Australian Jack Miller has endured a rocky start to the final Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island suffering a pair of crashes and a qualifying setback.
Miller is the only Australian competing in the top-flight motorcycle competition at the island circuit, and he's looking to bounce back from a horror outing last year when he failed to finish the main race because of a crash on lap six.
Under the beaming sun on Friday, the Yamaha Satellite Team Pramac rider came face-to-face with his demons when he fell and was left rolling around washing machine style in the free practice.
But things got worse later in the day with Miller losing control again.
The 31-year-old did get back up and keep riding, but was only able to record the 12th fastest lap.
The result is a huge blow for the Australian, as he wanted to finish in the top 10 to bypass qualifying session one on Saturday morning and automatically advance to session two.
Only the top two riders from session one make the next round that determines who starts on the front row.
Last year, Miller earned a front row start and became the first Australian to achieve that feat at the Australian GP since the great Casey Stoner in 2012.
It was Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi who left Friday's practice session happiest posting the fastest lap of one minute and 26.775 seconds, while reigning Australian GP champion Raúl Fernández was second fastest and Marc Marquez third.
The practice sessions come ahead of the final race at Phillip Island after the Victorian government rejected a shift to Melbourne's Albert Park and MotoGP subsequently moved the race to Adelaide starting from November 2027.
The Australian Grand Prix also falls at a crucial juncture of the season as only four rounds remain of the championship campaign.
Currently, two points separate Aprilia's Jorge Martin and Ducati Lenovo’s Marquez in the overall standings, while Miller is looking to finish in the top 10 for the second time.
Qualifying will held on Saturday morning ahead of the sprint race later in the day, before the main race on Sunday.
