JACK Miller has still yet to put pen to paper on a new MotoGP contract.
The Australian racer, who took his maiden MotoGP race win last June, is in the last season of a three-year deal with the Honda factory and is set to sign a new contract for the 2018 season.
Although reports have suggested the 22-year-old will leave the Marc VDS Honda squad for the Pramac Ducati team next year, Miller maintains that no decisions have been made.
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“No, nothing’s been signed at this point in time,” Miller confirmed to foxsports.com.au, back home in Australia for a week for his brother’s wedding.
“We’re just weighing up our options and trying to find the most competitive bike for me for next year. The good thing is we’ve got options.
“I’m not too stressed (about money). Of course I need to get paid to ride a motorcycle — it is my job! — but I’m not out to get stupidly rich riding a bad bike. We’re just trying to find the best package in general for next year.”
But the contract decisions are on hold until the MotoGP championship resumes in the Czech Republic next month.
Miller has a big commitment in Japan first.
Honda have installed Miller in one of their factory teams for the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race on July 27-30.
Its prestige is unrivalled among Japan’s motorcycle marques; as the oft-told tale goes, Honda admits to having a set budget for MotoGP, but no such limit exists when it comes to the 8 Hours.
“I think we’ve got a lot of pressure behind us from Honda and Japan to win this race,” Miller said.
“We’ve got the package to do so. I think our goal is to go there and win.”
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Miller and teammates Takaaki Nakagami and Takumi Takasashi ended the final pre-race test at Suzuka as the fastest of the Hondas and second fastest overall, just 0.2 of a second away from the quickest time of the test.
“The test went really good,” Miller said. “The team’s really strong, we have a strong group of riders and a really strong machine this year.
“I’ve always wanted to do with but with a competitive team and bike and I’ve finally got a really good opportunity this year.
“It’s something I asked to do with Honda the last three years, and this year finally I get it off the bucket list.”
Along with his first ride of the endurance-spec Honda Fireblade superbike, the two pre-race tests were Miller’s first visits to the renowned circuit.
“The track’s awesome, it’s a lot of fun,” Miller said. “It’s probably one of the hardest tracks I’ve ever had to learn. You’re always on the edge of the tyre. It’s pretty cool.
“It’s a really technical track because it’s got a lot of everything. There’s a bit of fast stuff, some really slow stuff, it’s a really long lap.”
Miller is a rookie to endurance racing at this level and the 8 Hours, held in the searing heat of Japan’s summer, is renowned as one of the most physical tests on the circuit racing calendar.
“It’s going to be tough, but we train very hard to ride our MotoGP bikes,” he said.
“The bike’s a little less physical, but with the heat there, the race being so long, it’s going to be a gruelling race.
“But I couldn’t think of anything better to kickstart the second half of the (MotoGP) season over an eight hour race to make sure your body’s fit before you go to the Czech Republic.”
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