MotoGP | Miller raises the alarm: KTM is “lost” in the group

KTM experienced its worst Sunday of the 2024 season at Le Mans, with Brad Binder being the only rider of the four-rider contingent to finish in the top 10 on Sunday. His partner Jack Miller was only in 12th position when he crashed at Turn 11 on lap 16, bringing an early end to his French weekend.

But if the accident itself was disconcerting for the Australian, the fact that he didn’t have the pace to compete with the leaders in racing conditions was even more so.

“I struggled to stay on the 1’31” pace,” he said. “This morning, with a used tire (in the Warm-Up), I felt great, I managed to take it to 31 laps consistently, riding alone But at the time of the race, I really struggled to keep the pace, even though the bike was getting better and better as the race went on.”

“I didn’t do anything different where I fell, I braked in the same place. I was 1 km/h faster than the previous lap, but it wasn’t even my fastest pass, and I suffered a lock. It’s a real puzzle trying to understand what we can do differently to try to reverse the trend. But it’s definitely a difficult time.”

Miller explained that he was able to show a high pace on long runs during practice and warm-up when running without traffic, but struggled to replicate the same speed in the race when he found himself inside the pack.

The 29-year-old has no explanation for this contrast in performance, saying he and KTM need to try something different to turn the situation around.

“Saturday afternoon, in the Sprint, I struggled a lot at Turn 1 and the same happened today too. This morning, however, there was no problem at Turn 1 and the same for the rest of the weekend. On Friday I literally said that this It’s the most stable and comfortable bike I’ve ever tested at Turn 1. Maybe I brought myself bad luck.”

“I’m just trying to understand what exactly the problem is, to try to make the same pace even when there are other bikes, because I’m suffering a lot. I was able to set some good times alone. In FP3 I seemed to be able to running constantly at 1’31” while smoking a cigarette”.

“I’m trying to figure out what I need to do differently. This year I’ve been an open book and tried to do everything I can, but I think it’s just a matter of time.”