- Buchanan showed front-running pace before a heavy FP2 crash left him injured
- Rib and back injuries forced him to adapt his riding style during the race
- Gritty P18 finish highlights determination ahead of next round in Texas
Southlander Cormac Buchanan showed serious determination at the Moto3 World Championship round in Brazil, battling through significant injury to finish what he described as the toughest race of his life.
The 19-year-old Southlander had been one of the standout performers early in the weekend, topping sessions and looking like a genuine contender before a dramatic crash in FP2 derailed his campaign.
Gravel left on the racing line from a previous incident sent Buchanan into a high-speed, off-throttle high side — leaving him with injuries to his ribs and back.
“It’s obvious that wasn’t the end we were expecting. Despite that, I would rate this as my best weekend in the world championship to date,” he said.
“From the very first session in FP1, I was fast in the wet, and then the following two dry sessions, I had the top two in both of those. I felt really strong, and my race pace was there to be the fastest.”
Crashes, Chaos and a Tough Grid Position
The weekend continued to unravel when qualifying was delayed by nine hours due to a sinkhole appearing on the circuit’s main straight — only for Buchanan to suffer another high side while pushing for pole.
“I reset for the qualifying but admit I made the mistake of being a bit too excited to be one of the favourites to take pole position. I just wanted it too soon and needed to be a bit more patient which is a good lesson as I know we will find ourselves in that position many more times,” he said.
“Remarkably I got back on track but wasn’t able to set any competitive lap times which meant I had to start P18. It was a massive effort from the team and myself having to run back and forth from medical after probably the biggest high side of my life. Strangely enough, that wasn’t the one that hurt – I came away with just a black eye.”
Racing Through the Pain
By race day, Buchanan was in serious physical distress.
“When I woke up on Sunday morning I was struggling to breathe and move my body, as anyone who has had problems with ribs before can relate to. My goal was just to try and get as much therapy and treatment as I could before the race and the physio did everything he could in the short timeframe we had.”
Despite the pain, he made a strong start and began working his way forward before the injuries began to take their toll.
“When I got on the grid I was in a lot of pain but still the first laps were great and I made up some ground and I felt really comfortable passing people, being patient and saving the tyre because I knew I had the pace. Then the adrenaline wore off and I knew it was going to be a really long race. I wasn’t able to breathe properly.”
The injuries also forced him to adapt his riding style — ultimately costing him performance.
“My strong point this season is in the hard braking and I ride with a lot of weight on the back of the bike. With my ribs and back I was unable to move like I needed to and was forced to sit further forward on the bike which puts a lot more force and pressure on the front wheel, making it want to tuck and we had an issue with that last season.”
“I wasn’t able to ride to my style which put me much more on the limit and took away my greatest strength so I wasn’t able to pass people and I just fell back through the pack. That’s when I switched the goal to just finishing the race.”
A Race of Survival
With the race red-flagged and restarted as a five-lap sprint, Buchanan briefly looked like he might still salvage points — before more chaos struck.
“In the restart I got another good launch and thought I would be able to fight for the points but there was another big crash in front of me I had to avoid so that ruined my chances and I knew it would be impossible to achieve anything from there,” he said.
“It was the hardest race of my life to finish but we did it.”
Positives to Take Forward
Despite finishing P18, Buchanan was quick to highlight the bigger picture — and the progress being made.
“In terms of the whole weekend, I’m extremely proud of the way we rode. Honestly, it wasn’t a surprise for me to be at the top of those sessions – I know it’s been coming. The way we’ve been working as a team has been great. We’re at round two only, and we’re fighting for the top places and leading sessions – in the dry, not just the wet now,” he said.
“We’ve still got another 20 races to improve on it. It’s not a finished product yet – we still need to polish the diamond. I know that our big moment is coming, and it’s important to keep working like I am.”
Eyes on America
The championship heads straight to round three at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas this weekend, with Buchanan now facing a race against time to recover.
“The goal for America is to try to get back to 100 per cent fitness. The timeframe we have is only a few days, so it will be difficult, but I’m going to do my best.”
“We hold our heads high and take so many positives out of it.”
Pics: Manu Tormo
