Southland’s Cormac Buchanan Secures Podium Finish

• Cormac Buchanan clinches third place in challenging Estoril JuniorGP.
• Last-minute tyre change proves successful despite tricky conditions.
• Podium finish boosts Buchanan’s confidence ahead of Barcelona race.

Cormac Buchanan, a rising star from New Zealand, achieved a remarkable third-place finish in the FIM JuniorGP race held at the Circuito Estoril. Facing variable weather, Buchanan made a strategic decision at the last minute to switch to slick tyres. This decision paid off as he led the initial six laps of the 10-lap race, showcasing his and his AGR team’s adaptability.

“It was a really good race for me. We went with the slicks last minute and it was still quite a wet track so the priority for me was to come home with some points. Third place is a solid result,” Buchanan commented on his performance. He further elaborated on the race dynamics, saying, “I think today the win was on the cards but there’s a few little things to improve and that comes with experience. Avoiding the crash detached me from the leader so I think if that didn’t happen we could have been in for more but third is still really good points for the championship and we keep focused on this.”

Despite a major crash on Friday that led to injuries, Buchanan’s swift recovery and strong start in the race were pivotal. He expressed satisfaction with his strategy and execution under the difficult circumstances: “With such a cold track the tyres weren’t performing to their optimum and I still had the wet set up so in those circumstances you have to consolidate. Considering where we were on Friday with the big crash and injury, I’m really happy to get another podium.”

Adding to the challenges, Buchanan’s fellow racers, Kgopotso ‘KJ’ Mononyane from South Africa and Geoffrey Emmanuel from India, finished 19th and 28th, respectively. Meanwhile, American racer Kristian Daniel Junior faced setbacks in the European Talent Cup, including a crash and penalties, but managed to finish in 15th place. Despite these setbacks, all racers expressed determination to leverage their experiences for future races.

Reflecting on a challenging weekend, Buchanan remains optimistic about the upcoming race in Barcelona, noting his increased confidence and the valuable experience gained under variable conditions.