Jack Miller “scratching my head” at “stupid” Japan MotoGP practice crash
Jack Miller’s Q2 hopes were dashed by a crash late on in Practice at Motegi
Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider Jack Miller was left “scratching my head” at his “stupid I-don’t-even-know-why” crash on Friday at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Australian - whose last MotoGP victory came in Japan in 2022 - made a positive start to the Motegi round on Friday morning when he put his satellite M1 eighth on the timesheets despite a crash.
But replicating that in the afternoon session proved impossible for Jack Miller, whose initial time attack effort was hampered by vibration on the rear tyre.
On his final run, he crashed at Turn 5 but was left bemused as to why he fell in the first place.
This left him in 20th in the rankings and forced into a Q1 battle on Saturday morning in qualifying, with Miller believing he had top 10 potential without that crash.
Explaining what happened, Miller said: “Honestly, I feel very good pace-wise.
“The first time attack was okay; I didn‘t get the best out of the tyre because there were some vibrations, but I was confident.
“Then, when I went out for the second time attack, on the out lap I had [Marco] Bezzecchi and [Marc] Marquez in front of me.
“I wasn‘t going slow but not fast either, and then suddenly at Turn 5 it all went upside down.
“I‘m disappointed; I left a lot on the table.
“The bike was working well, but then there was this stupid I don‘t even know why crash.
“Tyre temperature was fine, pressure was fine, I even braked a little earlier than the lap before, but midway through the corner I shifted to second gear and down she went.
“I was left scratching my head trying to understand what happened. It‘s a pity, because I felt we had a chance to make the top 10.”
Miller’s Pramac team-mate Miguel Oliveira - who struggled with “grip balance” - also failed to advance into Q2, with Fabio Quartararo the only Yamaha inside the top 10 at the end of Practice.
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