Miller “didn’t think” about works Honda call-up

With Pedrosa set to miss his second race in a row as he recovers from a collarbone fracture, there were suggestions that hometown hero Miller might get the call-up to the Repsol Honda squad for Phillip Island.

Those hopes were scuppered, however, by yesterday’s news that Nicky Hayden will instead return to the team that took him to the MotoGP title in 2006, while Miller will continue on the Marc VDS Honda. 

When asked by Motorsport.com if there were any real discussions about a short-term promotion, Miller said it wasn’t something he’d really considered.

“I have everything together with my own team, so I think everything was focussed on preparing my bike,” he said during a media event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today. “No, I didn’t really think about it too much.”

Miller did admit that he was surprised to see Honda test rider Hiroshi Aoyama not retained for a second race as Pedrosa’s replacement, but added that Hayden will be a good addition to the paddock for the Phillip Island weekend.

“I thought, to be honest, they would keep Aoyama on the bike, but I’m happy to hear that Nicky is coming back,” said Miller.

“I think, you know, the paddock likes him a lot. He’s a great character. It should be interesting. It’s a left-hand track, and Nicky likes left-hand tracks. So we’ll see.”

Freshly-crowned World Champion Marc Marquez echoed Miller’s thoughts on Hayden’s return to the factory Honda squad, saying that he is looking forward to working with the American.

“This is nice. The first time I met Nicky was 2008, I was 15 years old,” he said.

“Now to be teammates, [even] only for one race, it’s really nice because he’s a World Champion too.

“Nicky is a friendly guy, I like the American style.”