New Zealand motorcycling great Aaron Slight has thrown his weight behind Invercargill-born Cormac Buchanan as the 20-year-old prepares for a third season in the Moto3 World Championship.

Buchanan has secured a place on the 2027 grid in the entry class of the motorcycle grand prix world championship. He is the first New Zealander to race full-time in Moto3.

Slight, who is mentoring the young rider, said Buchanan had already done the hard part by earning his place through talent, hard work and determination. "Cormac has done the hard yards; it's not a punt anymore," he said.

Everyone had a finite time, Slight said, and Buchanan's time was now, which was why he was backing him.

The challenge now is raising the money to keep him on the grid. The campaign is being run through Cormac's Coffee Club at cormacracing.com, which launched at 10am on Thursday. Supporters are asked to contribute the equivalent of a coffee each week, and every member goes into a draw for an all-expenses-paid trip for two to the 2027 Australian MotoGP, with monthly giveaways as well.

Buchanan said having someone like Slight behind him was massive. He might be the only one riding the bike, he said, but with a team of supporters behind him he could achieve his goal.

From Oreti Park to the world stage

Buchanan, born in Invercargill in August 2006, started out in junior speedway at Oreti Park before switching to road racing. He raced in the Oceania Junior Cup in Australia at 12 and went on to win a string of New Zealand Superbike Championship titles in the 150, 300 and 600 Supersport classes.

He spent three seasons in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finishing 13th in 2023 with a best result of fifth at Le Mans, and raced in the FIM JuniorGP World Championship with the AGR Team, where he claimed his first podium at Misano and a pole position at Estoril on the way to sixth overall in 2024.

Buchanan made his Moto3 debut in 2025 on a KTM with the Denssi Racing-Boé team, finishing 20th in the championship with a best result of ninth at the German Grand Prix and three top-10 finishes in his rookie year.

This season he has recovered from a fractured back and a broken ankle, setbacks Slight cited as evidence of his determination. His best result of 2026 was 13th at the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring.

According to his website, Buchanan will race with BOE Motorsports in 2027 with a target of finishing fifth in the championship, before aiming for Moto2 in 2028 and 2029 and MotoGP in 2030.

He has said his goal is to progress through Moto2 and beyond, and that the backing of a home-town supporter base is part of getting there.