Motor Sport
- Cormac Buchanan earned his first top 10 finish at the Moto3 World Championship in Texas
- The 18-year-old Kiwi achieved the feat at one of the toughest tracks on the MotoGP calendar
- Buchanan is the first New Zealander in the top 10 of a grand prix since 1998
Cormac Buchanan has claimed his first top 10 finish in the Moto3 World Championship, marking a significant milestone for the young Kiwi racer. The 18-year-old impressed with a strong performance at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas — a notoriously demanding track and one he had never ridden before.
“Super happy with the race and how I rode,” Buchanan said. “I started the race just really trying to stay calm and get through the first few laps unscathed while making progress if it was possible.”
As the race developed, Buchanan’s confidence grew. Despite tyre degradation, he took advantage of his pace and overtaking decisions to fight for a position in the front group.
“The tyre started to drop off really fast but this is where I feel strong. I knew the guys around me had overworked their tyres so I was confident that come crunch time in the latter stages of the race I could use my pace to take advantage and pounce,” he said.
“Even though my own tyre wasn’t in the best shape, I managed to get faster which is a real positive. I stayed patient and was able to determine when it was best to overtake which allowed me to eventually secure my place in the group fighting for seventh overall. I probably just needed another couple of laps to progress further up.”
“To be top 10 is amazing, especially on a track like this which is considered the most difficult of the season. I had only done about 10 dry laps all weekend so to put it together for the race makes me feel proud of the work the team and I have put in.”
Buchanan’s result is also a breakthrough moment for New Zealand motorsport, with no Kiwi finishing in the top 10 of a grand prix since Simon Crafar’s second place at Phillip Island in 1998.
“It’s always a nice feeling to add something new to the history books,” Buchanan said. “Sure, motorcycle racing is an individual sport, but I’m representing New Zealand here and it’s incredibly important to me that everyone feels part of sharing this journey with me.”
Racing for the Denssi Boe Motorsports team, Buchanan began the weekend strongly, finishing 11th in wet practice to earn a place in Q2.
“Saturday’s qualifying was good but not perfect given I only had about four laps on this circuit in the dry leading up to it so I had to settle for 15th on the grid. I went into the actual race with such little dry experience here so I’m definitely happy with the result,” he said.
With three rounds down, Buchanan now sits 14th in the Moto3 standings and is the only rookie to have scored points in every race so far.
“Now it’s reset and refocus on our process for Qatar because it’s another completely new track, but we will come out swinging like always and try to make another step forward.”