Jack Miller’s KTM switch, Ducati< Francesco Bagnaia, British Grand Prix,

After a long mid-season break, MotoGP returns this weekend for the British Grand Prix and the start of a 12-race rush to the chequered flag in November.

Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia resumes at the top of the title standings in what’s shaping up to be a golden year for Ducati, but that means his biggest threat is friendly fire. Bagnaia’s two closest challengers are also on Italian bikes — one on identical machinery, one on his 2022 title-winning frame — and proved before the break that they’re up for the fight.

But KTM is looming large, powered in part by Jack Miller’s superb first eight races in orange leathers. The Australian’s switch to the Austrian marque has been a dream, with the team enjoying an uptick in competitiveness that’s put him in podium and victory contention well ahead of schedule.

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Meanwhile the silly season is in full swing, with one rider already rolling the dice on an escape from Honda. Could Marc Márquez be next?

Here’s what we’re looking forward to in the second half of the MotoGP season.

JACK MILLER’S IN PURSUIT OF HIS FIRST KTM VICTORY

If another bike is going to win a race in the second phase of the championship, by rights it must be a KTM.

The Austrian marque has taken a stunning step forward this season to be the all-conquering Desmosedici’s closest challenger and hold second in the manufacturers championship.

With 12 rounds still to go, including seven outside of Europe and the wildcard of a new race in India, surely the Italian brand can’t keep up the formidable streak.

And on the day things don’t click, as they surely must at some point, it’s hard to go past KTM as the team that’ll be there to clean up.

In which case Miller could be in the frame to not only pick up his first win in orange but also make himself the first rider in the MotoGP era to win for three different manufacturers.

“It’s been an unreal start to my time here at KTM.” Miller wrote on his website during the break. “We’ve had a bike fighting there every weekend, whether that’s myself, Brad (Binder) or even (Gas Gas rider) Augusto (Fernandez).

“I’ve had two sprint race podiums and a main race podium and we’ve been challenging the majority of the time.

“We definitely can be very happy with what the bike is doing, and it feels like KTM is definitely on the right path.”

Miller’s strength has been accessing the bike’s maximum performance in qualifying. Excluding his two Q1 knockouts, his average grid position is 4.8, on the second row. He’s twice started from the front row and has already led several races.

While he’s scored points regularly in both sprints and on Sundays, rounding out his grand prix performances is the missing piece. Even then, he’s behind only one non-Ducati rider in the champions standings — teammate…