World traveler coming home for pro motocross races at Millville

Jul. 13—ROCHESTER — Birmingham, England.

Singapore.

Dusseldorf, Germany.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Melbourne, Australia.

Miller's decision to join the FIM World Supercross Series for its inaugural season has and will take him all over the world. The series will visit six countries on four continents over a five-month span from the beginning of July until the end of November.

"How cool is it to get to go race your dirt bike, travel the world and see all these cool places?" Henry Miller said. "It's a really awesome opportunity."

But when the opportunity arose for the Rochester native, who now lives in Fort Worth, Texas, to return home, he couldn't pass it up. Miller loaded his van Wednesday night to prepare to make the day-long drive today — July 13 — from his home in Texas to his home in Minnesota.

He'll get some practice time Friday on a bike that's brand new to him, then will take to the track at Spring Creek MX Park in Millville on Saturday with many of the top 450cc motocross riders in the world during Round 7 of the Pro Motocross Championship series.

It's the first time in four years that Miller will enter the Millville pro nationals at close to 100% healthy. He raced through a painful shoulder injury last summer, yet still placed 21st overall in the 40-rider field. Injuries kept him out of the Millville races in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, he had his best-ever finish as a pro at Spring Creek, when he finished ninth overall.

"Last year I fought through that torn rotator cuff," Miller said. "It was rough racing on it. It's going to be pretty cool to go home and be as healthy as I've been in a long time. I'll have a good weekend, see all the people who've supported me, who I haven't got to see a whole lot. I hope to put on a good race, have fun with it and enjoy it."

This weekend will mark Miller's first start of the season with the Pro Motocross Championship series. It's a departure from the norm for the 26-year-old, who has raced with the series full-time as a privateer — he isn't backed by a factory team, such as KTM, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki or GasGas — since he turned pro in 2016.

The focus this summer for the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Miller — after an 11th-place finish in the Pro Supercross Championship series this spring — has been on preparing for the World Supercross Championship. The series, in its first season of existence, held its inaugural race on July 1 in Birmingham, England, at Villa Park, the 42,600-seat home stadium of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897.

Miller placed eighth overall in the SX2 Division (250cc motor), where he's backed by Rick Ware Racing, which is based in Mooresville, N.C., and also has a NASCAR team and an IndyCar team.

"It's definitely a lot different (in the World Supercross series) from racing over here," Miller said of the international series, which holds most of its events in famous soccer stadiums. "The series itself, they've really made us feel like they've wanted us there. They make you feel special over there.

"The fact that you get to go to all these countries and places and meet so many fans, people you've never met before ... it's a really cool atmosphere. The whole series and the racing and the fans and teams, it's such a cool thing they're trying to do for the sport. I hope it really takes off and I hope it sticks."

This week, though, Miller is dialed in on enjoying his first Pro Motocross series event of the summer. He said he plans to race a few more rounds with the series before the World Supercross Championship resumes Sept. 30 in Singapore. He'll be on a 450 Yamaha bike this weekend, a ride put together for him by Roger Dykes, the owner of Meadow Valley MX, which sits less than 2 miles north of Spring Creek MX Park.

"I have a whopping two whole days (of practice) on the bike I'll be racing," Miller said with a laugh earlier this week. "Roger offered me the bike and I couldn't pass it up. It's hard to get that kind of help in our sport on a short notice.

"I won't have a whole lot of time at home; I will head back (to Texas) right away Sunday morning. It will be nice to, at the races, talk to and catch up with people. This week is different from other races, but it's good to be busy. You don't have to sit around all day and think about how you'll do in the race."

Henry Miller, a motocross standout from Rochester, turned pro in 2016 at age 19. Here's how he's fared in Pro Nationals races at his home track, Spring Creek MX Park near Millville.

SEASON CLASS RESULT

2022 450 21st

2021 DNS Injured

2020 DNS Injured

2019 450 9th

2018 450 11th

2017 450 12th

2016 250 20th