- Cormac Buchanan finishes 11th at Phillip Island Moto3 Grand Prix in brutal high-wind conditions
- Late charge and smart race craft earn valuable championship points for the Kiwi rider
- Momentum boost heading into Malaysia as Buchanan targets strong finish to the season
New Zealand Moto3 racer Cormac Buchanan toughed out brutal weather and fierce mid-pack warfare to claim an impressive 11th place finish at Phillip Island over the weekend – his first championship points since Germany.
The 19-year-old from Invercargill, riding for Denssi BOE Motorsports, treated Aussie race fans to a gritty performance in conditions that bordered on unrideable. With winds gusting over 70km/h, race control was forced to delay the program, but Buchanan kept his composure.
“Race day was crazy with the wind,” Buchanan said. “The focus was just to move forward, stay smart and survive. I definitely didn’t want to crash out of this GP.”
Starting mid-pack after a strong qualifying run into Q2, Buchanan latched on to the lead group in the opening laps before a huge front-end moment through Siberia pushed him back.
“The opening laps were good – I managed to keep my nose clean and stick with the front group. Then I had a front end slide into Siberia. I dug my elbow into the ground and saved it – I knew I definitely didn’t want to crash out of this GP so I made sure I didn’t end up in the gravel but I did get separated.
“My goal was then to finish at the front of the next group. There was a lot of batting but I felt really in control of that – whenever I needed to pass someone I could do it. I was getting held up a lot so I played it smart and knew exactly where I wanted to do the move to get to the front of the pack so really just had to be patient until the last lap.
“I got bumped back to fifth so I had to do a lot of overtaking to get back to the point I knew I wanted to be heading into turn 10 so I could make my move and seal 11th place. The execution was textbook.”
“It’s great to get some more points on the board. It’s obviously been a long time since Germany when I got my last points so clearly it has been a really tough period. I’m happy and now we will use this as a springboard to take us into the last three rounds and use this momentum.
The weekend carried added significance with Phillip Island being the closest Buchanan gets to a home GP. He raced with a custom LS2 helmet featuring Kiwi artwork from SLGrafics and New Zealand artist Kate Garnyk.
“The big kiwi on the top was really cool, especially in the tuck because it looked like the kiwi was looking at you. The kiwiana icons were a really nostalgic addition and reminded me of home, along with the names of some special people on the back and my dog Ollie. I will treasure this one.”
“It was special seeing the New Zealand flags in the crowd. The support meant a lot – it honestly felt like racing at home.”
Now sitting boosted by momentum, Buchanan turns his attention to Round 20 in Malaysia this weekend, determined to close out the season on a high.
“We’ll use this as a springboard into Sepang. Reset, stay grounded, and build from here,” he said.
Pics: Manu Tormo
