Jack Miller had to call on his wet weather riding skills again on Friday, as rain disrupted yet another day of MotoGP action at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
For the fifth race in succession this season, Michelin's rain tyres were utilised after torrential rain fell during the lunch interval to completely drench the 5.5km track ahead of FP2.
The weather played a pivotal role too this morning when rain spots disrupted the opening exchanges of FP1 to limit the time Miller could attack on Michelin's slick rubber.
Miller can count himself unfortunate not to have secured a crucial place in the top 10 when a near high-side crash on his final lap this morning denied him what looked like being a comfortable passage into the top six.
A best lap of 2'01.803 in less than ideal conditions was still just over a second off the 2015 Sepang race record, but this afternoon's downpour now means Miller is praying for a dry FP3 session tomorrow morning to give himself another opportunity to clinch a place in Q2..
โIt's a pity I missed the top 10 this morning because I had to save a massive high-side on my last lap,โ he explained. โIt was still my best lap but without the big moment I feel I was going to be fast enough to squeeze into the top six, let alone the top 10. I'm happy with how the bike is feeling in the wet and I spent the whole of FP2 out on the same set of tyres."
"They were pretty worn by the end but I was still able to lap at a consistently fast pace. I hope it is going to be dry for FP3 in the morning to get another crack at Q2. I feel I've got the pace to break into that top 10 but it's out of my hands and I'm relying on Mother Nature to do me a favour!โ
