New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan showed grit and determination to fight from the back of the grid to a points-paying finish in a chaotic Moto3 Grand Prix of Italy, salvaging 15th place after starting 23rd and surviving mid-race drama that split the field.
Riding for the DENSSI Racing/BOE Motorsports squad, Buchanan came into race day knowing a comeback would be needed after a tough qualifying left him buried deep in the pack.
Despite showing promising speed in practice, a scrappy Q1 session saw him unable to piece together a clean lap.
“I didn’t pull together a complete lap. It was frustrating as everything was there to be in the mix,” Buchanan admitted after qualifying.
“But we know we’re strong in race trim… coming back from P23 won’t be easy, but it will be fun.”
True to his word, the young Kiwi made an electric start to the 17-lap Grand Prix at the high-speed Mugello circuit, slicing his way from 23rd to 18th in the opening corners. By Lap 4, Buchanan had muscled his way into 17th and was just 1.5 seconds off the lead, right in the thick of the leading group.
Up front, the race was a constant chess match of slipstreaming and bold overtakes. Polesitter Alvaro Carpe, Jose Antonio Rueda, Maximo Quiles, and Angel Piqueras all took turns at the front as the lead swapped almost every lap.
A series of crashes, including a Lap 2 incident involving Vicente Perez and Riccardo Rossi and a dramatic Lap 9 collision that eliminated Luca Lunetta, Adrian Fernandez, and David Muñoz, reshuffled the order and allowed Buchanan to climb as high as 14th.
“I was inside the leading group, just like in Aragon,” Buchanan explained.
“With around eight laps to go, I moved forward in the group and felt strong with my motorcycle and tyres, less than a second from the leader, ready to make a charge.”
But just as Buchanan was preparing to pounce, a crash for Guidi Pini changed everything. The Italian slid across the track on Lap 11, forcing half the field, Buchanan included, to take evasive action. The moment split the field in two, with the leading dozen breaking clear and those behind left scrambling.
“It was a shame as I was feeling really comfortable, and overtaking felt like it was coming easy,” Buchanan said.
“Unfortunately, I had to take evasive action because another rider crashed on the track. This separated me from the front group.”
Despite the setback, Buchanan dug deep in the final laps, battling with Stefano Nepa and holding firm to bring his KTM-powered machine home in 15th. It marked his sixth points-scoring ride in as many race finishes this season.
Meanwhile, upfront, the lead fight came down to the wire. Quiles timed his run to perfection on the final lap, muscling past both Carpe and Dennis Foggia in the final corners to snatch a maiden Moto3 Grand Prix win by just 0.006 seconds, a photo finish that capped off one of the most thrilling races of the season so far.
Top 10 Finishers – Moto3 Grand Prix of Italy
- Maximo Quiles
- Alvaro Carpe +0.006
- Dennis Foggia +0.066
- Jose Antonio Rueda +0.102
- David Muñoz +0.212
- Taiyo Furusato +0.312
- Angel Piqueras +0.426
- Valentin Perrone +0.448
- Joel Kelso +0.550
- Ryusei Yamanaka +1.242
15th: Cormac Buchanan +10.8s
“It’s another case of what could’ve been,” Buchanan reflected.
“But I’m proud of how we fought back today. We’ll take the positives, keep building, and be ready to take another step forward at Assen next weekend.”
With momentum building and his points streak intact, Buchanan heads to TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands with confidence and unfinished business this coming weekend.
Header Image: Manutormo
