For Jack Miller, the MotoGP dream is ending. For Senna Agius, it’s about to begin. And Remy Gardner knows better than either what happens when the dream doesn’t quite go to plan
After 11 years at motorcycle racing’s pinnacle, Jack Miller is preparing to close the door on MotoGP and open another in WorldSBK. He reflects on the career he never imagined having, the one box he couldn’t tick, why he believes there’s still more to come – and the young Aussie now ready to take his place.
Looking back at 11 years in MotoGP, how do you assess the journey?
It’s been a hell of a ride! As a sportsperson, you always want more, but I’ve definitely exceeded my expectations. From where I came from to where I arrived in our sport, it’s better than I could have ever dreamed of. I feel extremely lucky to have been able to live my dream for the last decade.
I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my racing career. I feel like I still have a lot more racing left in me and I look forward to continuing to compete at the highest level I possibly can.
What do you think the 19-year-old you, stepping into MotoGP back in 2015, would say about the career you’ve built?
I think he’d be pretty happy with that. As a rider, I get stuck in the moment, where I am right now in my career, and smaller things maybe don’t mean as much. But when I look at it with fresh eyes, take a step back and see how far I’ve come, I appreciate it all the more.
How much have you changed since 2015, both as a rider and as a man?
It’s night and day. I’m extremely proud of the changes I’ve made in my career. I understood that the way I was working back then wasn’t going to work. I managed to figure out the kind of athlete I needed to become to be successful in MotoGP, and I made the right decisions and took the right steps to get there.
Is there anything you’ll look back on with regret, or a box left unchecked?
My plan was always to try and win a world championship, so unfortunately that’s not going to happen. But I won with two different manufacturers, and I still have a lot of racing left this year. Tricky conditions can always throw opportunities our way, so I’ll keep pushing to try and get another victory or achieve something special before the end.
When you were looking at what came next, was staying with a manufacturer or team environment you already knew a priority?
Obviously, I want to be competitive wherever I go. As I’ve seen over the last couple of seasons in MotoGP, when you don’t have the right package, it’s hard to show what you’re truly capable of.
I feel like I’m capable of a lot more than what I’ve shown. When you’re constantly developing a bike, you don’t always have the set-up to show what you can actually do. So the goal was definitely to get on something where I can be competitive and show my real potential.
Does starting a completely fresh chapter in a different discipline genuinely excite you at this stage of your career?
Absolutely. I’m looking forward to something different. I love MotoGP and a part of me is sad that this chapter is ending. At the end of the day, I am competing at the absolute pinnacle, not just for the riders, but also for the bikes, the engineers and the facilities. I am riding the fastest machines on earth. So that part is sad, but Superbike machines are a different animal. They’re a bit heavier, a bit bigger and you have to muscle the bike around a lot more. There’s more movement to them, so I’m really excited for that new challenge.
After a decade in MotoGP, Michelin will become WorldSBK’s sole tyre supplier in 2027. Do you think your experience with them will give you an advantage?
I don’t know exactly, but I feel like the experience I’ve gained over the last 11 years here will be valuable. I’m certain that riding machines on Michelin tyres for the last decade will help. As well as understanding the environment they work in, it means we can work very closely together. Only time will tell.
Would you consider one-off Endurance World Championship races such as Suzuka alongside WorldSBK?
Absolutely. I love the Endurance Championship. I think it’s a fantastic format and I really enjoy the Suzuka race especially. If it aligns with the teams I end up with, then for sure. I love racing, so the more racing I can do, the better.
What’s your take on Senna Agius’s potential as he steps up to MotoGP?
I’m an avid supporter of Australians across all sports, so I would have loved the opportunity to race against him. But I’d love for him to get the opportunity to prove what he can do, because he’s an extremely capable racer.
From his progression and how he handles bigger bikes, I think a MotoGP bike will suit him really well.
Have any younger riders approached you for formal mentorship or guidance in managing their careers?
No, but Senna and I chat quite often. If I see something that might help him, I try to share my knowledge. But I myself listen to everyone’s advice too, so I prefer to keep it as a friendship rather than a formal mentorship.
TAKING THE BATON
Just days before his MotoGP dream became reality, Senna Agius spoke about the sacrifices that took him from Australia to the world stage, following Jack Miller into the premier class – and why no circuit can truly replace Phillip Island.
You left Australia at 15 to race in Moto3 JuniorGP. How did you cope with being uprooted and moving to Europe at such a young age?
I just grabbed the opportunity with both hands, though back then I didn’t fully understand what it took to sacrifice. At the time, my family explained to me that we needed to do this if we wanted to be serious about racing.
When they asked me if I was sure about moving to Europe, I was all in because it was what I loved to do. But as a young kid, I didn’t realise that I was sacrificing a chunk of my youth and my personality. I didn’t think about the fact that the regular life of a 15-to-21-year-old was completely different.
That said, it never felt like I was missing out because racing was so much more important to me. The real challenge was learning how to navigate the tough times. Prolonged periods of difficulty felt much heavier being on the other side of the world, especially when I was younger. Now that I’m older, it’s just part of the job, and I’m 100 per cent sure that this is where I want to be.
Like many Australians, much of your early training was off-road rather than on circuits. Has that become an advantage as the bikes have got bigger?
