Sport + Motorsport
After shattering his ankle during round 13 of the Moto3 World Championship in Spain, there really is no place like home as far as grand prix motorcycle racer Cormac Buchanan is concerned.
The 20-year-old returned to New Zealand two weeks ago to undergo an intensive rehabilitation programme designed to get him back on track to continue his international racing campaign.
"The decision to come home was a no-brainer because here I can have a fantastic crew supporting me. If I had stayed in Spain, I would have been on my own trying to navigate the rehab as my team are all away racing given we're only in the second half of the MotoGP calendar," Buchanan said.
"It's only been four weeks since the accident and I've been back in the gym for over a week now and plan to be on a bike again in the next few days so everything is tracking better than I expected. We've taken a determined approach while still being really smart about doing everything properly."
Buchanan, a graduate of the ILT Academy Southland high performance programme, has relied on the expertise of its staff in Invercargill to support him through the biggest injury setback of his career.
Sportsmed Southern Physio director Andrew Mackintosh has spearheaded Buchanan's rehab, supported by academy strength and conditioning coach Josie McKerchar and programme manager Jason McKenzie.
Spain's world-class medical facilities proved crucial as he underwent surgery in Barcelona less than 24 hours after the accident, with ankle specialist and traumatologist Dr David Camprillo Recio.
"I now have two metal plates and a whole lotta screws holding it all together," Buchanan said.
"MotoGP is massive in Spain so they know how to take care of their racers. The speed at which they were able to get me into the operating theatre is a key reason why I'm back on my feet already."
Injuries have forced Buchanan to endure the most gruelling year of his racing career.
"I was riding the best of my career in Brazil in March and fighting at the top of the sessions ... until someone sprayed gravel on the track and I hit it without warning. Unfortunately, someone else's mistake left me with fractured vertebrae in my back and a torn ACL," he said.
Battling through pain for the next three months, Buchanan earned some hard-fought highlights, including eight Q2 appearances in 13 rounds and points in both Hungary and Germany.
His best qualifying came at the British Grand Prix in August with P8 on the grid and he was in a strong points-scoring position before a mechanical issue devastated Buchanan and his CODE Motorsport team.
The following round at Aragon saw Buchanan venture into the top three with strong pace throughout the weekend boding well for the race.
"On lap three, I went into turn 10 the same as usual and tried to get a good exit to pass the rider in front of me. Suddenly I was flying through the air and landed flat on my right foot. The impact and sudden compression literally shattered my ankle," he recalled.
"We analysed the data and it came down to opening the throttle just half a second earlier - that was the only difference between a great race and crashing in that moment.
"It felt particularly cruel because we finally had some really great momentum going in the previous few rounds and everything was building nicely for a strong second half of the season."
Buchanan's focus is to be fit to race at the Australian Grand Prix at the iconic Phillip Island circuit on October 23-25, rejoining his team for the final five rounds.
"I targeted that race from my hospital bed because it's my almost-home GP with a lot of Kiwis venturing over in support. And it was important to not rush the recovery process so this allowed me a realistic timeline to work within," he said.
"I've never actually missed a race weekend before because of injury, so it has been tough. I'm not a good spectator at the best of times and watching someone else ride your bike feels a bit like your girlfriend cheating on you."