Jack Miller says decision to cancel Australian sprint came too soon

Jack Miller believes the Australian MotoGP sprint race was cancelled prematurely and that he would have at least liked to try racing.

Robert Jones

26 Oct 2023

Jack Miller, KTM MotoGP Phillip Island 2023

A decision to cancel the sprint was made following heavy rain and wind during the Moto2 race, which was red-flagged before two-thirds distance was complete.

Miller was asked about the decision to call off the sprint race and whether it was too early, when speaking ahead of this weekend’s ThaiGP which could also be affected by weather conditions.

“Cancel it before it went on, I don't think so,” said Miller. “At the end of the day, the rain was what it was. It wasn’t overly wet.

“I went on the pit straight for about an hour after it was called and I wasn’t getting too wet. For sure it was windy but they made their decision and we have to stick to it.

“I would have loved to have tried but they feel like they made the correct call.”

That wasn’t the only surprise for Miller, as the Australian also admitted he was late in hearing about the schedule change.

After it was confirmed that the main race would be moved to Saturday, Miller had to wait until being told by Team Manager Francesco Guidotti, which came late on Friday evening.

“I didn’t even hear of the change to the schedule until Francesco told me,” said Miller. “That was the first I heard that they were changing it and putting the main race on Saturday.

“I feel like everyone thought Sunday was going to be a bit of a write off. Even exiting the track on Saturday it just felt weird.

In terms of this weekend, Miller believes the KTM should suit the Buriram circuit as he looks to secure his first top five in a grand prix since round four of the year at Jerez.

Miller added: “Looking forward to the weekend here. I think the KTM should work really well around here.

“Weather looks a bit unpredictable but it’s typical tropical weather. We will have a bit of everything every day. I really like the track. It will be nice racing in the heat again.”