Miller on sprint races: “They pay me to ride these bikes 44 times a year”

The second-year KTM rider will have the added pressure in 2024 of knowing he knows a big year to avoid being replaced by the likes of Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez.

Miller had a very solid season with the Austrian brand, but only rated it a five out of ten when talking to Motosan.

• MotoGP riders want fewer Sprints: ‘F1 doesn’t do every GP and they sit in a car!’ 
• Aprilia front wing ‘of interest to a lot of people’, inspired by F1 ‘S-Duct’

Miller said: “What would I give myself from one to ten? Five, because we wanted more. As a rider, if you don’t win every race you want more and more. We did some things well but there are some areas where I wanted to do better.”

“If you look at Jerez, it was a fantastic weekend for all of us. But also in Portimao, in the first race of the championship, I did really well in my first outing with the bike. 

“I was also very fast in the United States; I felt capable of challenging Alex [Rins] for victory in the race. Unfortunately it couldn't be, I fell too soon. 

“There have been some mistakes, I thought it was going to be better than it was; but I either fell or made other mistakes. That's why I feel like a five is a fair grade.”

While his switch from Ducati to KTM was a significant move in the rider market ahead of last season, the new sprint race format divided opinion between riders.

Miller was one of the riders who enjoyed the new format and used it to his advantage on many occasions.

And speaking about the added demands, Miller’s response was emphatic:  “Now I'm tired, but that's what they pay me for, to ride these bikes forty-four times a year. I don't come home all season to sit on my couch in Andorra, ride a bike, run or do this or that. 

“I come to ride a motorcycle, it's what I like to do. For me, the more races we do, the faster the year ends. 

“Because the more races we have, the fewer free weeks there are to sit in Andorra, or go cycling or do all that. 

“It's boring for us, as foreigners. Don’t get me wrong, I have Brad there and he is nice, but he is not my family.”