Wildlife Woes: Jack Miller’s Australian MotoGP Saturday Marred by Rabbit and Seagull Strikes

Wildlife Causes Problems for Jack Miller During Australia MotoGP on Saturday

Miller's qualifying session is disrupted by a rabbit collision, and his sprint becomes challenging after he collides with a seagull.

During the 2024 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, Jack Miller faced significant challenges due to multiple encounters with wildlife during both the qualifying session and the sprint race.

On Saturday morning, the KTM rider participated in the Q1 session but was unable to move past 16th place. This was due to a collision with a rabbit that resulted in damage to the fairing of his RC16 motorcycle.

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During the sprint, Miller collided with a seagull on the first lap at Turn 1, resulting in a "large hole" on the right side of his front fairing.

Jack 0 – Seagull 1, or maybe it's the other way around? 💥😅 I had a pretty good start in the Sprint race, but then a seagull collided with the front of my bike… not the best situation 🤦‍♂️ I was feeling confident, but unfortunately, the bike lost control at Turn 10. Just one of those days! Excited for what's in store tomorrow 🤟 pic.twitter.com/AMjwe5CPLJ— Jack Miller (@jackmilleraus) October 19, 2024

Jack 0 – Seagull 1, or maybe it's the other way around? 💥😅 I had a pretty good start in the Sprint race, but then a seagull collided with the front of my bike… not the best situation 🤦‍♂️ I was feeling confident, but unfortunately, the bike lost control at Turn 10. Just one of those days! Excited for what's in store tomorrow 🤟 pic.twitter.com/AMjwe5CPLJ

The deceased bird became stuck between the fairing and the brake lever, and the harm to his motorcycle caused a significant reduction in speed when moving straight.

Despite the challenges, the Australian managed to climb to eighth place, but his race came to an end on the eighth lap out of thirteen due to a minor crash.

Miller started by saying, "Saturday could have gone better."

"I began the Sprint well despite not having the best qualifying spot. Just as I was approaching Turn 1 at the start, a seagull collided with the front of my bike, which was far from perfect."

On the initial lap, I attempted to address the issue, but couldn't manage to resolve it. So, I concentrated on the task at hand, which was the race itself. Things were progressing well, and I felt at ease and satisfied. In fact, the tire seemed to be improving with time.

He stated, "The speed was satisfactory, but we were about 10 km/h slower due to the large open area at the front of the bike."

"I managed to maintain my momentum. Following a strong beginning, I overtook a few more riders. Regrettably, after moving ahead of Frankie Morbidelli and Brad Binder, I crashed at Turn 10."

"The crash was insignificant, happening at roughly the same speed as my previous lap."

"Once I let go of the brakes, she took off. I'm really disappointed about that, but I'm pleased with the speed. We'll aim to recover and perform well again tomorrow."

The sprint race turned out to be catastrophic for KTM, as Brad Binder experienced a late crash. Additionally, Tech3 newcomer Pedro Acosta endured a severe highside, putting his participation in the grand prix in jeopardy.

Following his fall, Acosta, who found himself starting in 15th position and had difficulty advancing during the sprint race, commented, "It was a tough day on the Island, and there isn't much to add."

"We didn't get much dry track time to progress and enhance performance, but this morning wasn't too shabby."

"This afternoon presented some challenges, but we plan to unwind and reflect on our performance for tomorrow, as well as consider how I feel when I wake up in the morning."

Augusto Fernandez was the sole KTM competitor to finish the race, achieving a ninth-place finish with his Tech3 team, marking his top sprint performance since the Spanish Grand Prix.

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