Cycle News

INTERVIEW JACK MILLER P84 things. My mother missing my sister growing up and stuff like that because she had to go back and go to school and this and that… Definitely, it's so difficult to come over as a foreigner and try and compete in this sport." But even at a young age, when most of us change our minds on what we want to be when we grow up, for Miller it was clear from the get go – he wanted to be a mo- torcycle racer. So making a huge move from the comfort of home to Europe was a no brainer. "This is what I want to do," Mill- er said. "I didn't care when I was younger. All I wanted to be was a Crusty Demon [freestyle moto- crosser], then it grew to Super- cross and soon as I rode a road bike I wanted to be Valentine Rossi. This is what I want to be and I've always wanted to. I didn't care what motorbike I was on as long as I was riding a motorbike for a job and I'm doing it. It's a dream come true for sure." So what was it like for a young teenager from Australia to move to Europe? Was it complete cul- ture shock? "Ha, for sure," Miller answered. "For sure a culture shock. I sort of got used to it, sort of now, but the first six months of my first year in Europe was like, 'wow, what is this place?' Completely dif- ferent. Australia is like America, way more than it is… You can't re- late anything to Europe. It's completely different in every which way pos- sible. The food they eat, everything… It's crazy. It's definitely different, but you've got to get used to it and the way I look at it is we're living in their environment, so when in Rome, do as they do. "I enjoy it now. I really like the Spanish lifestyle and eating their food and eating all the European food. I really like it a lot. I've been all throughout Europe. I've stayed in all the countries. It's really cool. I've had a great life experi- ence. It's definitely one to tell the grandchildren for sure." A move like that definitely takes a lot of family support. Even rac- ing at home takes a lot of family support. It was a family affair. "My dad rode when he was younger," Miller said. "But the family never had any money to go racing or anything like that. He grew up on a proper sheep station so they always had to ride. And when he got older he started to do a bit of racing himself, but not much. And when the kids came along he got back into it and he started racing as well when we were. So, yeah, Always the jester, Miller's nickname is a fitting play on words. " FOR ME THE ERA I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE BEEN IN WAS BARRY SHEENE'S ERA; YOU KNOW SMOKE A CIGARETTE ON THE GRID AND JUST RELAX. "

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