Cormac Buchanan is ready to start again. The young New Zealander from Invercargill is returning to Spain with a clear goal: to no longer be just a promising Moto3 World Championship rider, but to prove himself and earn a permanent place in a category where every weekend is a battle. This will be his second season with BOE Motorsports, in a long and grueling championship: 22 races in 18 countries, from February to November.
After a complicated end to 2025, Buchanan says he needed to really disconnect first, then start rebuilding methodically. "Honestly, it was just good to do nothing for the first two weeks. I really needed that break," he told mcnews.com.au. "I needed the time to reset." But then came the change of gear: "After the break enforced by my trainer, I was ready to give it everything and leave no stone unturned."
The work done in New Zealand, between training sessions and a few outings on the track, served above all to get him ready for his return to the heart of the European paddock. "Physically, I feel in the best shape I've ever been. Now the focus is on increasing the bike fit component even further when I get back to Spain," he said, suggesting that the real leap forward will come in terms of confidence and consistency in race pace.
There haven't been many opportunities to race "at home," but enough to rekindle the spark. Buchanan says that the New Zealand environment always gives him something extra: "There's something special about the vibe and comradery in the kiwi paddock." And even when the context is not that of the World Championship, the mentality remains the same: "I felt it was important mentally to treat it like a high-level championship... because that's what's going to make the difference: just racing ruthlessly all the time."
The numbers from his rookie year speak of a promising debut: 32 points, three top 10 finishes, nine Q2 appearances, and a ninth place at Sachsenring less than two seconds from victory. But then a knee injury at Brno slowed his progress and made the second half of the season more complicated, just when consistency was needed.
Now, however, Buchanan is approaching the new season with a different mindset. "Heading into the new season, that intimidation you often feel as a rookie is gone. I deserve my place in the world championship," he says, proudly claiming the symbolic weight of his presence: "New Zealand deserves to have a kiwi racing in the world championship: I'm determined to prove it."
Among the New Zealand riders who have made history in the world championship,we remember Graeme 'Croz' Crosby, who finished second in the 500cc world championship in 1982 with the Agostini team's Yamaha, and, before him, the unfortunate Kim Newcombe, who in 1973, with a König four-cylinder longitudinal boxer outboard engine, came close to winning the half-liter world championship behind Phil Read and ahead of Giacomo Agostini, both on MVAgusta bikes. Kim was killed in an accident at Silverstone during a non-championship race. Among the pioneers was Hugh Anderson: 50cc (1963) and 125cc (1963 and 1965) world champion with Suzuki, he is one of the most successful New Zealanders in the history of the World Championship. Currently in the MotoGP paddock is former 500 rider and former Dorna commentator Simon Crafar, in the important role that was once held by Freddie Spencer.
And there is a contextual element that makes this story even more significant: as is well known, Dorna and Liberty Media are looking for more non-European riders, and in particular figures capable of breaking the dominant Spain-Italy axis. In a paddock that has been speaking mainly those two languages for years, profiles such as Buchanan's become even more important for the future, because they bring new markets, audiences, and identities to the World Championship.