Merry Christmas, Meri Kirihimete, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noël ... there's 16 different nationalities we can say that in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup this season. I'm very proud to be able to add New Zealand to the grid for the first time.
Kia ora, my name is Cormac Buchanan and I am a 14 years old kiwi lad. This will be my third season of road racing and what an adventure it's going to be on the Road to MotoGP!
My season actually starts next weekend when I kick off my 2021 New Zealand Superbike Championship (NZSBK) campaign at Ruapuna Raceway. I'm racing for the Yamaha Racing Development Team aboard a Yamaha R3 in the SuperSport 300 and a Yamaha R15 in the Supersport 150 championships. It will be my first crack at the SS300 ranks, while I aim to defend the SS150 national title I won last year.
Unlike my European compatriots my Christmas has been a summer one. That means beaches, jet boating, backyard cricket and barbecues with the whanau (family).
Every year we go on holiday to Central Otago to my grandparent's house. Along with summer fun with the relatives, it gives me a chance to train in a different environment. In Invercargill where I live the weather can be unpredictable so it's always good to be able to escape the cold and trade it for some beautiful hot sunny days.
This year they set up an inflatable water park in the lake nearby which was a blast - even if the water was only 12 degrees! It was actually a pretty good cardio workout too bouncing around for a few hours ... although I spent a lot of it slipping over on my butt!
I have been training hard in order to be ready for the long season ahead. Mountain biking with my friends, dirt biking on my track at home, gym sessions, as well as club racing at the tracks.
With the New Zealand championships to compete in before I head to Europe, my racing will be pretty much non-stop from now as I will get to experience the season both here and overseas. Then it's straight back into NZ racing again when I get home at the end of the year. How epic is that!
My aim for NZSBK this year is to be able to podium at every round and I would love to end the New Zealand series on a high to be able to carry some momentum into my European endeavours.
I am very excited for the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup season and it's such an honour to be the first kiwi rider invited to join the programme. To be able to race on GP tier racetracks is a dream of mine. To do that racing with some of the fastest young riders in the world will be an amazing experience I'm determined to make the most of.
The level of riding will be fierce and the bikes and every track will be new to me but I'm ready for the challenge.
Although it means my father Stacey and I will have to move to Europe for rest of the year, I am heading over knowing I have a lot of kiwi supporters behind me which is a great motivation. I want to make everyone proud as I chase my goals.
You can catch up on all of my activity on @cormacracing on Instagram and Facebook, and for some funny training videos on TikTok you can find me @cormacbuchanan14.
See you trackside! #macattack #kiwilearningtofly
Cormac #14