The 18-year-old displayed his maturing race craft and reaped the rewards of tyre conservation to pick off his opponents in the later stages of the showdown at Circuit Termas De Rio Hondo — a track he first experienced just two days before.
"What a rollercoaster of a race. I’m stoked to finish 14th and bank another couple of points and, most importantly, the gap to first was only about six seconds so a massive improvement," Buchanan said.
He got off to a solid start before he was t-boned by another rider late in the opening lap, which sent him to the back of the field.
After taking a couple of laps to adjust to the bike and tyres, he got back into pace and began charging through the field.
"After working on my alone pace all weekend, I was able to use it to my advantage in the race, getting to the front of the group I was in, then bridging the gap in front to the next group and so on.
‘‘I’m very happy as in the process I could match the pace of the lead riders while trying to get back into the race riding alone, something really positive.
"We managed to get onto the back of the front group but in the last three laps got distanced again which was a shame as we had really good late race pace which we didn’t get to use."
Buchanan managed to post competitive times throughout the race, a statistic that demonstrates steady progress as he seeks to establish himself as a regular in the fight for points.
In a race marked by a frenetic pace, Buchanan intelligently managed his overtaking moves to be the top-finishing rookie in the ever-combative Moto3 field.
"I’m leaving Argentina happy with the consistent pace I showed but definitely wanting more. It’s all valuable experience gained and, along with my crew, we remain firmly focused on the plan we have to keep the trajectory rising," he said.
"There’s no denying this championship is a huge step up from the junior ranks and facing circuits I’ve never seen, in countries I’ve never been to, for the opening four rounds certainly adds to the challenge but I’m absolutely loving it and so proud to fly the New Zealand flag back in MotoGP."
Buchanan, racing for the Denssi Boe Motorsports team, added two points to the first he earned on debut in Thailand earlier this month after a notable fightback from an early crash.
"It feels like I got these more through merit than Thailand which I’m very pleased about.
‘‘Now it’s time to head back to Spain to reset, train and focus on America in two weeks’ time." — APL
