Cormac Buchanan: New Zealand’s Next MotoGP Star

In this interview, I sit down with Cormac Buchanan, New Zealand's rising star in the world of professional motorcycle racing. At just 17 years old, Cormac has already made waves on the international stage, with six national titles under his belt and an impressive season in the FIM JuniorGP World Championship. We talk about his journey, the challenges of breaking into MotoGP, and his dreams of following in the footsteps of Kiwi legends like Bruce McLaren, Scott Dixon, and Simon Crafar.

As Cormac prepares to take on the world, he needs our support. The road to MotoGP is as financially demanding as it is competitive, and every contribution counts. If you believe in his potential, please consider donating to his GoFundMe campaign. Together, we can help this talented young racer achieve his dream.

🎯 Support Cormac's Journey:
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/98dd44d3

📱 Follow Cormac on Social Media:
Instagram:   / cormacbuchanan14 
Facebook:   / cormacbuchananracing 
Twitter:   / cormacbuchanan_ 

🏁 Interested in Sponsorship Opportunities?
Learn more about how you can support Cormac’s racing career through sponsorship. Contact:
Email: macattackmotorsport@gmail.com
Phone: +64 21 292 1660 (Kate Buchanan)
Investment Prospectus Available Upon Request

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#CormacBuchanan #MotoGP #FIMJuniorGP #NewZealand #MotorcycleRacing #GoFundMe #SupportYoungTalent #RacingDreams #bornracers   

Chapters

• 0:00 The Dreamers of New Zealand Motorsports
• 4:32 Introducing Cormac Buchanan: A Rising Star
• 4:52 Cormac's Journey: From Dirt to Road Racing
• 11:04 Cultural Influences and Challenges in Racing
• 15:48 The Red Bull Rookies Cup: A Pathway to Success
• 23:00 Transitioning to the World Junior GP Championship
• 35:04 Current Season Insights and Future Aspirations
• 36:50 The Journey to Championship Success
• 39:11 Evolving Riding Styles and Techniques
• 44:53 Physical and Mental Preparation for Racing
• 50:04 Overcoming Challenges and Tough Races
• 53:50 Proud Moments and Achievements
• 57:41 Balancing Racing and Personal Life
• 1:01:27 Building a Fanbase and Community Support
• 1:08:01 Gratitude and Acknowledgments

Transcript

Angus Norton (00:02.958)
you

Angus Norton (00:10.83)
Well, good day everyone. It's good to see you all again. Let me ask you, are you a dreamer? I think we all dream. Millions of us dream every day. I dreamt when I was a kid. I dream as an old man. Now, it's not very often that those dreams become a reality. Let's face it, there's billions of people on the planet and we're all dreaming every day. But only a few of us have the fortitude

and the focus and the absolute desire to achieve those dreams. Some dreams are bigger than others. So today I'm going to introduce you to one such dreamer, Cormac Buchanan. Now Cormac has already won six New Zealand national titles in the short four to five years that he's been competing in.

professional motorcycle racing. A few years ago, Cormac was the first New Zealander to ever be accepted into the Red Bull Rookies Cup, where he competed for a few years. Since then, he's been competing in the World FIM Junior GP Championships. And in a field of 20 plus riders, he's currently ranked at number six. Now in the top 10,

They're all Spanish and Italian writers. Cormac's the only Kiwi on that list and he's achieving amazing things. Now, New Zealand has a proud history of dreamers in motorsports. Bert Munro dreamed that he could build the world's fastest motorcycle for the Utah Salt Flaps World Speed Challenge. The record that he set on that Indian motorcycle has remained

for the last 80 years. He did that out of a small shed in the South Island of New Zealand. Bruce McLaren dreamed that he could build a Formula One race car that could compete at the highest levels from a small town in New Zealand. McLaren Motorsports have gone on to be a household name in Formula One. Scott Dixon.

Angus Norton (02:35.8)
has won more IndyCar championships than anyone else in history. He dreamt he could do it at a very young age in Hamilton, New Zealand. Simon Crafer, who I interviewed recently, one of the few New Zealanders to actually win at the GP level, having won the British GP, and competed at the highest levels in World Superbike. Graham Crosby, the last New Zealander to win and get to the top.

five in the MotoGP Tournament and Championship back in the 80s. Actually came second one year and podiumed many times. So New Zealand is a small rock at the bottom of the South Pacific and I've been running this channel for a short time really focused on profiling people who dream, who are willing to learn and listen and willing to make an effort in the world of professional motorcycling and frankly anything.

Now, I don't usually do this, but Cormac is a special kid and I really enjoyed spending time with him. And the more I got to know him, the more I realized how hard he's working and how hard it is to raise money to race at the highest level in motorsports when you're a kid from a South Islander New Zealand. His parents have put everything into the sport. They've moved to Spain where Cormac is training every day.

They're supporting him financially and sponsorship is hard to come by. This kid is special. His poise, his maturity, his focus, his mental toughness really came through in the time I interviewed him. He's 17 years old and he has a dream, a big dream. So if you're interested in learning about Cormac and his dream, I encourage you to watch this interview.

