Shop
Jack Miller sent a jubilant Australian crowd into raptures with a last gasp victory in the Moto3 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.
The 19-year-old from Townsville produced a highly impressive ride from eighth on the grid to claim the victory on home soil, which was only secured after a dramatic final lap.
Miller took the lead at Turn 1 on the last lap but was forced to defend hard from both title rival Alex Marquez and Alex Rins.
In the end, Miller just managed to hang on to take the chequered flag by 0.029s from Marquez and Rins.
The victory closed the gap in the championship to 20 points with two races of the season remaining.
“I asked Maverick Vinales, who came second here last year, what he would have done differently last year,” said a delighted Miller.
“He said he would go first from MG, because if you can get the run through you can hold it.
“That’s what I did and I just can’t thank my team enough for pushing me along and keeping me going.
“We’re slowly getting there step by step, back to where we should be.
“There’s definitely a few happy Aussies and Kiwis around here, which is great to see.”
Fellow Australians Remy Gardner, the son of former world champion Wayne Gardner, finished in 26th position having started from the pit lane, while South Australia’s Olly Simpson came home in 28th spot.
In Moto2, Maverick Vinales held off Thomas Luthi to take victory while Tito Rabat secured the final podium sport.
Queensland’s Ant West was unable to repeat the heroics of his Assen victory as he finished in 22nd position with wildcard riders Aidan Wagner and Max Croker coming home in 26th and 27th positions respectively.
