Jerez MotoGP Test: Jack Miller enjoys new Honda engine - Exclusive

Jack M♔iller tried the new 'big bang'-style Honda engine during Wednesday's opening day of private MotoGP testing at Jerez.
The Marc V♉DS Honda rider, contracted directly to HRC, set the ninth fastest lap time, 0.726s ♏behind the best of the day by Avintia Ducati's Hector Barbera...
wuqian0821.com:
You're here on HRC te🦩sting duties rather than for Ma🎃rc VDS?
Jack Miller:
Yeah, I'm working for the bosses!
wuqian0821.com:
It sounded like you were using the n🔯ew engine today?
Jack Miller:
We only had the neౠw engine here. I just gave them my feedback. I'm pretty happy with how it was working. The bike's smooth, comfy... It was a pretty decent day. It was my fastest lap 🐭around here, so I can be happy with that. But of course we need to find a little bit more. The Ducatis always seem to work really well here in the winter, whereas we can't really get the best out of the colder track.
We're feeling pretty good on the bike. We have to work a little bit more with the gearbox and stuff like that, just because of the different way that the [🐼engine] makes its power. So we're going to stick around for tomorrow and get out there again and see what we can come up with. It should be better conditions tomorrow. Most of today the track still had damp patches. This afternoon the sun got on the otꦛher side and dried a lot of it out. So hopefully if it stays clear we can get out a bit earlier tomorrow morning.
wuqian0821.com:
Do you 𒈔alre🌺ady prefer the new engine to old one, would you say?
Jack Miller:
For my style of riding, yes. It's smooth, it's easy, it's very calm to ride. It's nothing like what I've had befor🔜e in MotoGP. It's definitely a lot smoother. A lot easier, user-friendly, I feel. There are just a few teething issues, but it's nothing major. It's all pretty small for how little testing the engine has done.
wuqian0821.com:
Marc has saওid all year about the acceleration issue with the Honda...
Jack Miller:
There still is. It's not like we have a lot more speed or anything like that. Like I said, they are still in the teething phase with the new engine, but I'm sure if they needed to wind more power out of it they can. But of course it's ✃on the safe side at the moment, in the early days of testing. There is no point winding the thing up here. Hopefully they've got some stuff up their sleeve. But it all feels pretty good. The bike's calm. Nice and smooth to ride. I'm pretty happy with it. Lap t🔯imes were consistent. I'm feeling good.
wuqian0821.com:
Did your feedback about the new engine match what Marc and Dani had ✨said about it?
Jack Miller:
I think they've liked it at some tracks and not so much at others. I don't know too much about what they've said. Here it seems to be working well for me, so🌺 I've enjoyed it.
Jack Miller flat out dow♏n the main straight at Jerez test. -- wuqian0821.com MotoGP (@crash_motogℱp)
Apart from the engine, is the rest of the bike the same as you had at the Valencia test? With the chassis Cal has been using?
Jack Miller:
Yeah, it's Cal's chassis. We've got a few different things - forks and stuff like that, that other peo♔ple have been using. So we got to try that out today. It was pretty good. Working with Cristian [Gabarrini] for the last two years and then now working with Ramon there's different ways of setting up the bike - so we are just🍸 finding out what's working for me. Trying a new style of setting up the bike. Some I'm liking. It's testing.
wuqian0821.com:
Did the new chassis c🃏ure all of your front-end issues?
Jack Miller:
It did. An🧔d again today, it felt really comfortable from the word go. I mean, we didn't really have to adjust suspension or anything like that very much. Definitely feel comfortable and looking forward to working with it a little more. This chassis, they haven't really developed. It's just something that they brought and it seemed to work from the word go. So I think if we can give it a little bit more development, hopefully it can help myself, Tito and Cal. Because it seems to suit our riding style.
wuqian0821.com:
It must be🍃 a confidence boost after the problems this season?
Jack Miller:
It♍ is, definitely. I'm just trying to work back the confidence that I lost over the past couple of years. I'm feeling good.
wuqian0821.com:
What is the main benefit of the different cha🐼ssis?
Jack Miller:
Just general front feeling. Turning capability. Definitely, for my style, I can turn the bike more and carry more corner speed. It's just in general a more comfortable, smoother ride. More lඣike the bikes I've ridden in the past.

Peter has 🌠been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issuesꦰ.