And if you're as impressed as I am, I also encourage you to contribute to the GoFundMe we've set up to help fund his aspirations and get into the top of our sport. Thanks a lot. I hope you enjoy the interview.

Angus Norton (04:52.632)
Well, good day, everyone. It's awesome to have you all here again. And today we're super lucky because we're getting to interview another great Kiwi from the land of Invercargill, the bottom of the South Farn in New Zealand. So call Matt Buchanan. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Thank you very much. Yeah, no worries. it's as you know, I try to profile up and coming writers.

writers at different stages of their career, different classes, different parts of the world and really just trying to unlock what makes really competitive people tick. know, and you're clearly very, very focused on a goal. I've read a lot about you. And so I thought maybe we could sort of start by getting to know you a little bit. Tell us who you are. know, tell us a little bit about where you're competing right now. I know you've competed in Red Bull Rookies Cup, which we'll get to.

But what are you doing right now? I heard you're competing in the FIM World Champs or something. that right? Yeah, so pretty much at the moment I'm based here in Barcelona in Spain. We're currently in our summer break of the 2024 Junior GP Moto3 World Championship at the moment. yeah, right now I'm just busy training. It's kind of like my day-to-day job, if you will. But yeah, this season I've been racing solely the Junior GP Championship and

Yeah, it's gone pretty well so far. We've had a, I used to say a successful first part of the season. We're sixth in the championship at the moment, only 25 points down. And yeah, it's, it's my second full year in that championship. Obviously the past three years I've done Rupa Ruki Cup and yeah, it's been, it's been a great year so far. Yeah, that's great. And I'm looking forward to getting into a little bit about kind of where you started and how you ended up where you are. And funny enough, just half an hour ago, I just finished watching the

MotoGP race in the Red Bull Ring, which was a good one. And we'll have to talk about that because I'm sure you're spending time there. So, hey, look, you started young, but I know you also told me you were kind of late in some ways to the sport. And you started racing at a young age. And what initially drew you to motorcycle racing? Was there like a specific moment that you knew is what you wanted to do or was it like? Yeah, I mean,

Angus Norton (07:16.714)
First, I was always just on the dirt. used to race Speedway and did a little bit of motocross because that's what dad did. I guess you could say following in dad's footsteps and stuff like that. And honestly speaking, I was going to try and follow a career in Speedway at first, but in 2016, me and dad, went to Phillip Island to watch the MotoGP, which is, I guess you'd say, probably the best track to go to watch MotoGP at. yeah, since then, it's kind of been all I wanted to do.

I got my first road bike for my, I think, 11th birthday. And at first, there wasn't really a goal. It was sort of just, you know, having fun, just enjoying it, you know, with dad and stuff like that. I was able to do, you know, little track days and stuff. I had to wear, you know, the Hivers vest and stuff and have dad ride around with me. But it became clear very soon that this was what I wanted to do professionally.

Um, it was, yeah, always my goal since then to be, you know, the first key, we made a GP world champion and it's sort of been a, every day is just trying to find a little bit more improvement from the last one. And yeah, it's honestly, it's been a very fast five years since I had my first road race, you know, um, going from Aussie to junior GP world championship now. um, yeah, it's been a, it's been a great journey so far and honestly, it's only getting started.

You've only been racing for five years. So remind me how old you are now. I'm now 17 years. Okay, well, and a few things you just said there have been common with other writers at the professional level I've met. You know, interviewed Kayla Yakov recently too, and it was the same with her. It was almost like it was just like a no brainer. It was just this thing that went off in her head. And I suppose it's one thing to say it, it's another thing to do it. were you...

Were you riding bicycles or anything before that? Like, were you like ferocious on two wheels regardless before you started riding on a motorcycle or? I think I've always had, you know, had a soft spot for, I guess you could say two wheeled sports. It's always been something I've always done, whether that's, you know, motorbikes or BMX or mountain biking or now cycling is, I don't know, it's just something about it attracts me to it. It's, yeah, it's always been a part of my life ever since I was a young kid.

Angus Norton (09:37.204)
There's old pictures of me for Christmas. I don't know how old I was. I was that small, know? Yeah, getting like a little push bike for Christmas. yeah, it's always been a part of my life. Dad, he's always been very influential with that sort of stuff. He's always encouraged me to be out there and always be on the bikes and stuff. yeah, some of the fondest memories I have is back on the back of dad's ZX-14.

riding around, you know, the cargo bluff, you know, the highways and stuff. And one of the stories was when I was younger, I was trying to lean off the side of the bike and get my knee down on the back of it. And, you know, just stuff like that. It's yeah, it's always been a part of my life ever since I was young. So it's, it's always, I guess, I wouldn't say it's been a plan, but it kind of has been. Yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. And you you MotoGP and I actually bought my first ever proper street bike.

in the mid 80s in Auckland from Graham Crosby, of course, as you know, is the last New Zealander to come close to winning the Emojie B Championship back in the early 80s, he became second. But I also had the opportunity to sit on one of his motorcycles when I was in Italy and I went to Pessaro. I don't know if you've heard of Pessaro, but it's a famous Italian town near where Rossi lives. And there's a massive collection there.

