MotoGP: Miller moves to secure future

Marc VDS Honda rider Jack Miller has taken an important step towards securing his future with both team and manufacturer for 2018 and beyond at the Dutch TT after delivering a result second only to his incredible win at the circuit twelve months ago.

The 22-year-old came home an impressive sixth place in tricky conditions, showing once again how he’s turned himself into a much more mature rider this season by keeping his cool when he needed to when rain started to fall during Sunday’s race.

“Everyone finished the race – there wasn’t many crashers, and I just kept pushing forwards. I felt that even battling with Dani Pedrosa for tenth all race was a decent result in itself as he’s on the factory bike – but to close the gap to the leaders and come home in sixth means I’m stoked! It helps to make up for the little bit of bad luck we’ve had recently.”

Failing to finish only two races so far this year (one of them not his own fault when he was wiped out at Jerez by Alvaro Bautista), the Aussie’s solid start to 2017 should do him the power of good as contract negotiation time comes around.

Rumoured for a while to be close to securing a deal directly with the Belgian team to replace the three-year factory Honda deal that took him straight from Moto3 to the premiere class back in 2015, he admitted after the race that it looks now like he will join new signing Franco Morbidelli at Marc VDS instead of making a switch to the Pramac Ducati team that was also understood to be on the table for him.

“The sooner the better for me, but we still have the iron out trying to straighten it out and make everything perfect for me, and to have the best chance of challenging for the best possible positions. Who knows for sure just yet, but I really enjoy where I am at Marc VDS.”