Stats

Born: 24/06/1991
Place of Birth: Brisbane
Lives: Brisbane

Education: Graduated Bachelor of Journalism at QUT

Hobbies: Irish dancing, dance music composing, writing poetry

Hero: Ayrton Senna

Favourite Track: Bathurst

Memorable Moments: 3rd in the 2004 QLD State Championships (Karting), Claiming the 2009 QLD MX5 State Title, Winning at Lakeside 2009, 3rd in the MX5 Nationals in 2009, Pole position Mazda MX5 Nationals 2010, MX5 National Champion 2010, CUE One Hour Endurance Class E Champion 2010, 2nd outright. 

Future Ambitions: Formula 1, Indycar, BTCC, Le Mans

Outside Racing Achievements: Queensland Irish Dancing state champion x6, Australian Irish Dancing Champion x4, toured with internationally reknowned Irish Dancing troupe Gaelforce Dance in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Taiwan and Ireland.

Biography

Ever since he was young, Ashley Miller dreamed of racing cars. After catching coverage of the 1995 European Grand Prix on television, the captivating excitement and entertainment of motor racing, in particular Formula One, enthralled him.

Miller’s career begun with the purchase of a second hand DAP chassis off a family friend. Kicking off his competitive racing career in 2000, Ashley managed to clinch second place in the Gold Coast Kart Club Club Championship on his maiden attempt. For 2001, with a newer chassis in his hands, Miller drove to several podiums, including a win at the Gold Coast, and several more podiums would follow in 2002. At his first attempt at a State Championship, held at Willowbank Kart Circuit in 2001, Ashley would place 17th.

In 2003 Ashley came into possession of a brand new Monaco GP4, and the results showed – Miller finished equal first in the new karts maiden outing, at a sopping wet Willowbank Kart Circuit. The remainder of the year would see several more podiums. In April that year, Miller took on the might of Australian kart racing at the Australian National Championships, also held at Willowbank. He finished a promising 23rd.

For 2004, his first year in Senior National Light, he stormed to 9 podium placings and 2 fourths, never once finishing outside the top four. The 2004 Queensland State Bitumen Kart Racing Championships held in Townsville proved to be the highlight, as Ashley took out third place. To top off the year, he managed second place in the Ipswich Kart Club Club Championship for Senior National Light.

In 2005, Miller competed in 4 race meetings before he decided to focus his attentions on bigger things. Ashley tested a Formula Ford in late 2005, as well as early 2006, looking for the next step up. He also tested a Mazda MX-5 on two occasions in late 2006. After months of preparation, and countless hours of laborious work and meticulous attention to detail, Ashley’s own MX5 was ready for its initial shakedown in late June 2007. The car finally complete, Ashley went on to debut as part of the Mazda MX-5 support class at the 2007 Willowbank round of the Australian V8 Supercar Championship.

Miller cemented his reputation at the Top Gear meeting in early August 2007, beating many more established rivals, and continued his good form at Morgan Park, Wakefield Park and Oran Park in 2007, and at Bathurst at Easter 2008; having never previously seen the circuits before, Miller’s first laps of the track were often during qualifying for each weekend’s racing, yet on each occasion he qualified within the top 5 MX5 runners.

His driving came of age in 2009, when he strung together a competitive season to take the 2009 QLD Mazda MX5 State Title, including his maiden win at Lakeside in September that year.

This pace was galvanised in 2010, when Ash resoundingly brushed off all challenges to win every round of the 2010 CUE One Hour Endurance Championship, an unbeaten run that saw him not only wrap up the Class E title easily, but punched the MX5 into 2nd overall for the series, amongst a plethora of Lotus’, Porsches, BMW’s and even a Ferrari or two.

2011 sees Ash tackle new machinery, moving on from his title winning MX5 to co-drive a Lotus Elise with fellow Brisbaneite John Prefontaine, assisting in developing the car heavily en-route to a 2011 title attack for Class E honours once again.

Many describe his driving style as ultra-smooth, clean and fair yet determined in his race craft, with a knack for brave overtaking and fearless yet calculated driving.

In addition to his driving prowess, Ashley Miller has achieved impressively in many other areas. His highlights include the titles of six-time Queensland State and four-time Australian National Champion Irish Dancer, having also reached the heights of international competition (11th place All-Ireland Dancing Championships 2006, 15th place World Irish Dancing Championships 2007) and touring (6 months with renowned international Irish Dance show Gaelforce Dance). Ashley Miller is also an aspiring journalist, having written for National Karting Magazine throughout his latter high schooling years.