The MotoGP 2021 silly season took quite a turn ahead of the start of the 2020 season as Ducati Corse announced that Jack Miller will be their new factory rider next year. The 25-year-old Australian finally sealed the deal after proving that he is indeed a force to be reckoned with on the Ducati Desmosedici race machine.
It was a rough road for Jack Miller when he made his MotoGP debut back in 2015 where a lot of folks questioned the move of the Australian completely skipping the Moto2 intermediate class. After bagging a race victory, Miller moved to Pramac Racing Team in 2018 which saw a great increase in results.
Last season, Miller finished eighth overall with five podium finishes under his name. This got the attention of the Ducati factory squad which led to the decision of signing the young Aussie as one of the two official Ducati Team riders for 2021, replacing the outgoing Danilo Petrucci who have been struggling to provide consistent results for Ducati.
According to Jack Miller himself, “First of all, I want to thank warmly Paolo Campinoti, Francesco Guidotti and all the Pramac Racing Team for the great support I have received from them in the two and a half years spent together. It is an honour for me to be able to continue my MotoGP career with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and I would like to thank all the Ducati management, Claudio, Gigi, Paolo and Davide, for having trusted me and given me this incredible opportunity. I look forward to starting riding again this year, and I am ready to fully commit to the responsibility of being an official Ducati rider in 2021.”
As for Claudio Domenicali, CEO of Ducati Motor Holding, “Since he arrived in the Pramac Racing Team, Jack has grown steadily, proving himself one of the fastest and most talented riders in the championship. So, we are happy that he has agreed to ride the official Desmosedici GP bike of the Ducati Team next year. We are convinced that Jack has all the right skills to fight continuously for the positions that matter, in every race, starting already this season with the Desmosedici GP20 of the Pramac Racing Team, and taking a further step forward next year thanks to the support of the Ducati Team.”
Image credit: MotoGP
