Miller: ‘I love watching WorldSBK’, expects Gardner to have success

Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea have so far shared all 33 wins between them this season, with new WorldSBK champion Bautista and Razgatlioglu tied on 14 each. 

Gardner will be moving across to the GRT Yamaha team after spending one season in MotoGP, which was a huge disappointment given his results in 2021 which saw him became Moto2 world champion.

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However, it wasn’t just Gardner who struggled as a rookie as team-mate Raul Fernandez and Darryn Binder also found the premier class tough. 

Switching to the R1 which is one of the better bikes on the WorldSBK grid, Gardner should have the chance of fighting for immediate top tens, and as we’ve seen by rookies Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, top five finishes are likely to be there for the taking too. 

But challenging the likes of Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea is going to be very difficult, especially for a rookie. 

With that said, Miller believes his fellow countryman has the potential to do just that.

"It’s sad to see Remy leave this paddock but it’s awesome to have another Aussie get a start on a competitive bike in WorldSBK," said Miller when speaking to WorldSBK.com. 

"I love watching WorldSBK, especially with the current three-race format and especially the boys at the front! 

"Hopefully Remy can gel with that bike and get up to speed and we’ll see him battling with the likes of Toprak, Jonny and Alvaro very soon."

WorldSBK tyres ‘a lot softer’, Gardner will need to adapt according to Miller

The new factory KTM rider feels Gardner has the size and power to succeed as WorldSBK machines are heavier than MotoGP bikes.

Height is very rarely an issue in WorldSBK either as Loris Baz, Scott Redding and Razgatlioglu, who are all riders over six-feet tall, have had success in the class. 

Miller added: "He’s a bigger bloke and I think that having that strength and muscle around the heavier, flexible World Superbike… once he understands what the tyres are like, because they’re a lot softer than what we’re using here but I think he’ll have no qualms with coming to grips with them, I’ll be looking forward to watching him quite closely."