So cool. So you had dad's influence. I bet he's proud of you. like growing up in New Zealand, obviously we have a reputation for making the extraordinary happen from a very small place. And we've got some stories, some great stories from Ruth McLaren to, you know, to guys like John Britton, who pretty close to where you're from.

So did the local culture and environment influence you at all? there particular challenges from being at the bottom of the world, like in a place like New Zealand? Or were there advantages maybe? I think for me, since I'm from Invercargill, that's, know, country. So it's definitely, I guess, you know, part of our culture down south. But definitely coming from Invercargill, it was very difficult.

Angus Norton (11:58.446)
internationally racing wise, but at the early stages of my career, was amazing. You know, I had the Southland motorcycle club, Andy under hey, they, they were very open and letting me, you know, do track days and stuff with dad. But the problem was at the time I was too young to race in New Zealand. had to be 13 years old. So obviously I was too young. So we kind of had to pack our bags and, know, go to Australia around seven, eight times at that year and my first year racing. So

My first actual race wasn't actually on New Zealand soil, it was in Australia. So yeah, I guess from the very start, it's kind of been international racing, you know, so that was definitely not easy. You you kind of thrown into the deep end and the Aussie kids there, they were very fast, you know. But I think in a way that's probably been the best thing for me to kind of start at a higher level than what, you know, we had in New Zealand at the time. But now,

you know, being able to come back to New Zealand and I guess show everyone what I've learned over those few years. It's kind of good, you know, because now the younger generation in New Zealand is also, you know, trying to make that next step as well. So, yeah, I think every time I came back to New Zealand from Australia, I had more confidence and I was a better rider than before. And it's kind of just, you know, all the New Zealand clubs, they could see that and they're just, you know, really helpful in trying to, you know, get me to that next step, yeah.

I can see the race mentality like straight away. It's really interesting to watch. I can just tell them, you know, I often ask folks like, like I'm an A group rider, you know, I write a group. think I'm pretty fast for an old man, but you know, obviously there's a huge difference between an A group rider and a professional. And, some of the guys I meet that are really fast, they choose not to race because they don't have that. I don't have it. I just not, I'm just not a racer, but I like riding on the track. And so.

Now you obviously, must have had to win a few competitions in New Zealand to even be considered to be an international player, right? So you did some hard yards to do that, right? You won quite a lot of New Zealand championships. Do you tell me bit about that process? Yeah. So my first actual New Zealand championship was in 2020. I raced the 150 SuperSport class. So that was, I guess you could say the New Zealand equivalent to what I was racing in Australia. So,

Angus Norton (14:25.902)
Yeah, it was my first year racing in New Zealand, got canceled halfway through because of COVID. But actually before all of that in 2019, I went to the Red Rookie Cup selection event. And that was a great few days being able to do that sort of stuff. that was, I guess you could say sort of the turning point. That was when it really clicked that this is where I can make a career out of it. And at the time I didn't get selected straight away.

But then I went back to New Zealand knowing that I can be there. And then in New Zealand, just was working as hard as I could trying to be the best writer I could to hopefully in the next year be selected for it. But obviously COVID kind of, I guess you could say put a big cross through those plans. But then I guess that COVID time, we had a lockdown and all the isolations and stuff, but luckily I live on a farm in New Zealand.

So was able to train. had, you know, I have a dirt bike. I was able to do a lot of motocross and stuff like that on the paddocks. So, it was kind of like everyone was just, you know, free time off school, you know, stuff like that. But, know, all I was thinking about was just training, training, training. And, yeah. Then I guess, you know, the last few years as well racing in New Zealand, it's, it's always been great to race in New Zealand. It's such a, a laid back environment. You know, people, I guess you could say having barbecues, know, not me, but

other riders having beers over a fire and stuff like that. It's an environment that I haven't quite felt anywhere else in the world. And yeah, it's always kind of like a, it doesn't feel like racing because it's just so much fun. There's no pressure there. But the last few years in New Zealand have been very successful. 2021, we won all but one race. And the year after we were racing the 600s, we

won it in the rookie year and the title came down to the last race being tied on points with my teammate. So there's all these sorts of stories and stuff in New Zealand that have been able to shape me into the rider I am today. And it's always good to come back home and I guess you could say hone my skills and stuff like that. Yeah. Yeah, it's cool. It's cool to hear that you have this dirt bike background. You see that with so many champions, flat track, bike, just so many, so many

Angus Norton (16:46.062)
similarities. So you mentioned the Red Bull Rookies Cup. For those who don't know about that, I've done a bit of research, but I'd love to hear from you, like, you know, what is it and what makes it so important in terms of the racing scene for guys like you? Yeah, I guess the best way to put the Red Bull Rookie Cup would be a school for the most talented teenagers in road bike racing in the world, really. You know, it's

There's lots of riders that come in there already, I guess you could say established fast, talented guys. Or you have guys who come in there like I did, who I've never touched a Moto3 bike before, have never raced out of New Zealand and Australia. And it can be quite a daunting experience, but the Ripper Rookie Cup is one of the many pathways on the road to MotoGP to move up into that world championship. There's 26 guys, all from different corners of the world.

