MotoGP 2015, Austin: Jack Miller scores his first points, race finish in 14th place aboard Open Honda

JACK Miller scored the first race finish and maiden points of his MotoGP career with a 14th-place finish in the Grand Prix of The Americas.

JACK Miller scored the first race finish and maiden points of his MotoGP career with a 14th-place finish in the Grand Prix of The Americas in Austin.

The 20-year-old Australian engaged in a late-race battle with fellow Open-class Honda rider Nicky Hayden, trailing the 2006 MotoGP world champion across the line after a gruelling 21-lap race.

Another lightning start from 19th on the grid saw Miller rocket up to the fringes of the top 10, narrowly avoiding the opening-lap crash that claimed Scott Redding and Pol Espargaro. He was in the thick of the mid-pack scrap in the early laps, but the effort took its toll on his tyres.

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It left him with little ammunition to use against 200-race veteran Hayden in their battle, but gave Miller plenty of crucial experience.

“I was really happy with the race, I learnt a lot fighting with the guys like Nicky (Hayden) and the rest of the group,” Miller said.

“I must improve the management of my tyres over the first few laps. I need to learn not to be so aggressive on the front tyre, and especially the rear, so that I have more possibilities at the end of the race.”

Miller (43) battling Aoyama (7) and Barbera.

“Overall, I am very happy to finish the race and finally get some points. But now we have to make the next step and look to try and finish inside the top ten.”

Although 14th place doesn’t seem like something to shout about, Miller finished third of the Open machine runners 9.392 seconds behind class victor Hector Barbera aboard a Ducati, while Miller was just 0.247 seconds behind the first Open-class Honda home belonging to Hayden.

At one point he even ran ahead of Hiroshi Aoyama, deputising for the recovering Dani Pedrosa on the factory-class Repsol Honda.

The race was not without incident, however. Miller made contact with Stefan Bradl while they were fighting over 11th place in the early laps, the incident sending the German crashing out of the race.

“Immediately after the start I overtook Miller and we were fighting for the position,” Bradl said after the race.

“I passed him on the first corner but he touched me on the rear and I was forced to retire. It’s disappointing because we were really competitive.”

Miller’s result leaves him 18th in the championship standings as MotoGP heads to Argentina for the third round of the world championship at the Termas do Rio Hondo circuit next weekend.

Jack Miller.

Originally published as MotoGP 2015, Austin: Jack Miller scores his first points, race finish in 14th place aboard Open Honda