Australia's MotoGP rider Jack Miller received a hero's welcome from his home fans after a courageous seventh place in Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
Miller's stirring performance came despite racing with a fractured right tibia held together by a plate and seven screws.
Making his trademark rocketship start Miller stunned the stars of MotoGP by taking his Honda RC213V to the front and leading the opening four laps of the 27-lap race at the super-fast Phillip Island Circuit.
Cheered on by local fans Miller outpaced Valentino Rossi, Maverick Viรฑales and eventual winner Marc Mรกrquez with his daring early charge.
The gritty Aussie remained a podium contender until just after the halfway mark when rear grip levels dropped and Miller raced to ensure a top ten finish.
Miller's amazing recovery from his injury, suffered just 24 days ago in a trials bike accident, was tribute to his determination and an intensive rehab program.
โIt was great feeling to be leading my home race at Phillip Island but maybe going hard early hurt me later in the race with rear grip when I had to switch engine maps,โ he said. โIt would have been nice to be able to push a bit harder at the end of the race but it was a solid weekend considering my injury, starting fifth and finishing seventh in front of my home fans, I'm happy with that.โ
