Education
MotoGP racer Cormac Buchanan spent time at Southern Institute of Technology's Invercargill campus last Thursday, October 15, meeting students, touring facilities and taking questions about life on the world racing circuit.
Buchanan is sponsored by SIT and SIT International this season. Other than one previous visit for his sister's graduation, he said it was "the first real time" he had been on campus. The tour covered the student lounge, Human Performance Centre, automotive and mechanical engineering facilities and the new nursing suite. He met Head of School Duncan McKenzie at the School of Sport and Exercise and Academic Lead Russell Finlay in Automotive, before a Q&A session with students.
Students were curious about the technical side of the sport. "A lot of them wanted to know more about the engineering … in terms of the actual racing," Buchanan said.
He was struck by how practical the learning was. "One of the cool things, it seems very hands-on. For me, I think that's very, very important. It helps keep people engaged."
He could picture those students taking their skills further. "Maybe one day one of them will be working in the World Championship on the bikes that I'm racing at the moment."
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The mechanics working on his own race bikes would have started the same way, he said. "I think it's good to see … the roots and where it all begins. At the end of the day, there are kids that like motorbikes and vehicles and stuff, and then it can transform into something bigger than that for sure."
The campus visit came about because Buchanan was home recovering from a crash. "I had a crash around seven weeks ago in Spain and came home to do some rehab and try to get back to full fitness here in Invercargill." Recovery has moved faster than expected. "Every day it's feeling a little bit better, making those small little steps back to full fitness," he said. "It's been really good to also have been at a home environment while I'm here, just with Mum and Dad and all my friends and stuff. I think that makes it a lot easier."
The rehabilitation equipment at SIT's sport and exercise facilities — including zero-gravity technology — caught his attention, and he left with an open invitation to return and use it. "For me as an athlete, that's something that I like to see … being an athlete and training all the time, and especially an athlete that's going through a rehab, those resources are really beneficial."
Buchanan's international career started in 2019 when he was 12 — too young to race in New Zealand. He was quick to put that in context. "I know 12 doesn't sound very old, but I was an extremely late starter in the sport. The average age that they start in Europe, which is the main sort of hub for the sport, would be four to five years old."
Racing runs in the family. "Dad, he used to race motorbikes, and his father raced jet boats, so I guess there's always been an element of racing in my genes." His own ambition was set watching MotoGP on a family holiday in Australia in 2016. “I saw MotoGP for the first time, and it just blew me away and I said, ‘That’s what I want to be doing.’
“Now, what would be nine years later, I was racing in MotoGP itself, so it was pretty cool.”
The season runs from February to November across 22 races in 18 countries. "For us, our season is very, very busy … it's pretty full-on." Travel is relentless. "It's a lot of travelling, a lot of airports, a lot of flights; last year it was around 200,000 kilometres in the cabin of a plane so, it's not as luxurious as people think, but it's part of the job."
On what it's like racing in front of massive crowds, Buchanan said, "There are so many millions of people that are viewing it and there are hundreds of thousands of people there watching it live as well … you sort of feel like a gladiator in an arena."
Through it all, he's clear about where he's from. "You're representing Southland or Invercargill on the world stage. That's always special." He was equally direct about identity: "I'm a New Zealander but, above all, I'm a Southlander."
SIT Events and Marketing Support Officer Grace Doherty, who hosted the tour, said Buchanan was "very impressive" with the students. "He was super humble about his achievements," Doherty said. "There was a real sense of Southland pride" as he spoke with students and staff.
Buchanan also noted the number of international students on campus — something he hadn't expected. "It's really cool to see all the international students and people from all over the world come to Invercargill to choose their studies."
He described what keeps him going. “It’s what I think about every day when I wake up and when I go to sleep,” he said. “It’s certainly something that is more than just a job for me. It’s my life.”
On what he loves most about racing: "I think probably [what I love most about the racing] is just the feeling it gives you; racing a motorbike seems pretty scary, but above that there's nothing more satisfying than when every factor – the bike, the track, the conditions and your own performance – unites to produce the ultimate lap."
Buchanan heads back to the circuit to complete his 2026 season, which finishes in November.
Through the launch of Cormac's Coffee Club at cormacracing.com supporters and motorcycle enthusiasts are being encouraged to contribute the equivalent of a virtual coffee each week to help fund Buchanan's campaign.