Australian rider Jack Miller’s MotoGP star continues to rise with confirmation he has signed with the Belgium-based Marc VDS Honda team.

The Queenslander is hoping to crack the top 10 at Sunday’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on his open class LCR Honda, but his switch to a much more competitive bike with Marc VDS should have him aiming much higher next season.

“It’s very exciting news for me and I’m looking forward to starting my next chapter in MotoGP with them,” Miller said.

“It looks awesome. The package that those guys have put together this year from the start has been really fantastic in their first year in the world championship.”

Miller is in his first season at the top level after making the big jump from Moto3, where he finished second in the title race last year.

His best finish in his rookie season to this point has been an 11th at Catalunya but the 20-year-old is clearly being groomed for bigger things.

He admits it’s been something of a baptism of fire, which won’t get any easier on the demanding circuit at Phillip Island.

“I don’t think we can expect too much – it’s always going to be hard coming here in my first year (in MotoGP),” he said.

“I know that the track is one of the most difficult on the calendar in terms of grip level and ride-ability … with all the wind that we get it can be quite hectic out there.

“We’re just going to try to do the best we can. I think it can be a track that suits our bike a little bit.

“We normally struggle on the tracks where it’s really tight so I think this track should suit us a bit better with a high amount of overall speed.”

Miller will be joined at Marc VDS next year by Spanish Moto2 world champion Tito Rabat.