Jack Miller says he thrives on proving the doubters wrong as the factory KTM MotoGP rider says anything is possible in his maiden season on the RC16 – including a title challenge.
‘Jackass’ joined the Austrian manufacturer for 2023 after five seasons at Ducati and admits the move has ‘re-lit a fire’ within him.
The 28-year-old, who was 10th fastest in Friday practice for Round 3 of the championship at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas to seal his place in Qualifying 2, is spurred on by people ‘talking rubbish about me’.
“I enjoy the pressure, I enjoy people talking rubbish about me, saying, ‘He will be in World Superbike in two years’, or ‘He’ll retire’,” said Miller.
“This this just puts a fire in my stomach, you want to prove these people wrong.“I have done it many times in my career, it just feels better each time. I am getting older and I understand my time is running out, but I still feel I have a lot left to give to the sport.”
Miller has claimed two top-six results so far this season in the Sprint race at the curtain-raiser in Portugal before repeating the feat in Round 2 in Argentina.
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His team-mate, Brad Binder, has already given KTM a premier class victory after winning the Sprint race in Argentina from 15th position on the grid.
To lift the title would take something very special indeed but as Miller points out, he hasn’t joined KTM ‘to finish third’.
“The ultimate goal is of course to try and win this season,” said.
“We didn’t come here to finish third. Is it possible? We will see, but that’s the goal, that’s why I go training, why I diet – I don’t do it for fun.
“Having this new challenge and having this new dynamic working with the guys at KTM has re-lit a fire in me that feels amazing to have and we are only at the beginning of our relationship, it’s going well so far,” he added.
“These guys have done a fantastic job with a bike with such little experience, because it is a completely new engine, a completely new chassis.
“We have seen bikes take years to become competitive and I think what they have done over the winter has been nothing short of a miracle.
“It’s KTM, it is what they have done in every championship they’ve ever been in. They are trying to build a winning team and I think they’re on the right way. I just hope I can be the rider for that.”
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