I was lucky to be the first Kiwi and as of right now, the only one so far, but yeah, the Rupa Ruki Cup is a crucial part in, know, writers careers. You mean, look at, you know, Jorge Martin, Bashtanini, know, Mia, all those guys, they, mean, Acosta, you know, all those guys, they came from the Rupa Ruki Cup. And it's a place where guys who maybe don't have, you know, as much of a opportunity, I guess you could say to go to the world championship.

as guys that, I guess you say, a lot of money or that sort of stuff, as a chance for them to get noticed. And I think that's what I found the biggest thing was, it's in the MotoGP paddock. You're surrounded by that professional, multi-million dollar business. You can't get any closer to the action than that. Yeah, and then when I interviewed Simon Crafer, he was telling me a little bit about, there is a little bit of a...

I don't want to say old boys network, but there was a bit of that and all racing and he loved my team for that. One of the reasons he loves my team is because my team has come from like nothing and really his family had to work their tails off to get him where he is. And, know, massive amount of respect. And I was reading about the actual entry selection and it does, as you mentioned, it's very competitive. I was reading it also basically without saying it, they were saying, yeah, you better not be too big and tall. You have to be a certain weight, certain height.

Angus Norton (19:14.808)
They, without saying it, they kind of said it right. Like, and like if you're, if you are too big a tool, then probably don't want to enter. And you mentioned you've been training a lot. but like that criteria, is obviously that criteria is obviously a talent criteria as well. and so like, how did you, did you just send them an email and say, Hey, can I enter or like, what happened? Did they notice you? Like, how did that work? The very, the very first time I.

tried out for the Ribery Cup selection event was in 2019. So I'd only been riding for six months and it was kind of like a goal, I guess you'd say for that year to be selected for the selection event. In the championship I was racing in the Oceania Junior Cup, they had two spots that riders were able to go up and move into the selection event, I guess you could say. It was kind of like a opportunity for two riders of their choosing and I was lucky to be one of those two.

So, you know, I had my coach at the time, Steve Bagshaw, he also helped me a lot getting there. And yeah, we went to Spain at the time, it was in Guarix, just out of Granada. So yeah, we were one of the lucky ones being able to go to that selection event. To say that the selection event wasn't daunting was a complete understatement. I mean, I was there with guys like David Alonso, Izangu Vara, Ortola, Hulgado, Colin Vaya. I remember on the first day,

He's Angavara. He passed me around the outside on the brakes and it's like, okay, this is how these guys ride over here. So as much as it was trying to get selected, it was also a learning curve. was, you know, taking as much as you can. And realistically, the goal was to get to the final day, the final 30 guys. I don't think I had a shot at being selected first time after that. You know, only riding for six months, it was quite unrealistic.

But to even get to that final day, to be, I guess, up there with guys like Alonzo Vire and Otole, those guys that are now fighting for world titles and Marder III and beyond, was a really good experience. And as I said, I took so much confidence from that. And then pretty much in 2020, which was the year after COVID obviously meant that they couldn't have the selection event. So I guess...

Angus Norton (21:37.926)
rookies cup were always keeping an eye on me, know, seeing how I was progressing after that. And yeah, we applied as if you usually would for the selection event. Obviously they couldn't have it. So they kind of had to, I wouldn't say blind choose writers, but they kind of had to almost. And yeah, I guess you could say they took a punt on me and I was one of the lucky, I think eight, they got selected for the 2021 season. But I was in there with guys like, you know, Diogo Marrera.

You know, all those guys, they also got selected in the same year as I did. So yeah, I rocked up to Portimão testing and, you know, locked down on Portugal and stuff with, you know, David Alonso, Hulgado, know, Otolla, all of these guys that I've been looking up to ever since I started racing, you know, because obviously wanting to race in Europe, they're the guys that are at the front in that championships over there. So they were the guys that you're looking up to and,

Yeah, to say it was pretty daunting first experience. was, yeah. Well, I thought going straight to Australia was, you know, being thrown into the deep end, but it was nothing like rookie's cafe. was, yeah. No, that's awesome. Yeah. I mean, I can't imagine it's not just the writing and the races and the tracks and all of that. It's also the culture, right? You've got the language and everything. mean, everything is different and you're a young guy, you know, it's.

