Stunning market rumour involves Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow joining forces

A newly emerging rumour is linking Jack Miller and Cal Crutchlow to the same manufacturer in World Superbikes.

With Toprak Razgatlioglu’s signature at Pramac Yamaha for 2026 confirmed, at least one of either Miller or Miguel Oliveira must leave the team to make space for the Turkish rider.

The most logical departure would be that of Jack Miller, whose Pramac Yamaha deal expires at the end of this year.

According to reports from Sky Sport Italy, Miller may have a lifeline from his old employer, Honda, who could take him in its factory World Superbike team for the 2026 season.

The deal would also cover 2027 and 2028, by when he’ll be 33-years-old.

Cal Crutchlow to join forces with Jack Miller?

Perhaps even more intriguing than the Miller aspect itself is that Cal Crutchlow would reportedly be brought in as team manager.

The British former grand prix winner retired from full-time racing in 2020, but joined Yamaha’s MotoGP test team.

Still officially a part of that programme, Crutchlow’s riding time has been severely limited since the beginning of 2024 as a result of a hand injury.

Crutchlow’s injury saw Yamaha bring in Andrea Dovizioso to take on some testing duties, the Italian’s role having become more official in 2025 when he’s appeared at grands prix with the factory Yamaha team and taken part in official tests.

The Yamaha test team also took on Augusto Fernandez for the 2025 season, with the Spaniard making his first appearance in factory Yamaha colours at last weekend’s Aragon Grand Prix.

It leads to questions over the future of 39-year-old Crutchlow on Yamaha’s test team, and therefore about his future in general.

A switch to WorldSBK would make sense from a calendar perspective, with the production derivative series’ calendar around half the length of MotoGP’s, but whether Crutchlow would be interested in stepping into management is a question only he could answer.

The timing of bringing in Crutchlow would also be complicated, since under Jose Ecamez’s leadership in the past two years Honda has been able to take steps forward in its WorldSBK project – although the CBR1000RR-R is still yet to win a race.

On the other hand, Crutchlow has long been friends with Miller – they shared the LCR Honda garage together in 2015, Miller’s rookie MotoGP season.

Perhaps, in that way, Crutchlow’s arrival at Honda would be an important factor in the Japanese factory acquiring Miller in the first place.

If Miller opts not to go to Honda, the Tokyo brand is also believed to be in talks with two-time World Superbike Champion Alvaro Bautista over a move back to the Fireblade he last rode in 2021, since the Spanish rider has confirmed this weekend in Misano that Ducati has opted to not continue with Bautista in 2026.