MotoGP, Jack Miller: is he the right rider to make the KTM a winner?

Now that the long summer break is underway (thanks also to the cancellation of the Finnish GP), many MotoGP riders already know what the future holds, the grid promising to look very different in 2023 than it does at present. One of these riders is Jack Miller who, on concluding his experience with the factory Ducati team, will switch to KTM colours, flanking Brad Binder on the factory team, but will they make for a winning duo?

Jack can lift KTM high...

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In a certain sense, the Australian is making a return to KTM, the manufacturer with which he just missed out on the Moto3 title in 2014, but the challenge he’ll face in the reigning class will be much tougher, considering that the goal is to finally make the RC16 a bike that can consistently fight for race wins.

With eight years of MotoGP experience to his name, with Honda and Ducati, and many race wins and podiums under his belt, Jack can be considered a real top rider. As well as being extremely fast and talented, Miller is also a real personality in the paddock and could be good for the Mattighofen team, currently one of the most anonymous on the grid despite having expert technicians and riders in its garage.

...but precedent is not on his side

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But we also need to consider the flip side of the coin, or rather the difficulties other riders have had in adapting to the KTM after riding other bikes. Standout examples are Johann Zarco, who climbed aboard the Austrian bike after two years with Yamaha and ultimately left the team ahead of time, and Danilo Petrucci, who faced a very complicated 2021 season after coming from the factory Ducati team, like Jack.

The hope is that Miller is able to turn this situation around and consistently power the KTM to the top. A feat that, in recent times, only his future team-mate Brad Binder has been able to achieve.

Translated by Heather Watson

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