It's very, very interesting. I'd like to get into that a little bit later. And so you guys are ripping around like in the Red Bull Cup, you're ripping around on like the RC250 KTM or was it the 390, it was the 250, right? 250, yeah. Right. Okay. And are the actual, the race structure itself, is it similar to other typical races with the sort of the...

the free practice qualifying and then race day or are there multiple races throughout the weekend or? Well, so the way that the Rookie's work is that obviously we arrive Thursday, so we do all that track walks, know, getting the bikes prepared. We're allowed to have one helper. So throughout my whole three years of the Rookie's Cup, I had my father with me. So every rider gets to choose their own one. You know, it might be their dad, it might be, you know, their brother, you know, whatever, you know, whoever you want.

Angus Norton (23:53.134)
So yeah, that was quite cool. That was a really good experience. yeah, so Friday is all free practice. We get two free practice sessions and then in the evening we get a qualifying. But one thing that's different is that it's not like you go finish your session and then go back to the pits. After free practice too, we have to stay in the pit lane and then into qualifying. So we don't get to go back to the pits. We don't get to get undressed. don't get a, I guess you say...

relax or anything like that. We're kind of still in that environment. But yeah, so yeah, that's definitely a learning curve. It's not something that I was used to. And then on the Saturday, we get one race in the afternoon. And then on the Sunday, we get a race in the morning. yeah, we usually do our practice sessions after the MotoGP guys have finished. Or if MotoE is racing on that weekend, usually after the MotoE guys have finished. So.

We get around seven rounds a year, two races each weekend. So that adds up to 14 races per season. So yeah, it's a fair amount of racing, lots of track time on the MotoGP tracks. But in that first year, when you rock up to a new track, you only have two 25 minute sessions to learn the track. In reality, compared to the guys who've been racing it almost their whole life, it's, I guess you could say very minimal.

So you have 15 minutes to get up to speed and then you have to go push the limits for qualifying, know? it's, That's, I remember Simon telling me when he was racing professionally, he to do for the internet. You know, he couldn't go and look up the tracks and watch people riding them. And, know, he got to the track and the first time he saw it was when he rode it. And it was like a whole, and I want to talk a bit about preparation too, cause you clearly, you're clearly,

thinking hard about that as much as what happens off the bike is on the bike. And that sort of gets by our next question around sort of the learning environment. Like, is there some kind of coaching feedback or training that came with that program or was it, you know, just on your own? Yeah. So pretty much we have two coaches, Danny Rabalta and Gustl. So Danny Rabalta, he's, I used to say the main rider coach for the on bike stuff.

Angus Norton (26:04.75)
kind of got a coach 26 riders, which I can imagine is not an easy job. So during our sessions, he will be able to go onto the service road, which is the side of the track, you know, take notes of every rider, you know, see points that we can improve and stuff like that. So he was crucial in that first year, you know, first time riding a GP bike, I had to, I guess you say rely on him for a lot of my info. Cause obviously dad, he's just on the pit wall doing my pit board. So he can't see what's going on on the track. So

He was great, you know, after every session he'd come to me, would kind of have a little debrief. And he was also great for setting goals for me, you know, setting an expectation for the weekend and something that I have to aim for, for that weekend. So yeah, Danny, was, you know, he was crucial in those three years. He, I guess you'd say helped me transform into the rider I am today. And as you can imagine, that wouldn't be easy, you know, to do that for 26 riders. And I guess some riders need that coaching more than others.

And you got guys like, I guess you say, Hulgato Alonso, who are already entering the Rookies Cup as riders who already know what they're doing. You know, it's not so much that you need to learn how to ride a bike, because if you're in the Rookies Cup, you're talented. You know, you already have talent. It was more so fine tuning that talent and I guess, molding it and sculpturing it into, you know, a GP World Champion sort of, sort of kind of way, you know. So that was really, really crucial. Whereas the second rider coach, Gustl, he was more so

able to help us mentally and I guess also emotionally on the bike. He was always able to, I guess, find ways to get the best out of us as riders and kind of, you know, be able to go into the races as clear as possible and, you know, the best mindset and I guess, you know, frame as possible. He was always good to say if you're anxious or you weren't sure about something, you could always just rely on him as that, I guess, support. So, you know, both guys, both rider coaches are as crucial as each other.

They were both there when you needed them and if you ever needed help, were there. they were definitely the main sources of coaching in the rookies cup, as well as dad telling me that I had to pull my finger out if I wasn't doing fast enough or whatever. I saw a great photo of that. I was seeing somebody who said, John, you'll have to post it of you and your dad when you won your first race in Australia. And you could just see how proud he was of you. But just talking to you right now, it's...

Angus Norton (28:30.414)
It's very interesting because when I was your age, and frankly for a large part of my life, I wasn't the best listener. I just thought I knew everything. Just go in there and do everything. I took up track later in life, but I'm glad I did because I was able to go in with a learner's mindset to listen and remember that everything I learned on the street, to get about it just out the door, this is completely different. You might have been writing for 30 years, but you could have been writing for 30 years the wrong way, right?

