. I was just missing a bit of pace today. Nothing terrible, but the other guys were building up a tenth here and there.
“I started coming back on those in front of me but, generally, we need a bit more speed at the start of races without worrying about the tyre. Overall, a decent weekend here, and time now to roll onto Assen and get this triple header done.”
The MotoGP World Championship moves to Assen next weekend for the Dutch TT, marking the eighth round in the 2023 season.