For his national Australian Grand Prix and on his home ground of Phillip Island, Jack Miller wore, on race day, a suit with a unique design for the occasion. The interpretation was as a reminder of medieval armor, which, for Australia, had no historical meaning. So, for any explanation, the reference was made to the codes of the brave knight that Miller would thus embody in his tournament. But this is not at all what the Pramac Ducati rider wanted to understand, who recognizes a masterful miss. Explanation…
Jack Miller for its Australian Grand Prix wanted to make a strong reminder of the history of his country by exhuming the memory of a local highwayman named Ned Kelly. An unsavory man who robbed banks and who liked to kill the English in his spare time. He even had a gang under his command. A journey that ended at the gallows.
His specificity was that he had built himself an armor to protect himself from bullets. This handcrafted armor is now on display at the State Library of Victoria. We are talking about a time that goes back to the 19e century. So we are far from the knight!
Jack Miller sent a photo of the armor, which will soon be 140 years old, to an Italian designer, who was to design a leather suit based on the pattern. “ But the good man misunderstood my idea” smiled Jack Miller. “ When Dainese showed me the first photos of the leather, I was shocked. But I had neither the time nor the desire to change anything. I wanted to be like the bank robber who won dubious honors in Australia. In fact, I looked like a stranger. » But by getting on the podium of Phillip Island, “Jackass” was still a prophet in his country.
