Cormac Buchanan in the pit lane of Red Bull Ring 2022
© Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
Red Bull Rookies Cup
Blog | Cormac Buchanan pushing the limits in Austria and Portugal
As far as the Austrian GP goes, the whole event was one heck of a show from go to woah!
Written by Cormac Buchanan
5 min readPublished on
Kia ora everyone,
Coming off an extended break from racing can go one of two ways. For me, it didn’t quite go as I expected but I will take the positives.
Cormac Buchanan having a break at his cycle training 2022
Cormac Buchanan having a break at his cycle training 2022© Cormac Buchanan Archive
I headed to the mighty Red Bull Ring in Austria determined to continue my strong form from both Mugello and Sachsenring. Maintaining the momentum at Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup was important and I felt ready when we reached the Austrian hills. We’d spent the summer break training exceptionally hard and making the most of any opportunity for track time in Spain, even though the heatwave was sweltering!
Cormac Buchanan enjoyed the show of the Flying Bulls - Spielberg 2022
Cormac Buchanan enjoyed the show of the Flying Bulls - Spielberg 2022© Red Bull Content Pool
As far as the Austrian GP goes, the whole event was one heck of a show from go to woah! Red Bull, KTM and the crew sure know how to bring the energy – from the racing on track to the fighter jets and aerobatic helicopters in the sky, it was epic!
Great to have kiwis Graham and Donna in the stands at Austria
Great to have kiwis Graham and Donna in the stands at Austria© Cormac Buchanan Archive
For me, the race weekend had its successes and a few challenges thrown in the mix. While I’ve never really had an issue with track limits, I was getting pinged at the ring. In hindsight, perhaps I was trying too hard to make an impression.
Cormac Buchanan racing at the Red Bull Ring 2022
Cormac Buchanan racing at the Red Bull Ring 2022© Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
The dreaded green had the most impact on my Qualifying. I blitzed a solid time on my last flying lap only to have it cancelled on the final corner. Frustrated to find myself P19 on the grid as I know I’m capable of more this season.
In Race 1, I felt very strong. The start was average but I kept calm and was able to reach the front of the second group. Unfortunately, the lead group had already pulled a 9sec gap to us. I knew my pace was good so I put down some fast laps alone and set a new PB by over 0.6sec. Eventually I got a 12sec gap on the group behind me and was confident I could catch the front pack and fight for some points. Then I made a small mistake into the last corner pushing hard trying to gain onto the front group. Crashes happen but it was frustrating as even though the bike was perfectly fine the track marshals didn’t let me continue.
Cormac Buchanan full gas at FP 1 in Spielberg 2022
Cormac Buchanan full gas at FP 1 in Spielberg 2022© Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
To be honest, I was more disappointed in the second race where I finished P13. I didn’t have the same feeling with the bike as I did in Race 1. I was sitting around P16 for most laps and had some great battles until the last lap where I made my moves to get to the front of the group. It is positive as I picked up some points, but a little dissatisfied as I know I have front running potential.
Cormac Buchanan racing in Spielberg 2022
Cormac Buchanan racing in Spielberg 2022© Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
I flew from Austria to Mallorca for a week’s training with my AGR Racing Team coach Angel Poyatos and even got to celebrate my 16th birthday there.
Cormac Buchanan at his 16th birthday with the lads in Mallorca
Cormac Buchanan at his 16th birthday with the lads in Mallorca© Cormac Buchanan Archive
Sunday, 17 July 2022 is a date I won’t forget. It’s the day I made my debut in the FIM JuniorGP World Championship at Portimao. I ticked that goal off sooner than expected and when these opportunities come along, you’ve got to grab them by the handlebars.
When AGR boss Anscari gave me the nod to wildcard on his KTM Moto3, I didn’t hesitate as I have been eyeing up the Moto3 all season. I was rapt he thought I was ready for the challenge and believes in my potential.
It exceeded my expectations on so many levels. I hadn’t even swung my leg over the Moto3 KTM bike until the first practice session – and at the challenging rollercoaster no less. The AGR crew predicted early in the season the Moto3 would suit my riding style far better than the Honda NSF used in the European Talent Cup and they were right. Straight away it just felt like the right fit and I was rapt with how quickly I adapted. I didn’t expect to be in the mix on the first day but we had strong pace.
The front end is a lot stronger on the Moto3, allowing you to push harder, be more aggressive and really brake late. It has a lot more power so going down the mighty hill at Portimao it feels impossible to keep that front wheel on the tarmac! No complaints from me!
I was stoked to qualify 18th, just 1.2sec off pole position. The race itself was a brutal introduction to the intensity of the JuniorGP ranks. I got a good start then some riders crossed in front and crunched me, forcing me wide at turn one, then another rider took me off the circuit at turn three. And that was just moments into the first lap – what an initiation!
I rejoined the race dead last and managed to pass some riders and get in the group battle for 14th place. I finished 19th, just 0.4sec off the points, and learned a massive amount so I’m satisfied with that for my first race and just three days experience on the Moto3. I know I have the pace to make an impact and, most importantly, what I need to do going forward and that’s a real focus.
I’m excited AGR want me to continue on the Moto3 for the remainder of the season, treating it as a pre-season for a 2023 junior world championship campaign with the aim of gaining as much experience as possible. The next round is at the iconic Misano Circuit in Italy in conjunction with MotoGP.
Cormac Buchanan - Our house in Austria had a dog called Milo
Cormac Buchanan - Our house in Austria had a dog called Milo© Cormac Buchanan Archive
Continuing on the Moto3 is the right step. This is only my fourth year racing so there is heaps to learn and I’m really pumped about what I can achieve continuing in the super competitive environments I get to experience at both Rookies Cup and the JuniorGP.
Cormac Buchanan - Throwback to the 2019 Rookies Cup Selection Event
Cormac Buchanan - Throwback to the 2019 Rookies Cup Selection Event© Cormac Buchanan Archive
Good luck to all the riders from around the world heading to the Rookies Cup selection event in Italy. I remember it as the coolest experience when I attended in 2019 in Guadix, Spain, so enjoy the opportunity and ride hard.
Cheers! Cormac #14

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