“Couldn’t show our true potential”: Jack Miller rues missed chance at Suzuka 8 Hours
Jack Miller says he “wanted” to ride in the rain at Suzuka when the Top 10 Trial was cancelled.
The cancellation of the Top 10 Trial at the 2026 Suzuka 8 Hours was a missed opportunity for Yamaha, Jack Yamaha thinks.
Miller and the Yamaha Factory Racing Team will start fifth for tomorrow’s Suzuka 8 Hours after the Top 10 Trial was cancelled on Saturday, leaving the whole starting order to be decided by the qualifying times on Friday when the Yamaha team encountered some technical problems.
The Australian has been known for his willingness to push in wet conditions throughout this MotoGP career, so it makes sense in that respect that he was keen to ride in the Top 10 Trial, even if the conditions were suboptimal.
“I don’t mind the rain, so I actually wanted to ride in the Top 10 Trial even if it was wet (laughs),” said Jack Miller after the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial at Suzuka.
“Especially after yesterday, when we had a few issues and couldn’t show our true performance.
“But tomorrow is a new day. A rainy 8 Hours is going to be a long, tough race, and the weather will probably be unpredictable, but I believe in the team, my team-mates, and our package.
“I think the tougher the conditions get, the stronger we’ll be!
“The most important thing is to avoid mistakes and run a clean race.
“We found a good direction during last night’s Night Practice and today’s Free Practice 2.
“I’m going to enjoy every bit of this special Suzuka 8 Hours while aiming for the absolute best result.”
For Katsuyuki Nakasuga, the cancellation of the Top 10 Trial was especially regrettable for the impact on the fans, who missed the chance to see this year’s 8 Hours riders pushing unhindered for one lap.
“I’m really sorry for the fans that Saturday’s big event, the Top 10 Trial that everyone looks forward to, had to be cancelled,” he said.
“But safety comes first, and I completely respect the decision.
“As a team, it’s a massive shame because Loka [Andrea Locatelli] and Jack [Miller] were incredibly fired up for it.
“Personally, my goal this race weekend has been to help them get up to speed, and I feel like I’ve done my part. Because of that, it’s been a bit tougher to find my own ideal rhythm, but everything we’ve done is for the race itself.
“Our overall average pace is good, and the overall rhythm is there.
“It might rain tomorrow, but I’m approaching the race with the same calm mindset I do any other year.
“You can only get revenge at the 8 Hours by racing the 8 Hours. At the end of the day, it’s just about giving it absolutely everything we’ve got! That’s all we can do.”
Andrea Locatelli suggested that a regular timed qualifying session should have been run in place of the Top 10 Trial, a bit like has happened in the past at BSB, for example, whenever rain has interrupted the Superpole sessions it has run on occasion in past seasons.
“I’m so sad that the Top 10 Trial was cancelled, but that’s racing, and that’s life,” said Locatelli.
“Personally, I think it would have been more interesting and exciting if they had let the top ten teams run a qualifying session in the wet. But it was a decision made under the rules meant to protect us, so I respect it completely.
“Looking back at the race weekend so far, it’s frustrating that we had so many red flags in the sessions, which kept us from getting as many laps in as we wanted. But I’m truly happy to be here competing in the 8 Hours as a Yamaha factory rider, and I honestly can’t wait for the race tomorrow.
“Of course, I’d prefer a dry track so I can really push to the limit, but we can’t control the weather.
“To win this race, it takes a lot of things coming together perfectly, not just our riding, but handling backmarkers and doing perfect pit work.
“Last year, everything was brand new to me, but this year I can use my experience to do an even better job.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
