Jack Miller takes stock of his half-season in MotoGP and he knows that he is doing just right to enter the second half still standing to try to win the crown. But he will have to mark the entry point in Austria to make up for a gap which has widened due to a lack of regularity. The very one that he considers essential to achieve great things at the moment in the category. For this, a strong mind will have to be there. For this, the Ducati official counts on his own inner strength and an accomplice entourage…
Taking stock of his first part of the season, Jack Miller sees confirmation of a MotoGP which has entered a new era. A world after this time born from the wound of a Marc Marquez not yet delivered. In fact, the opportunities for victory have multiplied, but the one who wins in the end is the one who knows how to keep a cool head by favoring consistency with a character made of hardened steel.
As for this last point, Jack Miller insists on being of the old school. By this, mean that he refuses any mental coach, a specialty which has flourished in recent times and to which the current success of fabio quartararo. " The mental component plays an important role », begins the pilot of 26 years : " When it comes to finding mental strength, you can learn from everyone, but especially from people you enjoy being with and who make you feel positive ».
Among this saving entourage Miller mention your manager first Aki Ajo and his parents. Contrary to fabio quartararo ou Pol Espargaro, for example, he has not consulted a psychologist in the recent past: “ I don't think I need a sports psychologist. I've already tried this. I don't mean it was bad. But it's also not that I have to talk to someone like that every week. I know what to work on "Says Miller. However, he admits that this knowledge arose " from a previous conversation with a sports psychologist ».
He makes his assessment thus: “ you just need to have self-confidence and firmly believe in your own strengths. In the past, it was more like I was even too confident in myself sometimes. In the meantime, I think I have found a very good compromise. The most important thing is that I just love what I do, which is motorcycling. »Says Miller who also recognized that the support of spouses Crutchlow had helped him get over his bad start to the season.
Which brings us to the second point: regularity. And it is clear that the teammate misses her bagnaia. When the season started in Qatar at the end of March and beginning of April with two consecutive races, Miller only finished 9th in both cases. In both races he struggled on the one hand with tire wear, and on the other hand with the Suzuki rider Joan mir and, to top it all off, with the phenomenon of compartment syndrome.
Jack Miller's arguments place Johann Zarco as favorite
In the third race of the season, the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao, Miller fell. And so after three races as a factory driver Ducati, he only had 14 points on the counter. But then there were two consecutive victories at Jerez and Le Mans. They were followed by a sixth place at Mugello, a third at Barcelona, another sixth at the Sachsenring, then a crash at Assen. Here he is fifth in the championship, 56 points behind the leader Quarterly. He therefore no longer really has room for error.
« We have the two victories and the podium in Montmelo, which we can be proud of. But the first races were not ideal », recalls the Australian. “ And the accident in Assen was of course unnecessary. But it's over, we can't change that now and we can only look ahead and what we can do better in the second half of the season. I'm pretty confident there are a lot more tracks that I like and a lot more tracks that the Ducati likes ". He specifies : " every season is completely different, but I think the way Joan Mir won the 2020 championship will be quite similar at the end of this season. I think whoever is the most consistent will be at the top »Predicts Miller.
A prediction which, in passing, places its distinguished companion more Johann zarco as favorite than himself given the course of events. But Miller has already prepared his language elements in case, at the end of the season, he misses his goal of being World Champion: “ there will be people who look at the situation under the microscope and tell me that I could have done this or that better. I think we did a good job. Pecco in particular has been very consistent and I try to do my best ". But a Ducati satellite rider is ahead…
