Danny Kent backs Jack Miller to bounce back from Aragon crash

British rider Danny Kent has backed Moto3 title contender Jack Miller to bounce back from losing the world championship lead for the first time in 2014 last weekend.

An early crash at the Motorland Aragon after contact with Spanish title rival Alex Marquez saw Aussie Miller lose a nine-point advantage and the championship lead he had held since the opening round in Qatar back in March.

Miller now heads to the triple header flyaway series of races, which includes his big home clash at Phillip Island on October 19, trailing Honda rival Marquez by 11-points.

The 19-year-old, who is heading straight into MotoGP next season with the LCR Honda squad, has not won since the German round at the Sachsenring in mid-July and scored only two podiums in the last five races.

But Husqvarna rider Kent, who claimed a stunning third place in last Sunday’s Motorland Aragon race, is confident Miller be back to his best now the pressure of leading the world championship falls to Marquez next weekend in Japan.

Kent, who is leaving Husqvarna to join Kiefer Racing on a Honda in 2015, told MCN: “It was really unlucky for Jack but I think he has been under a bit of pressure with Marquez and (Alex) Rins catching him in the points. I think the pressure will be off him now and I think we will see him back to his normal self.”

Kent admitted he did try to do Miller a big favour by beating Marquez in a nail-biting Moto3 encounter. Had Kent been able to snatch second spot off the younger brother of reigning MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, Miller’s deficit in the rankings would only be seven-points with four races remaining.

Kent added: “I did think that if I could get in front of Alex it would knock some points off. I did try but I am also racing for myself. If I could have gone out and won I definitely would have. Jack is my teammate and I’d try and help him out as much as possible but I need to look for my own results.”