Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 39 SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 P85 it was like a family thing. We'd all go way on the weekend together as a family and drive hundreds of thousands of kilometers, spend countless hours in cars. It definitely was a family thing for sure." So Miller had a pretty normal upbringing alongside racing, but what about school? "I did school until I was 14 and then I tried two weeks of home school at 15 and my mom wanted to murder me," Miller said. "We sort of said, 'we'll give school a miss. Focus on racing bikes.' " There are a lot of events to choose from on the 18-race calendar, but in addition to his home race he looks forward to all of the overseas races. "For sure Phillip Island's my favorite - always a good GP to go home to," Miller said. "But I also love coming to America and racing… I really like all the overseas races, like when we go to Malaysia. It's completely different. You go and stay in awesome hotels that are cheap. You go and stay at resorts and it's so relaxed. The overseas environment is completely differ- ent to anywhere else. You go there, you get to go into KL [Kuala Lumpur] and do some shopping and everything like that. It's like in Indianapolis we stay in downtown, ev- ery night you get to go out. When we go to Doha you've got the whole day to do noth- ing and there's no fans in the paddock you can really walk around it's a really friendly environment. That's why for me I really love the overseas races." As for a track that suits his riding style, Phillip Island holds a place in his heart. But Sepang also stands out. "I got a few tracks," Miller said. "Like I said, Phillip Island is a real special one for me because it is such a fast, flowing track, but to be honest my favorite track is actu- ally Sepang. I love the place and it suits my style. It's really a heavy, hard braking sort MILLER SOUND BITES Miller's riding hasn't been the only thing that has launched him into World Championship star status. And it hasn't just been his flair for celebration. He made waves after his first world championship win at Qatar by dropping an F-bomb in his post race interview. "Ah ,it's incredible," Miller said about the feeling of his first win. "That last lap was a little bit scary to be honest. Alex [Marquez] and I pushed so hard the first early laps and the tires weren't as good as they were, as I thought they would last. I was trying to work it for the slipstream on the last lap and then Alex had the moment. I just had to go, oh just f*&k it, I'll go alone. And just pushed it and it worked out beautifully. I can't thank the team enough. It was awesome. The first race. First podium and first victory. It's incredible." At the very end he added sheepishly, "And sorry for my language." But it was all taken in stride and he had a great follow up for his win at the following race at the Circuit of the Americas. It was something that even Casey Stoner hadn't accomplished – back-to-back wins in the lightweight class in the World Championship. "Uh, I just need to check if you've got the beeper on this microphone have you?" Miller asked before starting his post-race interview. He is after all just 19, but he has swagger beyond his years and isn't afraid to battle with words. After his knock-down, drag-out win against a bunch of fast Hondas at Le Mans, Miller was asked about his final moments of that battle. MotoGP pit lane correspon- dent Dylan Gray phrased it as "looking like a battle of"Honda horsepower versus KTM brakes." Miller responded with, "Oh, we're calling it KTM brakes are we? I thought it was my brakes." The young Miller is as entertaining in parc ferme as he is on the track.

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