Very impressive at Sepang with the fifth final time of the three days of testing, Jack Miller confirms his talent in Thailand and justifies the confidence that Ducati has placed in him by placing him at Pramac. Sixth on the first day, he completed the second in third place.
He thus ranked first Ducati rider, behind the two Hondas of Marquez and Pedrosa. If he was 0.216 from the first, he was only 0.058 from the second.
“In the last four years, I don't think I've ever felt this comfortable, noted the Australian. I haven't been this confident with my riding since I was in Moto3. I did 21 laps with the soft rear tire and I'm very happy with it, Miller said. The circuit resembles that of the Austrian GP, which is good for Ducati. We still have work to do with the settings, and we should improve tomorrow.”
“We have the machine from last year, so we don't have to try a lot of new things apart from the tires. I am satisfied with our performance. Every time I get on a motorcycle, we get better. I feel more comfortable. We are near the summit. And I can achieve consistently fast times. I managed another 1'32 this morning with destroyed tires that had more than 30 laps behind them.
“I did my best time in the morning with a front tire that was already 16 laps old. I like the hard one better, but we don't have much of it, so we save it. The rear tire was new, so the front tire slipped a bit. But I found a few places where I could improve my lap time. I haven't really looked for that time yet. Some colleagues are running with a new set of tires in 1'30.7. And I'm running in 1'31.2 with a rear tire that has already survived 27 laps. That's why I'm satisfied. There is nothing to add.
“I did 84 laps yesterday and 69 today. I'm only 0.3 seconds faster with completely new tires than with very worn tires. We will therefore try to improve the time with the new tires, to benefit more from the initial handling.
“I can do everything with the Ducati. I have never had so much confidence in my driving skills since my time in Moto3. This is only my fourth test with the Ducati. I am very happy with the reaction of the bike. Yet we must stay with our feet on the ground.
“I want to be in the top five in the race. »
Results of the second day:
1. Marc Márquez, Honda, 1:29,969 min
2. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 0,158 sec
3. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,216
4. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +0,305
5. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,391
6. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,398
7. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,477
8. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,521
9. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,525
10. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,760
11. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0,806
12. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +0,886
13. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +0,914
14. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,919
15. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +0,932
16. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,144
17. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,161
18. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,216
19. Mika Kallio, KTM, +1,629
20. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +1,668
21. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,692
22. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,025
23. Hafizh Syahrin, Yamaha, +2,029
24. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +2,298
Photos © Pramac Racing
