The bizarre reason for Miller’s fine at the MotoGP San Marino GP

Jack Miller racked up a €2000 fine for riding the wrong way after the MotoGP San Marino Grand Prix to offer his race gloves to a lucky fan.

The Pramac rider had spotted a fan holding a banner during the formation lap, offering a free beer to any rider in return for their gloves.

After the race ended, Miller stopped his bike by the same grandstand, but to do so he had to turn around and ride on the wrong side of the track.

Although the Australian made sure his manoeuvre was safe, it still infringed Article 1.21.11 of the regulations, which prohibits riders from riding “in the opposite direction of the circuit, either on the track or in the pitlane, unless doing so under the direction of an Official”.

A €2000 was issued to him after the race, in which he finished 12th, three places behind his team-mate Miguel Oliveira.

“So I went down the back straight, and I saw this morning [that] there was a fan with a sign saying, ‘give us your gloves and we’ll give you a beer’,” Miller explained.

“I pulled up, and I overshot him a little bit. I pulled up, spun around, went about 30 metres back up the road, and then to do a U-turn, I went back on the track, once I saw there was nobody coming. I spun a U-bolt, and then pulled up and gave the fans my gloves.”

Miller revealed that he hadn’t received the beer he was promised, making the gesture an expensive one after all.

“No, I didn’t get the beer, and I got a €2,000 fine. Good day,” he said. “A fine’s coming. When Dorna decide to use the video this week to promote it all on socials and stuff like that, then I’ll be sure to say that €2,000 fine is ridiculous.”

In recent weeks, two sports-related videos had gone viral on social media, one showing a CEO snatching a hat from a kid during a US Open tennis match and another in which a woman confronted a man who had caught a ball for his son during an MLB game.

Despite picking up a hefty fine, Miller was happy with his gesture, saying it highlighted the difference between MotoGP’s fan culture and other sports.

“While we were on the trailer, this morning doing the parade lap, and that [banner] was still there on the fence, so I was happy to oblige, give them a set of gloves, and it was a very nice moment,” he said.

“You would have seen the videos of the Philly Karens stealing some kids’ baseball this week, a d***head stealing a kid’s hat in tennis.

“A VR46 fan next door to this fan caught my glove and handed it back over to the other guy. It was a very nice moment, which was special because our fans are different.”