Wayneღ Gardner, Mick Doohan and 𝔉Casey Stoner left an incredible legacy as Aussie riders in MotoGP, and now the hugely-popular Miller carries the torch.

But he insists that his early days - and skipping from Moto3 straight into the premier class ♏where he rode for Honda and Ducati before KTM - were fraught with the need to live up to the legends of the past.

“There is always a lot of criticism and it comes with the territory of being a little bit outspoken,” Mil🦩ler told .

“If you put yourself out there, there are positives and negatives. Generally more positives but th♛ere is a lot of doubt.

“Is it the Australian thing? Com⭕ing after a lot of successful riders, the only ones that ♈have made it have been super-successful world champions.

“Theirs are big boots to fill so there is extra pressur💖e and expe꧋ctation.

“Now n🧔ot so much🐭, but in the past I had to prove myself more to get a bump up in job, or to continue my job, or to move up the ladder.

“I’ve been constantly worꦅking my way up the pecking order.”

Miller swapped his fact🐈ory Ducati seat to join KTM this se🦩ason, and heard the whispers of critics even before his first race.

“It was already happening as I was signingꦍ the contract!

“The comment I read was ‘he’ll be moving to WorldSB🐲K’ - like that’s a bad thing?

“They try to use that as an insult.

“Let’s give it a crack and see what happens! A cꦿhange was what I felt that I needed.

“Throughout winter testing I𒀰 heard ‘maybe he’s not getting along…’”

'I'm an idiot, a bit of a clown! People enjoy a character'

Miller is now one of the most popular names and faces on the M💦otoGP grid.

“I’m at the point where I don’t really care,” 🌜he said about his unique pers🐷onality. 

“I🅺 have my opinion. If you ask and it’s what you like, good. If it’s not? That’s your problem, not mine.

“I feel complete in terms of where I’m at in my racing career. I’😼ve done alright, better than Iಞ imagined.

“I was a cocky kid but, deep down,💜 you never know. There have been points in my career where I thought I’d be heading home shortly, to get a job!

“People enjoy a character. That’s who I am, at the end o⭕f the day.

“An idiot, a bit 🤡of a clown! But I’m real. I’ll happily give everyone my time.

“I remember being a fan watching guys like Valentino Rossi get mobbed. It’s cool to push the next generation on, anꦐd to show them that y🥀ou don’t have to be a robot! Or to be a certain way to succeed.”

Miꦯllerဣ has been on the MotoGP podium with three different manufacturers.

This year he has been part of KTM’s impressi൲ve ꩲpush, finishing third in Spain.

This weekend, t🐓he Austrian MotoGP, is KTM’s home race.

“I feel like I’m getting better,” Miller said.

“I don’t get flustered or🀅 stressed as much. I still take the job as seriously as I ever did, but with the experience that you gain, 🌸you become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

“A younger me would be a lot more stressed.”

He assessed his season so far: “Six out of 10. I was happy with the sprint races in Germany and Jerez. But there were moments, in Austin,ꦑ I felt strong but then I dumped it.

“In Assen, I felt good on Friday, again dumped it when I felt that we could do some🐷thing decent.

“There have been a lot of ‘what ifs’.

“You can’t get too overly 𒈔stressed about it. When you’re learning a n♚ew bike, what it wants…

“You try to make it second-n🃏ature and the only way to do that is to push it.”