Buchanan Crashes Out While Chasing Points

Cormac Buchanan’s hopes of a strong finish in round 10 of the Moto3 World Championship came to an abrupt end after a high-speed crash during Sunday’s race at the Assen circuit in the Netherlands. The New Zealander was running in a points-scoring position when another rider clipped his front wheel, sending both off the track at corner 15 – the fastest part of the circuit. Fortunately, neither rider suffered serious injury.

Buchanan, 18, had battled back from 22nd on the grid and was attempting to rejoin the front group after a solid start. He said he felt strong even as tyre wear set in, and was lapping faster than he had all weekend. With the field splitting into two packs, Buchanan aimed to close the two-second gap to the leaders when the crash occurred at a staggering 245kph.

Despite the setback, he walked away with only minor injuries, crediting his protective gear for limiting the damage. He expressed frustration over the move that caused the crash, describing it as both unnecessary and dangerous. However, he remained focused on learning from the experience and shifting attention to the upcoming German Grand Prix in two weeks.

Earlier in the weekend, Buchanan had shown promising pace in wet conditions, setting the fourth-fastest time in FP1 and looking comfortable on the tricky surface. A dramatic moment in the same session, where he made a remarkable save from a near crash, has since gone viral online, with over 7.7 million views on MotoGP’s social media channels.

As the track dried, Buchanan struggled to find rhythm. He missed out on direct qualification to Q2 after battling set-up issues and needing to adapt quickly during the first dry sessions. Although he made key improvements in Saturday’s sessions, he ended up 22nd after Q1, a position he believed didn’t reflect his actual pace.

He entered the race with confidence and managed to climb positions early on, but was denied the chance to challenge for a top-ten finish. His attention now shifts to the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, set for 11-13 July.