Jack Miller will continue to compete in factory Ducati MotoGP colours until at least the end of 2022, the Aussie having signed a one year contract extension with the marque.
Miller joined the official Ducati squad for ’21 as a replacement for the axed Danilo Petrucci, the ex-Honda protégé having competed with Ducati’s chief satellite team Pramac for the past three seasons with a careers-best seventh in the riders standings coming in the Covid-19 shortened ’20 term.
He currently sits fourth overall in the riders championship off the back of two successive victories at Jerez and Le Mans respectively, his recent strong performances earning him a single season extension for ’22.
Miller says he is “thrilled” to be able to continue his Ducati adventure despite a rough start to the year, the ’14 Moto3 vice-champion asserting that he is keen to “fight for the title” in his maiden year in red.
“I am thrilled to be able to continue my adventure with the Ducati Lenovo Team also next season!” said Miller.
Wearing these colours is a great honour for me, and having been able to win the last two races on the Desmosedici GP is a real dream! It wouldn’t have been possible without the great support that I’ve received from Ducati and the whole team during the last months, and I want to thank Gigi (D’alligna), Paolo (Ciabatti), Davide (Tardozzi), and Claudio (Domenicali) for the faith they had in me.
“Now I can solely concentrate on the current season. We are fourth in the standings, not far from the leader, and the Championship is still very long. I will do my best to continue this positive trend and fight for the title. Forza Ducati!.”
Millers start to life with the factory Ducati organisation did not go to plan following a pair of ninth place results in the first two contests of the year in Qatar-a venue at which any Ducati rider should expect victory with the brand’s past successes at the track-while a crash in the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Circuit left him flailing in team-mate Francesco Bagnaia’s wake.
To add insult to injury, effective Pramac replacement Johann Zarco went as far as leading the series following the opening Qatar encounters as he captured a pair of runners-up results, the Frenchman continuing to lead Miller by four points heading to Mugello for the Italian GP this weekend.
Bagnaia sits a further 11 points up the road following a consistent start to the year for the Italian, though Miller’s two recent successes leave him only 16 points down on championship leader Fabio Quartararo with 14 races still remaining in the ’21 series.
