MotoGP Assen: Jack Miller down during “slice and dice” with Vinales, “pissed off at what could have been”
Jack Miller’s 200th grand prix ended after just one lap after a back-and-forth with Maverick Vinales saw the KTM rider ask too much of his front tyre in the Dutch MotoGP.
Starting just twelfth after vibrations during qualifying, and having struggled to gain ground in the Sprint, Miller knew he needed to attack early on Sunday.
The Australian carved through to seventh on the opening lap, passing Maverick Vinales into the final chicane. But the Aprilia rider then slipstreamed back past and dived for the inside at Turn 1.
Miller, expecting Vinales to run wide, then tried to square-off the corner and cut back under the RS-GP. It was too much for his front tyre and the #43 lowsided into retirement, kicking a piece of broken wing in frustration as he walked away.
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“Definitely not the way I wanted my 200th Grand Prix to go, one lap, but it is what it is,” Miller said.
“The bike felt good and I got away to a decent start. I threw it under Vinny into the last corner, sort of set it up from 15, was able to get a nice move done and felt like I could start pressuring the next bloke in front of me. But Maverick came straight back - as you do, that's what happens on the first lap.
"I was braking pretty deep [into Turn 1] and he went past me. So I thought he was going wide and I tried to cut back under. Just as I did, I asked a little bit too much of the front end and away she went. Nothing really wrong, just tried to sort of slice and dice and it wasn't to be today.
“It was literally a couple of degrees lean angle more at the apex, just trying to bring it in to drive out between Turns 1 and 2. And that was all she wrote!
“Nothing major, just pissed off at what could have been.
“We definitely found something this morning with the bike, I was able to get more comfortable and felt pretty confident on that first lap of the race."
Miller: “Gutted for Brad, he rode a mega race”
With Miller out, team-mate Brad Binder looked set to make amends for his Sprint race error and claim a podium finish, only to once again exceed track limits on the final lap and receive a post-race penalty.
“Gutted for Brad today,” said Miller. “He rode a mega race, especially on that soft tyre. We knew it was going to be a bit of a gamble. He made it work. To have it in the same bloody corner as yesterday… The rules are the rules.
“I would have liked to have been there battling with those boys, it looked fun at the front.”
Miller heads into the summer break seventh in the world championship standings, with a best finish of third. Binder is fourth in the standings.
