Jack Miller back to where it all began, Sachsenring “should suit us well”
Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider Jack Miller returns to the Sachsenring, scene of his world championship debut in 2011.
Jack Miller returns to the scene of his 2011 grand prix debut, in the now defunct 125cc class, as the MotoGP World Championship arrives in Germany’s Sachsenring for the midway event of the 2025 campaign.
That first grand prix saw wild-card Miller qualify 26 out of 36, while a certain Maverick Vinales took pole position. The Australian, then running the #73, was up to 19th on the opening lap of the race, but entered the pits and retired on lap 3.
Joining Miller on the DNF list was current Pramac Yamaha team-mate Miguel Oliveira, who crashed a lap before Miller’s retirement. The race was won by Hector Faubel in a photo finish with current MotoGP rider Johann Zarco, with Vinales third.
Miller finished fourth place in the new Moto3 class at Sachsenring a year later, during his first full world championship season, before winning in Germany on his way to runner-up behind Alex Marquez in the 2014 title chase.
A MotoGP podium followed in 2022 with Ducati, then a Sprint podium for KTM.
Last year brought 11th and 13th places from a lowly 16th on the grid with the RC16, but Miller is cautiously optimistic the claustrophobic layout will suit this year’s Pramac Yamaha.
“I‘m really curious to see what we can do this weekend. The Sachsenring, with all its long corners, should suit us well,” Miller said.
“Power isn‘t the real issue – the issue is managing usable power and keeping the bike in that grip window, which is always tricky.
“But this track flows nicely, is plenty of long corners, the bike turns quite well, so let‘s see what happens.
“Qualifying will be crucial. We‘ve seen in Assen how hard it is to overtake when you‘re stuck behind someone - getting frustrated and trying not to make silly mistakes to pass.”
Since Assen, Miller has completed two days of testing in Japan - alongside Andrea Locatelli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga - in preparation for his Suzuka 8 Hours comeback.
Before heading back to Japan for the race itself, Miller will be fully focused on improving his fortunes in MotoGP, where he currently sits 18th in the standings, and is chasing a contract for 2026.
Yamaha has indicated they will decide on Toprak Razgatlioglu's team-mate by the summer break, meaning Miller and Oliveira now have just Sachsenring and Brno left to impress the factory bosses.
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