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Jack Miller blanks out social media noise

3 minute read

Australian Jack Miller, who was embroiled in controversy at the Doha GP, has turned off his social media to concentrate on his MotoGP return in Portugal.

JACK MILLER.
JACK MILLER. Picture: Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images

Australian MotoGP star Jack Miller has turned off his social media for the sake of his "mental well-being" after copping flak for his part in a controversial clash with world champion Joan Mir at the Doha Grand Prix.

Miller says that "reading 1,000 negative comments" wasn't doing him any good - so he's switched off to avoid all the "crap" and concentrate on making a successful comeback to racing at Sunday's Portuguese Grand Prix after undergoing arm surgery.

The Queenslander has suffered a wretched start to a season which had promised so much in pre-season testing with his new Ducati factory team as he finished ninth in both of the season's first two races in Qatar.

Not only did he get involved in the high-speed clash on the straight which saw Mir accuse him of "super dangerous" riding but he struggled with an arm pump injury which required an operation in the week following the race.

Miller was left dismayed by all the hostile messages sent to him on social media and said on Thursday that he doesn't want to be unnecessarily distracted as he makes his return to action, still not knowing how he's going to fare after surgery.

"I turned off the social media," Miller told reporters. "I'm just trying to be as calm as possible and do my job which, at the end of the day, is what I love, riding motorcycles.

"I don't need to see a psychologist ... Reading 1,000 negative comments isn't going to do my mental well-being any good. It's better to turn that crap off and focus on what is important.

"That's me getting myself right, doing my job right."

Miller said he'd expect to "catch up" with Mir over the weekend. "We can discuss, hear each other's side of the story," he said.

But he admits he won't know exactly how he's reacted after the surgery until he takes to the track where he enjoyed perhaps his best race at the end of last season, finishing runner-up in his final ride for Pramac Ducati.

He had an operation last Tuesday and has been declared fit to ride.

"It feels good. The recovery was really quick. Straight out of hospital on Wednesday morning," he said.

"On Wednesday afternoon, I was able to start cycling on the static bike inside. On Thursday I was able to start cycling outside.

"Feeling fit and ready to go but I won't know how is the arm until I put it through the biggest test which is riding a MotoGP bike but my understanding and my feeling is it shouldn't be an issue."

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