Jack Miller deserves top line machinery to showcase his talent further following his stunning recent maiden MotoGP triumph, according to Mick Doohan.
The five-time 500cc world champion lauded Miller’s impressive ride in tricky wet conditions at Assen which saw him become the first non-factory team rider to win a premier class race since 2006.
Miller’s success came as a shock to many having headed into the weekend with a best result of 10th, achieved at the preceding Catalan Grand Prix.
The 21-year-old’s breakthrough win arrived in only his 25th MotoGP start, having made the leap from Moto3 in 2015 with the LCR squad, before being placed at Marc VDS this season.
Honda legend Doohan believes the victory will make the MotoGP paddock take notice.
Townsville youngster Miller is contracted to the Japanese marque until the end of 2017.
Having shown he is capable of succeeding against the best, Doohan is hopeful Honda will offer upgrades to Miller to allow him to compete with the front runners on a regular basis.
Australia’s most successful two-wheel exponent also expects the victory to act as a huge confidence boost to Miller as he fights to arrest a turbulent start to his MotoGP career.
“Wet weather does eliminate a lot of the differences with machinery, but I don’t think anyone has ever doubted the ability of Jack Miller,” Doohan told Speedcafe.com.
“The good guys know how to ride well in the rain as well, so let’s not take anything away from Jack.
“Outright machine performance does not play as much of a factor, so skill and ability shines through.
“The win will give him no end of confidence and reaffirm to him the reason why he was given the bike.
“I think him winning shows he is capable of running with the top guys in those conditions.
“Perhaps if he has the same ‘tier one’ type motorcycle then he could run at the front in the dry conditions.
“He will have appeared well and truly on the radar and that might lead to Honda giving him some better product and that could see the results change as well.
“He knows he can win and hopefully it will lead to better results in the dry and better machinery down the track.”
While confidence will be at an all new high, Doohan says Miller cannot afford to become complacent as he aims to continue his rise in the premier class.
“I think he does (need to keep his feet on the ground). The guys at the front know it is one race at a time,” he added.
“The next race is no easier than the last one. You have got to keep working and pushing as hard as you can because the other guys are doing that.
“Jack will know that. He is in the second year in MotoGP and he is well aware of the difficulties so to be complacent would make things worse for him.
“I think he always needs to keep pushing. Perhaps he has been pushing the envelope on the machinery a little bit too far.
“If he can just get consistent results then I think that is what everyone is looking for.”
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