And so I just started, I did a lot of coaching with California Superbike School and a bunch of different schools, but you clearly, I can just tell. So would you consider yourself as having a big learner's mindset? You're able to listen well. I'm sure you get aggro and upset at times, but tell me about, like, do you feel like a lot of talented kids aren't good listeners and others are? Like, how do you, are you, would you consider yourself a good learner? I think

I think definitely that's a difference that can be crucial in a writer's career. You can have writers who are very arrogant or I guess have a big ego and they think they know it already. When in reality, once you learn that you know that there's so much more that you can learn and there's so much more information that you can take on, that's definitely when you're able to start progressing and succeeding. So finally for me, when I came to Rookie's Cup, I came off New Zealand winning

almost every race possible, two championships in one season. So you come to a rookies cup where you're like, right, I'm fast. I think I can be the best rider in the rookies cup. Obviously after the first session, knew that was definitely not the case. And I had to, I guess you say learn to lose, but the most important thing was I had to learn how to listen and how to process information that I was getting from the two rider coaches. And I think even now,

I always say to myself, I don't know the most out of anyone. I'm always learning more things. Even this season I'm learning things that I never knew was even possible on the bikes. So every day you're learning something on the bike and that's the most important thing because without learning you can't improve and without improving you can't be a champion. So I think it's understanding that you don't know everything.

Angus Norton (30:51.39)
and you are there to learn and you need to listen to what they're telling you because trust me, these guys, they've coached Pedro Acosta, Jorge Martin, all of these guys, they know what they're talking about. So to listen to them and to, I guess for me, it was always showing that I'm trying to do what they're telling me to do, showing that I'm making an effort. And that's, guess, I honestly think that that could have been what got me to being able to have three years in the championship.

Now showing that I was there to improve and showing that I was wanting to improve because it's one thing listening, but it's another thing to actually trying to put it into action and doing it. I think that was definitely a crucial part of my evolution as a writer for sure. Yeah, someone once said to me, the definition of listening is not waiting to speak. And clearly you've been doing that. Now, okay, so you transition from rookies cut.

into the VFN World Championship, Junior World Champs, And so, there a, I mean, first of all, you're sixth. Oh my God, that's so great. Like I was looking at it last night. You're the only one from our part of the world. It's like Spain, Spain, Spain, Spain, Spain, New Zealand, Italy, Italy, Spain, or something like that. So what was the bar you had to hit to get into that championship? So yeah, pretty much. was, a lot of the riders that you'll find in Rookies Cup, a lot of the front runners especially,

they were all dual class. So I did that the last, I think two years of my rookies cup. So 22 and 23, I double class. So the first year in 2022 was another championship below Junior GP. runs alongside it. It's called the European Talent Cup. So that's on, know, NSF 250s. it's, it's sort of in that sort of championship. It's kind of the, the level below rookies cup. And then Junior GP is the level above rookies cup. So it was doing that in rookies cup.

but I never jibbed with that bike. I was always too big for the bike. And, you know, the team I was on that was kind of, you know, we're trying our best and we're, you know, doing quite well, but still it just wasn't enough. But then an opportunity inside the team popped up that one of the guys was having the same problem, but on the Juni GP bike. So he was going to move up to the Moto2, the European Moto2, which is another class beside it. And it was like, right, there's an opportunity here for me to, you know, possibly move up to the Moto3 bike.

Angus Norton (33:16.078)
Um, so I was able to wild card in that. And in my second race, I got a front row, which was, uh, which was quite crazy at Aragon. I got the P free, um, alongside Colin Vire and David Alonzo on the front rail of the grid, which was, yeah, cause I was teammates with Colin for that year. Um, so that was my first year, you know, experience in the Moto free bike and people are like, Oh, the junior GP and the rookies cup, they're the same bike.

two completely different bikes. They might be the same brand KTM, they might be the same CC, same stroke, whatever. They are nothing alike. It's because the rookies cup bikes quite an older bike, whereas Junior GP is pretty much the exact same as what they're riding at world championship right now. that was, that's when I found it quite difficult to, I guess, switch between the two. It was kind of like you either preferred one bike or the other. And then that's when you kind of mentally start

favoring another series over the other. And then 2023, which was my last year in Rookie's Cup, my first full season of Junior GP, it was really difficult trying to find the balance between the two bikes. They're both different riding styles, know, everything's kind of different in that aspect. So I was kind of like, right, it's my last year of Rookie's Cup, I'm gonna try and focus on Junior GP. Because always in my eyes, I found Junior GP has been what teams, I guess, in World Championship tend to look at.

most because they're the most similar bike to world championship. It's kind of like what you see in Junior GP, if they were to move up to world championship is kind of what you get, you know, whereas Rookies Cup is another great series, you know, it's another, you know, it's pretty top notch, you know, the level it's very high, but the bikes are just, I guess the level of the bikes aren't there in a way. So last year was another great year.

It was my first full season. The expectation wasn't there to win every race. It was kind of just, as you said, listen, improve. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of difficult moments last year. Lots of big crashes, which is a part of the learning curve. But we managed two front rows last year. My best result was fourth, less than half a tenth away from the podium, which is typical Moto3 action. And then, it was kind of...

