- Cormac Buchanan endured a frustrating Moto3 World Championship weekend at Assen, with a qualifying crash and race incident denying him the result his pace suggested was possible.
- The Southland rider showed encouraging speed at the “Cathedral of Speed”, running inside the top 10 early in practice before a costly Q1 crash left him starting near the back of the grid.
- Buchanan remains determined to turn his season around at Sachsenring in Germany, a circuit where he has previously achieved his strongest Moto3 results.
Cormac Buchanan has vowed to keep fighting through a difficult stretch of the Moto3 World Championship season after a frustrating weekend at Assen in the Netherlands.
The Southland teenager’s round was cut short after a crash ended his race, but Buchanan believes there were positive signs despite the result.
“I know what we are capable of and I’m not going to give up. We will fight until the very end,” Buchanan said.
“I have a team that believes in me and I know we will get through this together. These tough days aren’t going to last. It’s just a difficult period.”
The famous Assen circuit, known as the “Cathedral of Speed”, provided mixed fortunes for Buchanan. The CODE Motorsports rider showed improved pace in practice, staying inside the top 10 for part of the opening session despite hot conditions.
However, qualifying proved costly after a promising lap ended in a crash during Q1.
Buchanan said he had been building strong pace and was on track to progress into the next qualifying session when the incident happened.
“I was putting in red sectors and arriving to P1. I had perfect placement on the track until I came up to a rider riding slow exiting the second last corner,” he explained.
“I caught him up really quickly and in that situation you have to make a split decision – abort the lap or make the pass.”
Buchanan made the pass but was forced into a difficult line, resulting in the front of the bike tucking and ending his qualifying run.
“I had to start really far back and I was angry because really the other rider should have looked where he was going, but that’s what racing is like,” he said.
Despite starting near the rear of the grid, Buchanan made progress early in the race and joined the battle for championship points before another incident ended his charge.
“Another rider and I were battling back and forth. I got pushed off the track, rejoined with dirty tyres from the overnight rain and lost the front the next corner and that was my race over.”
The result leaves Buchanan looking ahead to the next round at Germany’s Sachsenring from July 10–12, a circuit where he has previously enjoyed success.
“It’s a track that I love, one of my favourites, and I’ve got good memories there from last year,” he said.
“It’s the track where I did my best Moto3 results at. I aim to go there and turn this season around so we can head into the summer break with positive vibes.”
Buchanan says the goal is to return to the points fight in Germany.
“I believe we can be well in the mix again. That’s the goal and we’re going to fight for it.”
