A chaotic weekend of crashes and sudden rain in Japan made life difficult for Cormac Buchanan, who was forced to fight hard just to stay in contention.
Qualifying:
Qualifying began with Buchanan in Q1, battling against ten rivals for a coveted place in Q2.
Earlier on Saturday, the Kiwi had endured his 27th crash of the season, but he regrouped to deliver a strong opening run. His first flying laps put him second with a 1:56.245—just 0.2s shy of Stefano Nepa—and firmly in the hunt to progress.
Drama struck soon after when Jacob Roulstone crashed at Turn 9, wiping out the lap times of several drivers behind him. While most competitors headed to the pits, Alvaro Carpe seized the chance to post a time that slotted him between Buchanan and Nepa in second.
In his final push, Buchanan couldn’t better his earlier effort, but his 1:56.245 was enough to secure fourth in Q1 and with it a place in Q2, as only Marco Morelli managed to improve.
Q2:
David Muñoz set the early benchmark in Q2 with a 1:55.248, almost a full second quicker than the best lap from Q1. Buchanan’s opening effort of 1:58.227 left him down in 15th.
On the next run, Jose Rueda surged to the top with a 1:55.180 while Muñoz ducked into the pits. Buchanan responded with an improved 1:56.763, briefly lifting him to 16th before he was shuffled back to 17th as more times came in.
The battle for pole heated up in the closing stages, with Rueda ultimately snatching it thanks to a blistering 1:54.826—the only sub-1:55 lap of the session.
Buchanan couldn’t find any more time in his final run and ended qualifying 18th fastest, but with grid penalties applied elsewhere, he will line up 16th for the race.
Race:
Buchanan’s race got off to a tough start, losing three places off the line to slip back to 19th.
The drama began almost immediately when Aditama crashed at Turn 3 in a racing incident that required no penalties. Buchanan quickly fought back, passing Eddie O’Shea to reclaim 18th, though O’Shea countered just a few corners later.
At the sharp end, Jose Rueda surrendered two spots to Joel Kelso and David Muñoz, both showing strong pace as the lead battle tightened. Further back, Noah Dettwiler became the second retirement after a solo crash late in lap two.
Buchanan stayed in the fight, retaking 18th from O’Shea before setting his sights on Ruche Moodley. Conditions were worsening as rain began to fall, but with no immediate weather-related incidents, the race pressed on.
Lap six brought more position changes as Jacob Roulstone charged past both O’Shea and Buchanan in one move. The Kiwi stuck close, however, and together the pair overtook Moodley a few corners later.
The rain finally claimed its first big scalp on lap seven when home favourite Taiyo Furusato, running second, lost the rear at Turn 2 and crashed out—ending hopes of a Japanese victory.
Buchanan seized momentum on lap nine, pulling off a double move on Filippo Farioli Fog and Luca Lunetta Ber to climb into 14th. On the same lap, Furusato’s struggles continued; after rejoining the race, he crashed again in Sector 2, this time forced to retire with a damaged bike.
Buchanan’s time inside the top 15 was short-lived, as Fog and then Marco Morelli slipped past on the following lap. By lap 10, the weather turned again—the heavy rain suddenly cleared, replaced by blazing sunshine that quickly dried the circuit after five wet laps.
The changing conditions made for more challenges, and Buchanan fell back to 18th after losing two more places. On lap 13, Ángel Piqueras became the next casualty, losing control at Turn 10 and crashing, though he was able to remount and continue, only dropping three spots.
At the front, David Muñoz controlled the race superbly, breaking away early and securing victory with a 2.3-second margin. Behind him, chaos struck in the final stages when David Almansa—who had impressively gained 20 positions to climb into fifth—and Scott Ogden both crashed out within a few corners of each other, ending their races with just two laps to go.
After a rollercoaster of changing weather, overtakes, and incidents, Buchanan ultimately finished where he had started, crossing the line in 16th place.
Moto3 now moves on to Indonesia, with the next round set for October 5.
Header Image: Cormac Racing
