Yamaha WorldSBK boss responds to Jack Miller ASBK off-season rumours

Yamaha would be willing to let Jack Miller race the Australian Superbike Championship this winter, says Niccolo Canepa.

Miller is set to join Yamaha’s WorldSBK project in 2027 after over a decade in MotoGP.

The Australian has experience on production-derived race machinery having raced at the Suzuka 8 Hours, and in the past in ASBK, back in 2022 at the season finale at The Bend.

But an off-season spent racing in the Australian championship could be valuable for Miller ahead of his WorldSBK debut season, and rumours have begun to swirl since the Australian’s move to the Pata Yamaha team was confirmed earlier in the summer.

There are hurdles to overcome, though, notably whether racing in Australia on Superbike-class machinery would be allowed within the WorldSBK rules that prohibit riders from training on race bikes.

For Yamaha Motor Europe road racing sporting manager Niccolo Canepa, the option for Miller to race in Australia this off-season is one that should be considered, as long as the WorldSBK rules were adhered to.

“To be honest, we didn’t discuss about that yet, but if Jack [Miller] wants to race with the R1 in Australia, that is his country, rather than training in Spain like most of the other riders, why not,” Canepa said, speaking to the WorldSBK world feed broadcast at Cremona.

“At the end, all the Superbike riders train and the use a lot the bike during the winter, so, if he has the opportunity to race there, why not? 

“We have to see with the regulations, we have to see because the riders have to use standard bikes for training, they cannot use race bikes.

“So, we have to see with the regulations, and of course if this is going to be possible, if he wants to do it, if Yamaha Australia is on-board, why not?”

The ASBK series will begin its first season of a new format this December, where its season will run through the Australian summer and European winter months, rather than the opposite which has been true until now. 

Miller’s MotoGP commitments would prevent him from racing the first two rounds of the 2026–27 season at Phillip Island and The Bend, but he could theoretically make round three in New South Wales which takes place the week after the Valencia Grand Prix.