Miller “gutted” after crashing out of podium place

Australia’s Jack Miller was on course for an emotional maiden podium for KTM, but his dreams disappeared in the flash of a second at the Americas Grand Prix.

Starting 10th, Miller was on fire and flew up to fourth after just one corner, while Aleix Espargaro’s fall at 11 turns later promoted #43 to the podium.

The Aussie proved he had the pace to stay with the runaway leaders Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Rins to fuel hopes of a famous win.

Miller could become just the fourth rider to score premier class wins for three separate manufacturers and ahead of the weekend he admitted a slice of history, plus shutting his critics up were major motivators.

However, just when he was looking set to challenge Bagnaia and Rins, it all fell apart when the Aussie’s KTM RC16 “let go of me” at Turn 7 on Lap 7.

The crash brought an end to a painful weekend for Miller, who fell off his bike no less than six times over the three days.

It was Miller’s first major mistake in race conditions in KTM colours, having also been fighting towards the front before finishing seventh.

Despite starting down in 16th, #43 rose up 10 positions in the rain at Argentina to continue building momentum.

But the first DNF of the season saw Miller drop down to 12th in the championship, 38 points behind Bagnaia and three places behind KTM teammate Brad Binder.

Miller let his emotions free on social media post race, reflecting on how costly the mistake was.

“Bloody gutted. A DNF in podium contention is obviously the last thing we were hoping for as we were right there in the thick of it and feeling good,” Miller posted on Twitter after the race.

The four-time MotoGP race winner later revealed he just entered the tyre management phase and swapped a map before the bike “let go”.

Despite the disappointment, the pace provides Miller with plenty of confidence as the MotoGP world turns its attention to the famous Spanish Grand Prix.

“It is an unfortunate one. I made a decent start, felt comfortable and good from the get-go,” he said.

“I settled into the race and swapped a map but then she let go of me. 

“I was really trying to manage the tires and I felt we had a great chance of being there until the end. 

“The positive part was the speed and how we were up there with the guys. 

“We will take that from the weekend, learn from the negatives and go towards Jerez with a clean mind.”

Miller’s KTM teammate Binder also fell, but recovered and came home 13th. 

KTM team manager Francesco Guidotti said the riders could not be held accountable for their mistakes having pushed the boundaries on the tyres to the edge with nine riders not seeing the chequered flag.

Although the Americas Grand Prix was a “tough” one for KTM, the team is buoyed by its speed ahead of Jerez.

“It was a tough Sunday. We cannot blame our riders because many were on the limit with the front tires and (that is why) we saw many crashes,” Guidotti said. 

“The good part is that both riders felt good on the bike and we know we can do much better than this result sheet. 

“Jack was on for the podium for half the race and then went down in a corner where he hadn’t had any warning the whole weekend, but that’s racing.

“We have some signs from this grand prix and that’s why we are looking forward to Jerez now.”

A huge crowd will flock to Jerez for the fourth round of the 2023 MotoGP world championship on April 28-30.

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