Angus Norton (35:31.83)
I guess all in on this year, is currently the season we're currently in. It's solely doing Junior GP, putting my focus all into this one championship. And mentally, I found that to be a great, it's been a really good idea. Being able to just focus on one bike, one championship, one riding style. It's meant I've been able to go into each race a lot clearer, knowing what I need to do.

And as I said, you know, I'm learning lots this year. I'm learning lots that, you know, I kind of wish I knew last year because it would have prepared me better for this year. But this season so far has been, you know, a great season. You know, we finished the first race weekend with a podium. We backed it up the next weekend, two weeks later with a pole position and another podium, you know, double top five at the next round and then another top five at the round later. So to...

In every race that I've finished this year with my worst result being fifth, I think that's a pretty successful season so far, know, so it's, yeah, it's been a great season with always focusing on trying to be consistent, trying to enjoy every race as possible. And it's nice knowing that, you know, the results you do in this Junior GP Championship, know, people are watching the World Championship MotoGP, you know, so that's always kind of in the back of your mind. That's what the goal was for this year. It wasn't to...

go out and win the championship or to win every race. It was just to do enough to where we can get a seat for next year in world championship Moto3. So yeah, that's what currently what the plan is. And yeah, we just have to wait and see. that's sweet. And you mentioned riding, so I want to get onto that. The other thing you mentioned is you crashed a lot and that was learning. Simon said the same thing. He said he crashed so much. was in pain that first year when he raced in Japan and Malaysia.

ended up winning the Malaysian World Superbike Championship and went on to win the British GP 500. another friend of mine, local, you may not know, Mallory Dobbs, she's a US racer. She's racing in the World FIM Championship right now. And consistently she's been on like the top 10 and then crashed. But last weekend she didn't crash and she came sixth. And I was texting her first saying, everyone crashes, like, especially when you go out on the world stage for the first time. it's...

Angus Norton (37:47.006)
I actually appreciate to hear you say that. So Mallory, when you watch this, go, you're not the only one. And so your writing style, how has it evolved since you started in the Red Bull Rookies Cup? I'm really curious about that. Because I'm just a track day writer. And when I go from a 600 to my Decade V2, for example, I actually prefer writing on my 600 for whatever reason. I'm a tall guy.

The Ducati is just, man, it's just an animal to wrestle around the track. At your level, at the pro level, how has your style changed? How would you describe it for someone that doesn't really understand style changing? Honestly speaking, the difference between the first year in Rookie's Cup to this year 2024, there are two completely different riders. The first year in Rookie's Cup, I guess you have to say, I was learning everything on the bike at the same time.

So I was always looking at other riders to see what they were doing. And it's like, he's doing this. So I'm going to do that. And it's only now, well, not now, but I guess last season where I realized that actually, no, if he's, you know, putting the elbow down in this corner, he's, you know, leaning off the bike a certain way, just because it works for him, doesn't mean it's going to work for me. So it takes time. It's something that takes a really long time. I've always had my own, I guess, unique style now.

being loose on the bike compared to my first year I was really tense. I was always nervous on crashing and wasn't willing to push the bike. Whereas now it's kind of like that's all out of the back of your mind. Everything just feels natural. It's like you go onto the bike not thinking about riding the bike. You're just thinking about braking later or gassing harder or tucking in earlier. So for me, the riding style this year has always been focused on being loose, not being tense on the bike.

compared to the, you know, even the first years in junior GP, they're two completely different riders. It's funny, the amount of stuff that you have to do on a Moto3 bike to get it to just turn into a corner is quite spectacular. You know, I was always riding the bikes, like super sport bikes, like 300s. If you ride a GP bike like that, it's not going to work, you know? So there was also that that I had to kind of switch out of.

Angus Norton (40:08.258)
You have to try and change the mindset, right? I'm not riding a super sport bike and riding a motor free bike. They're two completely different bikes. but like, for example, to ride a motor free bike, you have to go down the gears as fast as possible. can't go like, you know, bang, bang, bang. You have to go bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, you know, because the braking won't Therefore the bike won't stop. The bike will slide. You have to use so much rear brake and I can not kid you not this took me.

two seasons to figure out, I finally figured it out this year. Like you'd go into a corner and you'd use 36 bar of rear brake more than you would the front majority of the time. Because the way that I used to think, I always used to say the rear is gonna stop me. I used the rear brake to stop the bike. But the way it actually works is the rear brake, you use that to turn the bike. The front brake is for stopping, the rear brake is for turning. This season, I came off last season,

just figuring out at the last couple of rounds, because that was always the struggle the whole season long. It's like, I can't turn the bike, you we need to change the setup. And the team saying, no, it's not the setup. We look at the data, you need to use more rear brake. The last round, I kind of got the style, but it was still not, you know, perfect. And funny enough, when I came back this year for the first test, I just come off riding SuperSport bikes in New Zealand and the style was way back to, you know, we started back from square one.

