JACK MILLER’S MIR ACLE SUR VIVAL
JACK Miller admits he’s a “very, very lucky boy” after walking away unscathed from a spectacular crash in the final practice at the French MotoGP on Saturday.
The Townsville rider ( pictured) came out of the first turn at Le Mans and looked to overtake two rival racers when he lost control.
His bike shot forward across the grassy area at high speed before slamming into the barricade as Miller tumbled head over heels and landed near his wrecked bike.
Miller’s mother Sonya was watching the practice from their home in Townsville and said she feared the worst as he was sent flying.
“It was pretty horrendous for a mum to see. I was just in shock, but at least he got up,” Sonya said.
“It didn’t really sink in how bad it was. You sort of close your eyes as mum and hope you’re not seeing what you’re seeing.
“I spoke to him on Saturday night before the race and he said how lucky he was. He had a second bump going in which flung the bike perpendicular otherwise it could have been worse.
“Apart from his knee and hand, he was just bruised all over. He got off moderately light compared to other crashes he’s had that have done more damage.”
Miller admitted he felt pretty beaten up when the adrenaline wore off after qualifying, but he rode through the pain to claim his fourth top 10 finish of the season.
“The race was more a case of not hurting myself anymore and staying on and just hanging in there lap by lap,” Miller wrote on the Red Bull website.
“I had a jab to get me through the race, the top of my hand is a mess, and the hand was worse than the knee.
“With about eight laps to go I was really struggling, I had pins and needles in my hand. I was concentrating as hard as I could just to fight the pain and stay on.
“Finishing top 10 again — that’s four this season in five races now — and improving to 10th in the championship was more than I could have hoped for after Saturday.”
Miller is now back home in Andorra and awaiting scans to clear him of any serious damage, but Sonya expects her son will be back in time for the Italian GP on June 4.
“He was pretty flat mentally and physically I’d say the race would have taken a lot out of him,” she said.
“He’s got two weeks before the next race at Scarperia and that should be enough time for him to rest and recover.”