MotoGP 2015: Jack Miller’s move to skip Moto2 a smart one according to Kevin Magee

JACK Miller’s first three MotoGP races have proven his nay-sayers wrong, according to two-wheel expert Kevin Magee.

Big leap a smart move for Miller

JACK Miller’s first three MotoGP races have proven his nay-sayers wrong, according to two-wheel expert Kevin Magee.

The 20-year-old Australian took the massive leap from the lightweight Moto3 bikes to the big horsepower MotoGP machines for 2015, but critics questioned the wisdom of skipping the sport’s intermediate class.

With a 12th placing in his most recent race in Argentina last Sunday, Magee believes Miller is proving he made the right move.

“In my opinion, that was the smartest thing he ever could have done,” Magee, a MotoGP race winner himself, said.

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“He didn’t need to go through the chaos of Moto2, and I also believe he’s the type of rider that would really take a step up in his stride.

“He’s doing roughly 100km/h more on long straights on a MotoGP bike compared to his old Moto3 bike. There’s a lot more consequences when you’re going that much faster.”

Although it has taken Miller just three races to top his class, the Australian’s eyes remain fixed on putting his lesser bike inside the top 10.

It’s a target that Magee believes is achievable.

“I think that’s a realistic goal,” he said. “A wet race or other circumstance might dictate that he ends up on the podium before the end of the year. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did.”

Magee with the original Fox Sports-branded Superbike from 1996, and Yamaha’s new R1 road bike.

Magee kicks off his 20th year of broadcasting at Fox Sports when he joins fellow MotoGP race winner Chris Vermeulen and new host Ben Way in the studio for next weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.

After retiring from a racing career that saw him earn victories in all of the sport’s top divisions, Magee swapped his helmet for a microphone in 1996 to become the network’s resident two-wheel expert.

In that time he has seen the sport he loves change rapidly, with technology’s influence improving more than just the machines you see on the race track.

“The electronics they’ve got in MotoGP have filtered down into road bikes, and the tyre development has been huge,” he says.

One constant has been the presence of Valentino Rossi, who has completed a remarkable resurrection to lead the MotoGP standings for Yamaha after two dire years at Ducati.

“He’s improved his riding style to the elbow-scraping type of craziness we see in MotoGP. He’s evolved. And the championship points tell the story.”

Rossi and team celebrate Argentinian victory.

Originally published as MotoGP 2015: Jack Miller’s move to skip Moto2 a smart one according to Kevin Magee