A frustrating crash forced New Zealand motorcycle racer Cormac Buchanan to settle for 19th overall at round five of the Moto3 World Championship in Spain yesterday.
The 18-year-old’s form was strong in the early stages of the race at Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto, progressing up into 11th place before his points aspirations ended in the gravel trap after losing grip on his front wheel. After remounting, Buchanan managed to record impressive lap times despite considerable damage to his KTM machine.
“There was no way I was prepared to have a DNF, so I just had to pick up the bike and get on with it – even with bent handlebars, a missing footpeg and about 10kg of gravel stuck in it,” he said.
“We managed to maintain a fast pace even with the bike in very bad shape so we can hold our heads high.”
Buchanan was pragmatic in his assessment of the race.
“You never lose – you either win or you learn. As hard as it feels at the moment, I know these challenges are all shaping me into a stronger racer. The important thing is to respect the lessons I’m being taught,” he said.
“I feel all of the ingredients are there to make great results, I just need to put them all together and get the recipe nailed. We showed our pace is in the top 10 fight again, but I want to make it concrete by getting the points.”
Buchanan delivered a solid performance under pressure and, although points weren’t forthcoming this time, every kilometre covered represents a valuable learning experience for the young Kiwi.
“Despite qualifying 17th, we were already knocking on the top 10 after just the first lap. The big thing for me is that we got to that stage feeling calm and relaxed with no overtakes on the limit, and everything felt natural. We know my strength is in race pace, and everything is there to achieve what we know is possible, and what my Denssi BOE Motorsports team deserves for all their hard work and belief in me.”
For the third consecutive round, Buchanan earned his place in the coveted Q2, promoted after finishing a credible P3 in the earlier Q1 session.
“We leave Jerez with some real positives to build on and a few negatives to learn from. That’s the reality of racing.”
Buchanan’s next round is at Le Mans, France, on May 9-11.
“Le Mans is a track I have really enjoyed in the past, and I’m excited to experience it on the Moto3. I am doing everything I can to arrive as prepared as possible,” he said.
“It has been a difficult weekend with the injury from Qatar becoming more apparent while riding. It’s a really awkward injury with friction burns where I grip the handlebar, but we are managing the situation as best we can.”
Photo: Dast Media
