The official MotoGP speed record is shared by Brad Binder and Pol Espargaro, who both hit 366.1km/h in Malaysia and Mugello respectively.
At that pace, bikes are travelling at 100 metres per second.
Contemporary MotoGP bikes are more advanced than ever with high-tech tyres and ride height devices allowing the riders to reach breakneck speeds.
That’s even with wings and winglets, which at a point create downforce and drag that slow the bikes down.
Speaking on a recent Gypsy Tales Podcast episode, Miller revealed Ducati had experimented with its bikes in a wingless configuration.
The contemporary Ducati Desmosedici is famed for its straight-line speed.
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“Tracks like Sachsenring, it was unheard of to hit 300 [km/h] and we’re well into the 300s now. Sachsenring does not have a big straight at all,” said Miller, who rides for Pramac Yamaha in 2025.
“I know that the boys have done tests without wings, some of the Ducati boys, and they’re getting close to 400 [km/h]. It’s ridiculous.
“They literally could only do one pass because they weren’t trusting the tyres. That’s on an airstrip.
“That’s the capability, but the wings are slowing you down like a Formula 1 car. At a certain point, they’re creating downforce and they’re pulling you up.
“They were pulling the wings off because they wanted to know what it would do. It’s ridiculous.
“Hearing that was pretty cool, I was thinking, because you expect it and we always toss it up, ‘What do you reckon?’
“And I think that’s more the reason they did it more than anything and to run in some engines or something at an airstrip.”
Every team runs a winged package in MotoGP. However, last year, Aprilia experimented with a wingless bike during the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island to see how it fared.
Trackhouse Racing rider Raul Fernandez was pleasantly surprised with the performance of his RS-GP23, despite losing the downforce.
“It was a nice surprise,” said Fernandez after finishing 10th in the race.
“We understood a lot of things on the bike, that now we’re struggling a lot [with]. It was very nice, a good test for the future.
“I did just five laps in the morning [warm-up] with no wings, and went directly to the race.
“First lap I was 17th, because our starts aren’t the best, but after that the pace was really good, really competitive.”
The 2025 MotoGP season resumes with the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix at Jerez on April 27.
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