The thundering engines and fanfare of the Australian Superbike Championships rolled into The Bend Motorpark in South Australian to cap off its 2022 season. But it was the roar of one particular bike – and its rider – that drew the most attention. Once again, Australian Moto GP superstar Jack Miller made his return to Superbikes for the final round for a second year in a row. And like 2021, he did it representing the Cat® brand in an extremely visual way. This season upped the ante in every regard, however, with Jack riding a singular all black and yellow Ducati Panigale V4 S, emblazoned with Cat decals.
“It’s awesome to have this sort of freedom and play around a bit with the bike, the leathers and what not to really make it how you want to envision it,” he said.
“We dipped our feet in the water last year a little bit, and this year it’s come up tops. “It’s nice to be able to have that freedom to make it look cool, that’s a big part of it. It’s also about being proud of it too.”
For Caterpillar Marketing Manager Cameron Balzat, having the multi-year partnership with Jack take another step further was fantastic to see. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the Miller and Caterpillar partnership to our customers in a very different way,” Cameron said. “We know many Cat owners are machinery enthusiasts, for one thing, but being enthusiasts, that translates over to motorsports, in any form.” Jack’s ride for the Superbikes was well and truly one of a kind. The bike rocks a hexagonal grill mesh detailing and a colour palette akin to other Cat machinery.
It even sports ‘JM43T’ – Jack’s team and number in the make/model design you’d find on other Cat machinery. It’s practically part of the fleet, except it can go about 200km/h faster. “When we designed that bike in conjunction with Jack’s team, we wanted it to represent a Cat machine on the track,” Cameron said. “Obviously, we don’t make two-wheeled bikes, but we wanted it to look like it came from our Cat factories, so to speak, even down to Cat Bolt-head decals to complete the impression of a Cat machine.”
TWO-WAY FANDOM
The partnership between Jack and Cat didn’t start like your typical sponsorship signing. It was Jack’s love for Cat machinery that had him enquiring about buying some earthmovers for his property near Townsville. “Jack approached Cat dealer Hastings Deering, wanting to buy a new machine,” Cameron said.
“That started the discussions, he ended up buying a D3 dozer. “He’s got that working on his property up at Townsville … a year later he bought a second Cat machine, a 259D3 Compact Track Loader.”
When he’s not dominating the track for MotoGP or Superbikes, Jack’s roaming his land aboard his collection of Cat machines. “I love having those machines there, if we do need to make some drastic changes then we get out the D3 and push around some serious dirt,” Jack added. “It’s awesome to have that Cat machinery there to work with at home, it’s something I’ve dreamed of. It’s pretty hot up there, so that aircon definitely comes in handy.” Cameron said this connection made the partnership all the more deeper and translated well in the pits
and on the track. “It’s not just Jack representing Cat, he owns our machines and he loves what they do for him and what his Cat dealer Hastings Deering does for him,” he said.
MATE’S RATES
There was also something special about Jack’s pit crew during the weekend, with many of his mates from Townsville making the trek to lend a hand. This included Neil Roelofs, who brought plenty to the table having raced against Jack in motocross growing up. He said things on the track were a little busier than when Jack raced last year in the Superbikes, with three other riders joining Jack’s team in 2022. Neil was nonetheless loving every minute of being back amongst the madness for a long-time mate.
“You’re only focusing on one bike, while others are focussed on their on bikes,” he said. “Once you do something for the first time in the pits, you’re nervous. But the second time you do it, you’re good because you know where you stuffed up, and you can change it.” There’s nothing quite like helping out a mate, especially when they happen to be a Moto GP sensation. Jack had Neil on back wheel patrol during pitstops, as well as being the lap time board holder during his practice laps. He would flash the card for Jack at the end of his laps, with the top row indicating the fastest lap time and Jack’s position in the race.
“He’s got a dash on his bike that has his lap time, but if that’s not working I can put his time on the bottom row too,” Neil said. “It lets him know when he’s got to pump it up a bit more and what not.”
THE RIGHT FIT
Like many of Jack’s mates, Neil is a tradie through and through. The 32-year-old does fitting for Beltech Engineering, conducting fifo work between Townsville and the Northern Territory. At the Top End he does plant fitting for Beltech, doing jobs that included fixing pipes, conveyors and filters among other plant infrastructure. “In 2021, I quit my job old job then did the race here with Jack, before starting my new job for Beltech,” Neil said.
The fitting lifestyle fits Neil like a glove, he even wanders into the Townsville sites on his days off to clock in a few hours when needed. “My old man is a fitter and we were always pulling my bike apart, putting it back together,” he said. Standing about 6’3, Neil said the fifo life could get cramped on regular flights, but overall he loved varied lifestyle.
“It’s not bad, I’m a taller bloke and my legs bump up against the seat in front of me, it’s better than driving,” he said. Neil would return to Townsville to work on building his home, but for one weekend he was an integral Australian Superbikes crew member for team Miller. “It’s great getting the call-up, it’s a hectic weekend but it’s fun. That’s what we looked for in this weekend: have a bit of seriousness but also have a bit of fun as well,” he concluded.•