Southland motorcycle racer Cormac Buchanan has made history as the first New Zealander contracted to compete in the FIM Moto3 World Championship.
A successful season in Europe has earned the 18-year-old a coveted spot on the BOE Motorsports team to contest the championship, which features 22 grand prix races across 18 countries.
It returns a kiwi racer to the MotoGP ranks fulltime since the legendary Simon Crafar nearly 25 years ago in 1999.
“It’s definitely an honour and doesn’t quite feel real to be honest. Coming from a small country like New Zealand, where motorcycle racing is a passion but not a major sport like it is in Europe, it feels really special to achieve this,” Buchanan said.
Crafar, who will next year take on the prestigious role of Chairman of the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel, said it was “amazing news”.
‘It’s wonderful for Cormac to reach his personal goal of becoming a fulltime world championship rider, but it’s also exciting news for us proud, sport loving Kiwi’s. Becoming a full time Grand Prix rider is a rare and special achievement. Cormac has dedicated most of his young life to achieving it and his family have sacrificed more than we will know, but this is only the beginning,” he said.
“Making it to world championship is like getting selected for a national team. The hardest test starts now. The highs and lows of brutal competition over the next couple of years will forge Cormac into a new, tougher version of himself. Let’s all let him know that we are behind him.”
Buchanan was rapt to be taking the next vital step in his racing career.
“My goal for this year was to earn my place in the 2025 Moto3 World Championship and to be able to step up into those elite ranks with a team the calibre of BOE Motorsports is a great privilege,” he said.
“It’s a crucial stage in my career and one step closer to my ultimate dream so I’m really excited to get 2025 underway. There are plenty of things I want to tick off as I learn in my rookie year but, most importantly, I want to make sure I’m constantly improving – it’s a big step up with lots of challenges like new tracks, a new bike, a new team. Those are all things I’m going to have to contend with so the focus will be on fighting for points consistently and making sure I continue to progress as a racer.”
Buchanan’s evolution in the sport has been swift since his debut race in 2019. He already has six New Zealand championships to his credit and has spent the past four years competing against the world’s best young talents in Europe as part of Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup and the FIM JuniorGP World Championship.
This year with AGR Racing he has secured two podiums, a pole position and five top 5 finishes. With one round remaining in Portugal from 25-27 November, he currently sits eighth and is still in the hunt for second overall, just 16 points adrift.
Buchanan rated the past three years under the guidance of 111 Management owner Anscari Nadal and his AGR team as instrumental in his success.
“The past three years with AGR have been crucial in helping me evolve as a racer and I can’t thank Anscari, my crew chief Javi, rider coach Angel and the entire team enough for the role they have all played. It wouldn’t have been possible without them believing in me.”
BOE Motorsports team owner Jose Angel Gutierrez Boe said he was excited to work with Buchanan and his South African teammate Ruche Moodley.
“We are starting a very exciting new project, with young riders who have shown excellent progress in their professional careers. We will begin the season with the intention of helping both riders learn and become familiar with the MotoGP environment, gradually supporting them to grow and improve their results,” he said.
“After thinking a lot about the next steps I wanted to take with the team, I concluded that what excited me the most was working again with young riders, rookies, who are stepping up to the World Championship with enthusiasm and a strong desire to learn and improve quickly.
“From the first meeting I had with Cormac and his family, I realised that the decision to have him with us on the team was the right one. Next year, we will have an excellent atmosphere in the box, with both riders, and working with people who have passion and respect for all the team members is a winning formula.”
Ends.
Caption 1: Cormac Buchanan in action for the AGR Racing team in the FIM JuniorGP World Championship. Photo: Manu Tormo
Caption 2: Cormac Buchanan on the podium at the FIM JuniorGP World Championship in Misano, Italy. Photo: Manu Tormo
Caption 3: Cormac Buchanan will race in the Moto3 World Championship in 2025. Photo: Manu Tormo
For further information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Kate Buchanan – 021 292 1660