{"id":608481,"date":"2026-04-15T12:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/608481\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T12:55:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:55:10","slug":"jack-millers-alternative-to-700cc-moto3-engines-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/608481\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Miller\u2019s alternative to 700cc Moto3 engines &#8211; Exclusive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>While attention is currently focused on MotoGP\u2019s 2027 technical changes, the Moto3 class is expected to undergo an even more dramatic transformation in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>Although still to be officially confirmed, the current 250cc single-cylinder machines &#8211; built by KTM and Honda &#8211; are tipped to be replaced by larger but cheaper 700cc production-based twin-cylinders from a single supplier.<\/p>\n<p>Miller, who made his grand prix debut in the former 125cc class in 2011, then battled Alex Marquez for the 2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crash.net\/moto3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Moto3<\/a> title before leaping straight to MotoGP, accepts the need for change.<\/p>\n<p>However, he believes one of the main goals, allowing the best riders to stand out more from the pack, could have been achieved by reducing the tyre width.<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gng_533452_hires.jpg\"   type=\"image\/jpeg\" alt=\"Jack Miller battles Alex Marquez for the 2014 Moto3 title.\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.53\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Jack Miller battles Alex Marquez for the 2014 Moto3 title.<\/p>\n<p> \u00a9\u00a0Gold and Goose<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it needed to change,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crash.net\/motogp\/racer\/1452\/jack-miller\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jack Miller<\/a> told Crash.net, when quizzed on the likely future Moto3 rules. \u201c[But] the whole bigger engine, I don&#8217;t necessarily agree with that. I think the tyres could have been smaller.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe footprint&#8217;s changed, the contact patch that you&#8217;ve got, and with Moto3 at the moment, you can get away with an awful lot because you&#8217;ve got such a good tyre and a decent amount of contact patch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don&#8217;t have enough power to kind of smoke it or do anything silly. Unless you really mess up, you&#8217;re not going to have a massive high side or anything like that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo just by reducing the width, I think, would have thinned it out a little bit more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p>\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crash.net\/motogp\/feature\/1088615\/1\/why-moto3-heading-bigger-cheaper-future-exclusive\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Why Moto3 is heading for a bigger, but cheaper future<\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gng_1290434_hires.jpg\"   type=\"image\/jpeg\" alt=\" 2026 Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 machine.\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.56\"\/> <\/p>\n<p> 2026 Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3 machine.<\/p>\n<p> \u00a9\u00a0Gold and Goose<\/p>\n<p>Miller, a four-time <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crash.net\/motogp\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MotoGP <\/a>race winner for Honda and Ducati, also acknowledges the current cost concerns in Moto3.<\/p>\n<p>However, he questions whether production-based engines fit the ethos of grand prix racing and if the required racing modifications will make them any cheaper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand they want to go to a production-based engine. I understand that the market kind of doesn&#8217;t provide for [a bespoke 250cc racing machine] at this point in time,\u201d Miller said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, it\u2019s grand prix racing.<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#8217;t think a production-based engine is going to make it cheaper for the teams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving a specific race-built engine with the correct gearbox and so on and so forth, I think, is better for the teams. You&#8217;re not buying something and then having to tune it up. It&#8217;s built to do the job at hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo I don&#8217;t understand that, in terms of Grand Prix racing. We&#8217;ve gone towards that with Moto2, but the chassis is still [open competition].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gng_1282202_hires.jpg\"   type=\"image\/jpeg\" alt=\"2025 Portimao Moto3 Grand Prix.\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.68\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>2025 Portimao Moto3 Grand Prix.<\/p>\n<p> \u00a9\u00a0Gold and Goose<\/p>\n<p>Despite such reservations, Miller supports efforts to increase safety in the junior class and expects bigger machines to spread the field out more.<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt least they&#8217;re doing something,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I do believe Moto3 needed to change to be made a little safer. At least they&#8217;re making a step to try to improve that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was the same when they raced those [Supersport] 300s. For me, it was probably the most unsafe race because the bikes have no power and they&#8217;ve got a very big tyre on them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey tend to ride [nose to tail], essentially, and that&#8217;s when big things happen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think having it where talent and skill can separate the field out a bit more will help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Supersport 300 world championship was replaced by a bigger \u2018Sportbike\u2019 class for 2026.<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p> Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n<p>Subscribe to our MotoGP Newsletter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While attention is currently focused on MotoGP\u2019s 2027 technical changes, the Moto3 class is expected to undergo an&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,3555,17924,806,805,803,804,7188,85],"class_list":["post-608481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-jack-miller","tag-moto3","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-prima-pramac-yamaha","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}