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Jack Miller was one of two riders who expressed a desire to race before the British MotoGP race was ultimately cancelled as a result of the weather.
After the premier class race start was brought forward by 90 minutes in an attempt to miss the worst of the weather, it was in fact delayed several hours due to heavy rain and standing water at Silverstone.
Miller has reported that he and Johann Zarco were the only two riders present in an emergency riders’ Safety Commission meeting, which took place shortly before the cancellation was announced, who wanted to race.
Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso reportedly did not attend.
“It’s a case of the guys don’t want to ride,” Miller told BT Sport.
“They are not happy with how the asphalt was working in terms of the drainage, and because of the accident yesterday involving Tito (Rabat),” he added, referring to when the Spaniard was hit by another bike and suffered a triple break as multiple riders ran off in practice.
“It’s a shame but for me, cancelling it already, we were talking about waiting for the weather to clear up a little bit and stuff like that. To cancel it already short-changes everybody.”
When asked if he was the only rider of that opinion, the Pramac Ducati man responded, “Myself and Johann.”
Championship leader Marc Marquez believed that the right decision was made despite it being the first time that a race has been cancelled altogether since snow prevented the 1980 Austrian motorcycle grand prix from running.
“They organised a Safety Commission meeting and we sat together and analysed,” the Repsol Honda rider recounted.
“Personally I, and all the riders I think, want to thank Dorna because they listened to us and our comments and from the start of the meeting they said ‘You will have the decision’ and in the end everybody gave their opinion.
“We have one mate in hospital with a very big injury, so we considered the safety first of all and there was no way.
“I’m disappointed and in the Safety Commission someone said that a race has not been cancelled for 400 races, but sometimes these are the circumstances.”
Marquez explained that drainage continued to be a concern for riders at a Silverstone Circuit which was resurfaced earlier this year.
“You cannot turn or do anything. That’s the most dangerous,” he said.
“There was not a lot of water in parts but with the bumps and everything there were some areas with a lot of water and when you arrive there it is so easy to crash and lock the brakes. That’s the problem.
“If you are riding alone on the track you can (do so) but with 24 bikes riding, if you crash or someone crashes behind you it becomes very dangerous.”
Miller has taken his only premier class win to date in a rain-affected Dutch MotoGP in 2016.
He qualified on pole for the first time by being the only rider to attempt a lap on slicks in Argentina in April this year and believed a repeat would have occurred at Silverstone had the qualifying session lasted long enough for him to start another lap.
Marquez’s championship lead of 59 points is unchanged as a result of the cancellation ahead of the next round at Misano on September 7-9.
