After a relentless battle and multiple position changes, 19-year-old Kiwi Moto3 racer Cormac Buchanan climbed six places to secure one of his season-best finishes at Phillip Island.
Qualifying:
Qualifying began with Cormac Buchanan in Q2, facing 11 other riders fighting for a top-four finish to advance to Q1 against the rest of the field.
Buchanan got off to a slow start, posting a 1:47.551 on his opening lap—over 11 seconds behind early leader Matteo Bertelle—which placed him ninth of the ten riders who went out immediately. Valentin Perrone later had his lap time deleted, slightly shaking up the order.
On his second lap, Buchanan found his rhythm, taking the provisional lead with a 1:35.493, proving his first lap had just been a warm-up. Fellow Denssi teammate Ruche Moodley also struggled initially, but his session ended in the pits after crashing on his second lap.
Bertelle reclaimed the top spot after a mid-session pit stop, edging Buchanan by 0.417 seconds. Buchanan made one final attempt but couldn’t improve, ultimately finishing fourth in the session and just securing a spot in Q2.
Earlier in the day, Jacob Roulstone had set the first benchmark with a 1:34.608, already half a second faster than the quickest time in Q1.
Buchanan’s Q1 campaign began with a 1:38.534, placing him 15th out of 18 riders in the 15-minute session. His second lap saw significant improvement—a 1:35.838—just 1.5 seconds behind Australian Joel Kelso, who led at that stage. Despite the progress, Buchanan remained 17th heading into a pit break.
On his final lap, Buchanan set his best time of both qualifying sessions with a 1:35.140.
With such a tight field, it was enough to move him just ahead of David Almansa by 0.3 seconds, keeping him in 17th overall. Kelso, more than a second ahead, claimed pole at his home race, setting himself up for a strong challenge for victory.
Race:
High, gusting winds delayed Sunday’s races by an hour and made conditions challenging for the riders all day.
Cormac Buchanan got off to a strong start, gaining two positions by passing Ryusei Yamanaka and Nicola Carraro, who had qualified just ahead of him in 15th and 16th.
However, 17-year-old substitute Brian Uriate overtook Buchanan at the end of lap one, dropping the Kiwi back to 16th.
A fierce battle for 14th unfolded on lap two between Buchanan and Guido Pini, with the pair swapping positions several times before the young Italian ultimately edged ahead. Lap three saw David Al Mansa move past both riders, only to serve a long-lap penalty that dropped him from 14th to 21st.
At the front, Joel Kelso had a clean getaway, controlling the race lead, while championship winner Jose Rueda stayed close behind, hunting another victory. Jacob Roulstone’s home race ended prematurely when he crashed hard through the gravel, leaving his bike unrecoverable.
Angel Piqueras also had a scare, running wide through the gravel trap early in the race. Remarkably, he regained control and returned to the track, though he fell from the lead to 23rd.
As Uriate began to lose pace, Buchanan reclaimed 12th, only to be passed again by Al Mansa, who had recovered from his penalty. From there, Buchanan fought through a crowded midpack of hungry, fast drivers.
Despite Stefano Nepa moving ahead to claim 12th, Buchanan managed to hold his ground and finish 13th, navigating a chaotic and competitive field.
Jose Rueda eventually edged past Kelso, though the home-race win remained in contention as Kelso stayed close behind. Together, the pair had built a commanding 6.7-second gap over the rest of the front pack.
Midway through the race, Buchanan lost 13th place to Scott Ogden after holding it for several laps. Determined not to let the position slip, he fought back and reclaimed it a lap later.
Buchanan then set his sights on Guido Pini, who he had shadowed for much of the race. After a well-timed move, he passed the Italian to retake 12th, as Pini battled Ogden for 13th.
A few turns later, Buchanan also overtook Stefano Nepa, closing in on a top-10 finish. However, Pini regained the upper hand a couple of laps later, dropping Buchanan back to 12th.
With five laps remaining, Eddie O’Shea moved past Buchanan, but the Kiwi responded quickly, reclaiming the position and leaving O’Shea to contest Ogden for the following spot.
On the penultimate lap, both O’Shea and Ogden overtook Buchanan, pushing him back to 14th. Yet Buchanan’s determination shone through—on the final lap, he passed them both and then managed one last move on Pini right before the finish line to secure 11th, marking one of his best results of the season in front of his family and friends trackside.
At the front, Rueda held off Kelso through several tense moments, claiming his 10th victory of the season and cementing his status as championship leader.
The Moto3 series now heads to Malaysia for the final Asia round from October 24–26, before returning to Europe for the season’s last two races.
Header Image: Cormac Racing
