MotoGP star Jack Miller offers alternative rule change to 700cc Moto3 engines
Jack Miller says Moto3 could help showcase rider talent more by reducing the size of the tyres.
MotoGP race winner Jack Miller has suggested an alternative rule change to bigger Moto3 engines.
Although it’s still to be confirmed, the current 250cc single-cylinder Moto3 engines are tipped to be replaced by bigger, albeit cheaper, 700cc units in 2028. They are expected to be production-based twin-cylinder power units all from a single supplier.
Miller, who made his Grand Prix debut in what was previously called the 125cc class in 2011, competed in the Moto3 world championship for three full seasons from 2012-2014.
The Australian then bypassed the intermediate category by moving directly to MotoGP in 2015. A former Moto3 runner-up to Alex Marquez in 2014, Miller admits the lower class needs to make a change so that the best riders can stand out more from the pack, although he’s suggested a different alternative to the 700cc engines.
Speaking to Crash.net, Miller said:
“I think it needed to change. [But] the whole bigger engine, I don't necessarily agree with that. I think the tyres could have been smaller. The trend has basically been to put bigger and bigger tyres under these motorcycles. Whether it be Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP, the tyres have changed dramatically in the past 20 years.
“The footprint's changed, the contact patch that you've got, and with Moto3 at the moment, you can get away with an awful lot because you've got such a good tyre and a decent amount of contact patch.
“You don't have enough power to kind of smoke it or do anything silly. Unless you really mess up, you're not going to have a massive highside or anything like that. So just by reducing the width, I think, would have thinned it out a little bit more.”
MotoGP is about to undergo its own set of rule changes that will come into force in 2027. They include the switch to smaller 850cc engines instead of the current 1,000cc units, a ban on all ride height devices, restrictions on aerodynamics and the use of 100 per cent non-fossil fuel.
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
