Nasty crash rules Buchanan out of Qatar race

A nasty high-side crash while fighting for his best result in the Moto3 World Championship has left New Zealand motorcycle racer Cormac Buchanan ruing what might have been.

Round four at the Lusail Circuit in Qatar saw the Southland teenager continue his impressive run of form, remaining in the lead group for much of the race and demonstrating very competitive pace. 

After starting from P16 on the grid, the 18-year-old was up into eighth and seemed poised for a great result when he unexpectantly crashed out of contention.

“That one definitely stings – figuratively and literally,” he said.

“There’s definitely mixed emotions after today’s race. It’s a feeling of being really, really proud but also a feeling of being really, really gutted and upset because today was probably one of the best races of my career.

“Coming from P16 on the grid you have a lot of work to do but I managed to get inside the top 10 in the first few laps which was a pretty decent start. So, I just settled into my rhythm, focused on tyre preservation, and it was really nice being able to battle for those places towards the top of the Moto3 World Championship. It was really special and certainly a big step forward even from my previous race.

“Unfortunately, in corner five it all came unstuck with an off-throttle high-side and those ones you can’t really catch so before I knew it, I was on the ground in a bit of pain.”

Fortunately, the incident didn't cause him serious injuries, allowing him to look forward to the upcoming championship rounds with optimism.

Buchanan posted his best lap of the entire weekend during Sunday’s race, highlighting his rapid progress in the category.

“At the moment it’s a shame because we didn’t get any points for our amazing performance but on the other hand, we showed the world what we can do. We showed we are there and it’s coming – it’s only a matter of time,” he said.

“I’m really proud of the work the team and I have done. We’ve been working really hard to get to this point and it’s a bit unexpected to be honest to be up at the front this early on but we are taking all of the necessary processes and steps to do everything right.

“This isn’t a one-off thing – it’s something I know I can definitely replicate and it’s important that we take the positives out of it because this race was really good right up until it wasn’t. To be battling for those positions after just four races, and with the lead group right there within touching distance, who knows what we can achieve in these European races.

“It’s just making sure we’re constantly improving – that’s the goal. And in Jerez hopefully we can put it all together again and fight for something stronger.” 

Buchanan’s next round is at Jerez, Spain, on April 25-27.        

Ends.

Captions: Cormac Buchanan in action during round four of the Moto3 World Championship in Qatar. Photo: Dast Media

For further information, contact: Kate Buchanan – Media Manager – 021 292 1660