- Injured Kiwi Moto3 rider Cormac Buchanan finishes 19th at Jerez
- Strong wet-weather pace and early race speed offer encouraging signs
- Focus now shifts to Le Mans as fitness continues to improve
New Zealand Moto3 rider Cormac Buchanan says signs of progress at Jerez have given him confidence, even if the final result didn’t show the full picture.
Still managing the lingering effects of injuries sustained at round two in Brazil, the Southland teenager finished 19th in round four of the Moto3 World Championship in Spain, but believes the weekend offered evidence he is moving back in the right direction.
“Obviously P19 isn’t what I want, but I know when I’m feeling without pain on the bike, I was able to be fast this weekend and that’s progress,” Buchanan said.
That pace was particularly evident early in the race, where Buchanan made strong ground in the opening laps and ran in a group battling around the top 10.
“It was great to be back in there and I had a lot of fun,” he said.
Fitness still the key
Buchanan has been open about the physical limitations he is still working through, particularly issues with his knee and back, and says improving fitness remains the immediate focus.
“For me the focus is about trying to get as fit as possible. When I’m fit, I’m fast.”
The Kiwi admitted frustration at not being able to fight for the results he feels capable of, but said over-pushing while injured would risk longer-term setbacks.
Those limitations were especially felt at Jerez, where Buchanan said problems using the rear brake made an already demanding circuit even harder.
“On these Moto3 bikes it can make or break everything not being able to turn or stop the bike in the hard braking zones,” he said.
Wet pace shines again
One bright spot came in Saturday’s rain-hit FP2 session, where Buchanan once again showed his wet-weather ability by finishing an impressive fifth.
The tricky conditions helped reduce stress on his injured knee, and he narrowly missed progressing from Q1 to Q2 by just 0.07sec.
That pace translated into confidence for the race, where Buchanan believed a strong result was possible before pain began affecting him after the opening six laps.
He eventually dropped back as the discomfort made braking consistency difficult, but fought back into his group and salvaged 19th after a chaotic final lap.
Looking to Le Mans
While the result won’t satisfy the highly competitive teenager, there were enough positives in Spain to suggest he is edging closer to full strength.
Importantly, Buchanan pointed to the pace he showed when pain-free as proof the speed remains there.
And that will give him encouragement heading into round five at French Grand Prix at Le Mans from May 8-10.
If the recovery can take another step, Buchanan will be hoping the results begin to follow.
