Jack Miller believes that the relative heft of fellow Australian Remy Gardner will be a benefit when he switches to the Superbike World Championship in 2023.
That call was made midway through his first season in the premier class, and after he had won the Moto2 world championship in 2021.
Gardner was, by then, something of a veteran of the intermediate class, but faced a weight handicap given he was one of the physically larger riders in the field.
Miller thinks that will play in his favour in WorldSBK.
“He’s a bigger bloke and I think that having that strength and muscle around the heavier, flexible World Superbike…” noted the Queenslander of the Sydney native.
“Once he understands what the tyres are like – because they’re a lot softer than what we’re using here – I think he’ll have no qualms with coming to grips with them.
“I’ll be looking forward to watching him quite closely.
“It’s awesome; Australians have a long-standing history with WorldSBK, with Troy Corser, Troy Bayliss, Chris Vermeulen…
“I’m definitely missing some, but we’ve had an awesome run there in WorldSBK and it will be awesome to have another top rider with a decent bike going there to hopefully get some decent results.”
Ironically, Miller returns to the KTM ranks for the 2023 MotoGP season, although at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rather than the satellite Tech3 squad that fielded Gardner.
‘Thriller’ has history with the Austrian marque, having ridden for Red Bull KTM Ajo in Moto3 in 2014, immediately before making the leap to MotoGP.
Grand prix competition has wrapped up for the year but the 2022 Superbike World Championship concludes this weekend at Australia’s Phillip Island.
The same circuit will open the 2023 WorldSBK campaign on February 24-26, meaning Gardner will make his competitive debut on home soil.
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