It was a major limiting factor early in my career, but now it’s a huge asset. It made adapting to road racing in Moto3 much more difficult. However, in Moto2, where the bike is moving and sliding around more, that off-road background has helped me.
Do you think it will help even more on a MotoGP bike?
Definitely. The bikes are bigger, the engines are bigger, there is more power and more slide. The bigger and the more powerful the machine, the easier it gets for me.
Will you miss Phillip Island?
One hundred per cent. It’s not only me; everyone in the paddock will miss it. But it also suited my riding style well, and it was always a special weekend for me. No other track in the world can ever truly replace Phillip Island and what you feel going down into Turn 1 looking out at the ocean.
What are your thoughts on the Adelaide layout and the images unveiled by MotoGP?
Hats off to them, honestly. It is called a street circuit, but it is physically impossible to build a real street circuit for motorbikes as we have to have run-off areas. But they’ve managed to design a temporary city track with certified safety standards.
I have massive respect for that if it works out. It looks really good, and I’m super proud to see it happening in Australia. It’s going to be incredible for the fans.
Logistically, I understand why the decision was made to leave Phillip Island but, as a rider, I’m in two minds. Nevertheless, there will be so many people there; it is right in the middle of a city. Adelaide has a massive sporting culture. As the first street circuit on the calendar, it will be a global icon.
You will be the only Australian on the MotoGP grid when you make the move up, as Jack Miller is leaving for WorldSBK…
Those are big boots to fill. I’m honestly really disappointed that Jack won’t be on the grid, because he’s a great friend. I lean on him at times when I need advice. He’s just a great human to be around. We train together up in Andorra sometimes, and he’s definitely someone who has my back. I would have loved to share my rookie MotoGP season with him. But I do feel a healthy weight on my shoulders to step up and make Australia proud.
When I spoke to Jack in Aragon, he said he regretted not getting the chance to race against you and that he was hoping you’d get your chance…
So do I, and I hope everything goes to plan so I can make Australia proud. I’m sad he didn’t keep his place on the grid, but he’s been the reference and role model for us Australian riders for many years, and I’m happy to take over the baton.
LIFE AFTER MOTOGP
Remy Gardner knows exactly what it feels like when the MotoGP dream ends. Four years after his brutal exit left him hating racing, the 2021 Moto2 world champion has rebuilt his career – and his enjoyment of it – in WorldSBK. Now Jack Miller is coming to join him.
Like so many Aussies chasing a professional career, you traded your childhood in Australia for racing in Europe. In hindsight, how big was that sacrifice?
The first year was brutal. We were so close to going back because the racing wasn’t going well. It wasn’t too bad, but the level here in Europe is really, really high compared to Australia, and it was tough. Then I basically integrated myself into the Spanish culture system. The racing just got better pretty much every year. I could see there was clear progress, and then once I got into the world championship, it was solidified.
Looking back at the end of 2022, KTM publicly questioned your professionalism when it chose not to renew your MotoGP contract. How do you view those comments now?
I always gave my absolute best. I always felt like I acted like a professional in the box. At home, I took up hard enduro, going to the gym and getting myself as fit as possible. I went and did their fitness test. I did another one for them halfway through the year just to prove that I was okay.
I felt like they put me in the same bucket as Raul Fernandez, who was bad-mouthing. He had a ride lined up, whereas I hadn’t one. I’m not the first rider to leave KTM like that; there’s a list of us. If anything, knowing that means that I don’t feel bad about how it went down.
Those must have been challenging times…
That was a shit year for me. Mentally, that sucked. I had worked my ass off. I had been through so many injuries, so many ups and downs and got there, finally won a championship, and got to go to MotoGP for one year, just to get kicked out. It sucked.
My dad was out on social media just bagging the shit out of everyone, and my manager was fighting with my dad. Everyone was fighting. It was just terrible. I just didn’t even want to be there.
Then I’d get absolutely hammered in the media centre by the journalists. There was a shitstorm in the media, and every day the team was pushing me up into the media centre, and I was getting asked all these questions. I hated it. I just didn’t want to go to the racetrack. I was just hating racing.
How did you get into a more positive dynamic in the midst of all that chaos?
Luckily, Andrea Dosoli (Motorsport Division manager of Yamaha Motor Europe) came to Misano and we had a good meeting. I thought the guy seemed pretty nice and that it was a good project. I’m super happy with how Yamaha treated me then and how they have treated me these years.
Do you feel more serene now?
Obviously, with the WorldSBK calendar, we have a little bit more time to do the things that we like outside the track. Yet we still get to go racing and perform at the highest level possible. The level is just as good here as it is anywhere. Super happy, and I don’t look back on it now.
Jack Miller is joining the WorldSBK grid next year. How do you feel about having another Aussie over here?
Hopefully it can bring some more Australian interest to Superbikes. Jack Miller is a fast rider, so I’m sure he’ll be a pain in the ass on the track. Hopefully we can have some nice battles when he comes here. That’d be good.
Maybe we can share a car to the airport, because he lives 20 metres away from me!
Who is Louise du Manoir?
University-educated French journalist Louise du Manoir has a passion for all motorsport. That includes MotoGP and WorldSBK. Across recent rounds at Aragon, Misano and Magny-Cours, she sat down with three of our best and brightest – Jack Miller, Senna Agius and Remy Gardner – at a fascinating crossroads in their careers.
