A three-week hiatus in the Moto3 World Championship will enable New Zealand grand prix racer Cormac Buchanan to finally focus on his recovery after a brutal double header.
Still suffering from injuries sustained from a crash at the Brazil GP, the gutsy Southlander had just four days before he was back on track at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas at the weekend.
Despite the agony, Buchanan opted to compete and finished Sunday’s race in P19.
“It was an incredibly difficult race and, to be honest, the whole weekend was complicated by the after-effects of the crash in FP2 at Brazil. I had a lot of speed from the first laps, which was great, but when you’re battling your body, it makes it a really difficult task to fight in the front like we want to,” he said.
“When you’re dealing with a lot of lower back and rib pain, it makes it very hard, and as the weekend went on, it got worse and worse, so I couldn’t ride the bike how I wanted to.
“I woke up on race day feeling really bad, and unfortunately, a circuit like this is very physical. I struggled so much at times, even just to be able to ride the bike correctly, so it became a race just to finish and get kilometres under my belt. I’m proud we did that, given everything that has been thrown at us to contend with, and I’m grateful for my Code Motorsports team for their efforts and support.”
Left unable to perform to his potential at one of his favourite tracks was a cruel blow for Buchanan, who earned his first top 10 finish at the Circuit of the Americas last year.
“We need to stick to the positives. I know this result doesn’t reflect me because I’m riding at about 45 per cent fitness, and in this class, you really do need to be at 100 per cent to make an impact,” he said.
Buchanan now returns to his Barcelona base to prepare for the next round at Jerez, Spain, on April 24-26.
“For me, these next three weeks are crucial to be able to recover properly because I haven’t had a chance to do that yet, which has really taken its toll,” he said.
“I know when I’m fit, I’m fast. When I’m fully fit, I will be ready to fight back at the front as we showed in the early stages of Brazil. The speed is there, I have no doubts about that, I just need to make sure my body is ready for the fight because this weekend it wasn’t.
“As frustrating as it is, it’s the way racing goes, and we need to be prepared to tackle these challenges. So, we are taking the positives out of these past two weeks, learning from the negatives, and doing everything we can to make sure the body can keep up with the mind and the grit and determination we always have.”
Header Image: Manu Tormo Fotografía
