Kiwi rider Cormac Buchanan endured a bittersweet debut at Hungary’s new Balaton Park Circuit, showing promising race pace before crashing out of Sunday’s historic first-ever Moto3 Grand Prix at the venue.
The now 19-year-old, who celebrated his birthday at the track this weekend, qualified 19th on the grid after a steady build-up through the weekend, improving on positions of 25th in Free Practice 1, 21st in Practice, and 22nd in Free Practice 2.
At the front, Spain’s Maximo Quiles secured pole position ahead of Valentin Perrone, Angel Piqueras, Alvaro Carpe, and David Muñoz.
When the lights went out for the 20-lap race, Quiles converted pole into the lead through Turn 1, with Buchanan slipping back to 21st on the opening lap. He soon regained ground, moving up to 20th after Eddie O’Shea retired and then to 19th with a clean pass on Riccardo Rossi.
The race wasn’t without some drama, with Scott Ogden crashing on Lap 6 and collecting Marcos Uriarte and Ryusei Yamanaka in the process. By Lap 9, Buchanan had climbed to 16th position, though he trailed Nicola Carraro in 15th by 4.3 seconds.
At the sharp end, Quiles dominated the early stages before Piqueras and Perrone took turns at the front in a fierce fight for victory. Muñoz briefly set the fastest lap as the lead group jostled for position.
Unfortunately, Buchanan’s charge came to a premature end on Lap 13, when he lost the front in Sector 2. Although he briefly rejoined, the Kiwi was later forced to retire.
The race built to a thrilling finale, with Quiles and Perrone going head-to-head on the final lap. In a dramatic last-corner clash, Quiles edged out Perrone in a photo finish to claim his second Grand Prix win. Muñoz completed the podium in third.
For Buchanan, the weekend was a mix of progress and frustration, but he took plenty of positives from his performance.
“A good weekend in which we have approached each session differently than usual, trying to be calmer when on the bike to reduce mistakes and overpushing, which has been my issue the last few rounds,” said Buchanan.
“The race today started chaotic to say the least, I struggled to start fast and have a good feeling with the new tyre, and it took me a couple of laps to find my feeling. After a few laps, I started making my way forward into 16th and then pulled a big gap on the riders behind me.
“My pace was really strong and consistent, and I had the group in front of me that was battling for P12. They had a big gap after I lost ground in the first laps. But I could lap a second faster at some points and was closing them in. I knew I had a pace advantage since I wasn’t riding close to my limit and was managing the tyre well myself for the final six laps.
“Then in corner 5, unexpectedly, I lost the front without any chance to save it. I’m upset because I wasn’t pushing too hard and had changed my riding style to be safer, so I could bring the bike and points home. It’s frustrating, but highs and lows are part of this sport.
“I know there is light at the end of the tunnel, and my team and I won’t stop fighting until we reach where we deserve. I’m so proud to be a part of this team and happy with the work and progression we had this weekend.”
Buchanan and DENSSI-BOE Motorsport will now turn their attention to the Grand Prix of Catalonia at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on September 5–7, the team’s home round, where the Kiwi will be aiming to convert his strong pace into a points finish.
Header Image: Manu Tormo
