Jack Miller: A little piece of home at the other end of the world

• World championship debut in 2011 as a wildcard at the Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany
• In 2013, the Australian lived with former racer Dirk Heidolf in Hohenstein-Ernstthal

Munich. Australian Jack Miller may come from the side of the world, but the Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany (11th to 13th July) is still something of a home event for the man nicknamed “Jackass”. The MotoGP star has a special relationship with the only German round of the world championship: Miller used to live in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, just round the corner from the racetrack. “I have a lot of fond memories of the Sachsenring,” says the rider from the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP team.

Miller is thinking, in particular, of the 2011 season. “It was at the Sachsenring in that year that I lined up in my very first Grand Prix,” Miller recalls, casting his mind back to his world championship debut as a 16-year-old in what used to be the 125cc class. Riding an Aprilia, the young man from down under qualified 26th in a field of 36 riders. However, having already battled his way into the top twenty, Miller was forced to retire just a few laps into the race.

Two years later, Miller was not only racing at the Sachsenring, but also lived close to the racetrack: In 2013, the Aussie was taken under the wing of former racer Dirk Heidolf at Racing Team Germany from Saxony. He actually moved in with the team principal in Hohenstein-Ernstthal for one year. “It is a long time ago, but I still know the region around the Sachsenring pretty well. It is a quiet and really beautiful place. I had the racetrack on my doorstep and beautiful woodland all around – perfect for jogging or cycling,” says Miller, describing his time in Saxony. The rider born in Townsville established himself as a top rider in the Moto3 class in that year.

In the 2014 season, he found himself challenging for the title. In the end, he finished runner-up, just two points behind Alex Márquez. “I won the Moto3 race at the Sachsenring that year. That win is one of the highlights of my career,” says Miller. At the end of the season, he took the bold decision to move straight into the MotoGP class – a courageous step, which was rewarded. Nowadays, the 30-year-old is one of the more experienced riders in the pinnacle of motorcycle racing. In the past ten and a half seasons or so, Miller has started 186 MotoGP races on bikes from four different manufacturers (Honda, Ducati, KTM and Yamaha), winning four Grands Prix and finishing on the podium a total of 23 times – including at the Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany: Miller was third at the Sachsenring in 2022. “I am really looking forward to the weekend and seeing all the many fans at the Grand Prix at the Sachsenring,” says Miller.