The Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island was battered by inclement weather and hardy race fans were treated to plenty of action on track as a result of the challenges.
Buchanan, 19, relished the chance to race close to home, banking an impressive 11th place.
“It was a special weekend being able to race in front of the local support," Buchanan said.
"There were a lot of Kiwis in the crowd with New Zealand flags and the whole weekend honestly felt quite unique.
“It was a really consistent weekend which is what I’ve been looking for. It still wasn’t the perfect race because obviously we had the pace to be in that front group, but for the moment we’ll take it and look to do even better."
Sunday was hampered by bad weather, with strong forecast winds forcing races to be delayed for an hour.
Buchanan maintained solid positions, engaging in an intense battle with numerous rivals.
“The opening laps were good — I managed to keep my nose clean and stick with the front group.
"Then I had a front end slide into Siberia. I dug my elbow into the ground and saved it — I knew I definitely didn’t want to crash out of this GP, so I made sure I didn’t end up in the gravel, but I did get separated.
“My goal was then to finish at the front of the next group."
Buchanan was held up by other racers, but controlled things smartly and was patient until the final lap to make his move.
“I got bumped back ... so I had to do a lot of overtaking to get back to the point I knew I wanted to be heading into turn 10 so I could make my move and seal 11th place. The execution was textbook.
“It’s great to get some more points on the board. It’s obviously been a long time since Germany when I got my last points, so clearly it has been a really tough period.
"I’m happy and now we will use this as a springboard to take us into the last three rounds and use this momentum."
Buchanan now prepares for the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit this weekend.
— Allied Media
