Round 6 of the 2025 Moto3 World Championship at the legendary Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans delivered a dramatic and high-octane French Grand Prix — and Kiwi rider Cormac Buchanan rose to the occasion, grinding out a hard-fought 14th-place finish to return to the points for BOE Motorsport.
After challenging weekends in Qatar and Spain, where he showed clear pace by advancing into Q2 on both occasions, Buchanan was determined to convert that potential into results.
At Le Mans, he narrowly missed Q2 by just 0.015 seconds and lined up 19th on the grid. The circuit had dried by the time lights went out, but lingering damp patches from overnight rain created slippery conditions, with several corners demanding extra caution.
Still, Buchanan launched off the line with confidence and aggression, slicing his way through the pack to gain five positions on the opening lap and slot into 14th.
Up front, Spanish rider Maximo Quiles led the way, trailed by Australian rider Joel Kelso and Spaniards Ángel Piqueras and David Muñoz, while Italy’s Guido Pini ran fifth and kept the pressure high before Kelso took the lead from Quiles on the opening lap.
The race’s first incident occurred on Lap 2, when a yellow flag waved through Sectors 1 and 2, following an incident involving Ryusei Yamanaka and Vicente Pérez. It was quickly deemed a racing incident, and no further action was taken.
Meanwhile, Honda Team Asia’s Taiyo Furusato emerged as one of the early stars, leaping from 11th to 5th to join the leaders.
Buchanan found himself locked in a tight midfield tussle with Britain’s Scott Ogden for P14 as the race settled into its rhythm.
At the front, Kelso remained in control on Lap 7. Pini climbed to second ahead of José Antonio Rueda, Muñoz, and Adrian Fernández.
The action was briefly paused again when Eddie O’Shea crashed out in Sector 3, bringing out a second yellow flag.
By the halfway point of the 20-lap contest, Buchanan appeared to hit a mid-race wall, unable to break out of 15th despite keeping pace with those around him.
On Lap 9, Adrian Cruces became the next victim of Le Mans’ tricky layout, crashing out in Sectors 1 and 2, while Muñoz clocked the race’s fastest lap at 1:41.049.
More drama unfolded when Piqueras, running in sixth, crashed at Turn 10 and was forced to retire. Around the same time, Pérez was handed a long lap penalty for shortcutting Turn 4.
As chaos thinned the field, Kelso continued to set the tone out front, building a nine-tenths gap alongside the leading trio of Muñoz, Rueda, and Pini.
Fifth-placed Alvaro Carpe struggled to keep touch, already beginning to fade as the lead group pulled away.
Buchanan made his move on Lap 13, overtaking Dennis Foggia to climb to 13th. Then came a stroke of fortune on Lap 17 when Pini, who had been battling for a podium, crashed at Turn 8. Though he remounted, he dropped to 17th, elevating Buchanan to 12th.
The Kiwis’ progress was halted in the final stages. Foggia took back his position with five laps remaining and reclaimed 12th, demoting Buchanan back to 13th.
Despite a spirited push, Buchanan was unable to mount another charge and ultimately crossed the line in 14th — a five-position gain from his starting spot and a return to the points with two valuable championship markers for BOE Motorsport.
The finale, however, belonged to the front-runners. Kelso, Muñoz, and Rueda broke away from the field, building a commanding 2.297-second lead over Carpe and a five-second buffer to the rest.
With three laps to go, Rueda slipped past Muñoz for second, only for Muñoz to snatch it back within two corners.
It all came to a head on the final lap. As Muñoz and Rueda ran side by side across the stripe, Kelso still held the lead — but in the final corners, Muñoz made a desperate lunge. Contact between him and Kelso sent both wide.
Rueda seized the moment, powering past them to take an incredible victory — his fourth win of the season and extending his championship lead.
Muñoz crossed the line second, with Kelso in third, but the post-race stewards quickly reversed that order. Muñoz was demoted to third for his role in the incident, handing Kelso a hard-earned runner-up result.
For Buchanan, the race was a positive step in a season demanding resilience. A confident start, steady racecraft, and a measured approach to changing conditions netted him a 14th-place finish and two critical championship points as he builds momentum heading into the next round.
Images: Dast Media and Paco Diaz
