Jack Miller and his Red Bull KTM team boss have rejected rumours that the Australian has been offered double his pay to become a reserve rider in MotoGP.
KTM currently faces a headache of how to fit five contracted riders into just four seats in 2024, with the elevation of current Moto2 championship leader Pedro Acosta to the premier class.
Notwithstanding that the sister GasGas brand joined the MotoGP grid this year with a renaming of the Tech3 squad, that is still deemed a satellite team.
Dorna Sports is not interested in granting the Austrian company yet another satellite team, with the berth vacated by the closure of Suzuki’s programme earmarked for another manufacturer.
Therefore, as it stands, one of Miller, Acosta, Brad Binder, Pol Espargaro, and 2022 Moto2 champion Augusto Fernandez will miss out.
In recent days, a report emerged claiming that KTM had offered Miller twice the money to become a reserve rider and compete in 10 rounds as a wildcard, a situation which would require special permission from Dorna given it is presently only entitled to three wildcards per season.
“Was it Spanish? I don’t even know who it was,” said ‘Jackass’ on the speculation.
“It doesn’t bother me. It’s nice to have your name in the headline even though you’re not.
“I mean, it’s just the way it goes. I’m quite content, I’ve got a pretty busy couple of weeks coming up, so I don’t have to focus my attention on that shit,” he remarked, in reference to impending fatherhood.
“I was waiting for something to come in my mailbox for me to sign!
“But nah, there’s no truth to that. I know what job I’ve got to do at KTM, what they’re keeping me on for, and what we’re here to do.
“And what we are here to do is to bring them onto the next level. It’s a good problem for KTM to have now, because 12 months ago now I was fighting to get on this thing. Not my problem.”
Red Bull KTM Team Manager Francesco Guidotti told Spain’s AS sport newspaper, “It is not possible to rotate five riders with four bikes.
“We will see in Misano what is announced. This decision is far above me.”
Assuming that rather remarkable report is indeed incorrect, then the more likely course is that Pol Espargaro and Augusto Fernandez are in a fight to save their rides.
However, a longer-term solution could see KTM buy another satellite team for 2025, and it has even been reported that it would try to sign Marc Marquez to race for an MV Agusta squad after acquiring a 25 percent share in the Italian manufacturer.
That plan would rely on Marquez not signing first for Gresini Racing, to which he has been linked in conjunction with speculation that he will break his contract with Honda following continued poor performance.
KTM also still has test rider Dani Pedrosa in its stable, having recently re-signed the Spaniard.
The San Marino MotoGP weekend starts this evening (AEST).
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