So I was working extremely hard, studying as much as I can, how I needed to ride the bike so that when we got to the next test, I could just start straight bang, right? Okay, you're doing it correctly. And even now in the race weekends, the first session, me and my crew chief Harvey, it's the same every time, right? The first session, I don't care how fast or slow you go, ride the bike quickly. And then we can focus on set up or whatever you want. So yeah, the biggest thing is

for me is making sure I'm riding the bike correctly and being loose compared to the first season where I was kind of just doing whatever got me around the track, know, it's yeah, that's the big thing. Like I've always, I guess never cared about how it looks. It's more so how it feels for me. You see, mean, Martin, he's obviously very comfortable with dragging the shoulder on the ground. And I've never really been like a big elbow dragger, like especially this season, not really, you know, I'm not.

Angus Norton (42:29.27)
I lean off the bike, but not to the point where it looks super extreme. And yeah, I just ride whatever feels natural, whatever feels loose. And, you know, sometimes that may be two feet off going into a corner and obviously the leaked angle. I'm sure a lot of people have heard of that, but it's even now it's like doing the leaked angle with the rear brake foot as well. Cause you know, it's all about the timing of the rear brake as well. And this is actually another thing, a funny story.

the team, I'd always put the rear brake straight away because obviously when you brake, you want to stop the bike as quickly as possible. And obviously that's not correct because you don't turn in straight away, you go straight and then turn in. So the trick I learned, and this is a trick that I guess not tricks my mind, but it kind of does, I always just take my foot off the foot peg on the rear brake side straight away. And then when I start to turn in, then I can turn, I can put my foot back on to put the rear brake on. Cause something I'd always find myself doing is

If I my foot on the pegs, I'd always touch it just naturally. And I was always trying to stop, but I couldn't not do it. So the easiest way is just to take your foot off, you know, cause then what are you going to touch it with? know? So, there's so much goldenness. Oh my God. I want to ride with you. Cause you know, we, uh, if you ever come to the States to Seattle, you have to come and stay with me. Cause I'll give you the bike to ride. Cause my mates and I are always debating this, you know, we're obviously just track day riders, but.

I always trail brake for direction and all of that. But it sounds like I've not touched the rear brake at all. It's a whole other discussion because a few of my mates have installed the rear brake lever and things. But it sounds like you're saying that in the class you're in right now, the rear brake, I suppose it's important in all the classes now, right, at your level. So, And I suppose at some point that's going to start coming to.

average geogloggers like me on the track, they their bikes, you better do that. man, that's so much there, my god. So you talked about the mental game, but clearly you're a fit dude and you gotta be fit. I've read that a GP race is as intensive as a triathlon. I don't know if that's true, but tell me about what does a day in the life of Cormac look like when you're not on vacation?

Angus Norton (44:53.216)
Like what does it look like in terms of just physical prep? Yeah, I mean, I guess it depends on what part of the year you're in. Like right now we're in summer break. So that's probably the most intense part of the year training wise for me. So I guess the usual day for me since we're in Spain, obviously summer, super hot, super sunny. would be literally waking up, you know, 5.50, 6 a.m. and having breakfast and then going for a cycle for three hours.

And I'm quite lucky where I live in Barcelona, there's lots of hills, lots of mountains to climb. So cycling is always my main form of training. It's really good for the leg strength and as well as the cardio fitness and that endurance side of things. So yeah, that's definitely the main part of my day, the early morning cycle. And by 10 a.m., you've already finished 80 kilometers, sometimes even 100, if not more. And then it'd also be gym. But a lot of the...

that we do is bike specific. More so for me, I prefer to do dirt stuff rather than tarmac. For me, the reason why that is is because previous seasons I'd always ride a CBR 300 at the car tracks, but as I said, that's a super sport bike. It's nothing like a GP bike. So as a racer, you always adapt to whatever you're riding. You always say, right, okay, I'm on this bike. I'm going to adapt my style to whatever I need to do to go faster.

Whereas when I do that on a CBR 300, I go back to my Moto3 and the style is completely different. So then I start every weekend from square zero, know? Whereas this year I've just completely taken that out. So the weekend, the feeling, and I guess the style I finished the weekend on last on my Moto3 is where I start again. But a lot of the training is, as you said, like flat track, which is quite fun because obviously that's where I had my start in.

Motocross training because motocross is very good for the the throttle control the the balance the body position You know the weight distribution, but also it's very good cardio fitness like I don't as a road bike racer I have the most utmost respect for motocross riders because I don't know how they do 30 minutes You know full gas and the blazing Sun and stuff like that because it's very it's very physical But another cool training that we do is trial riding. So those are those like, you

Angus Norton (47:14.894)
300, 252 stroke bikes, jumping on rocks, cutting through trees and stuff like that. My manager, Anska Nidali also runs the AGR team that I race for. has massive, not a backyard, but he has awesome trails around his place. So me and Amaretta Cross coach Victor will literally just go out for two hours training that sort of stuff. And I found that this year, the way that I'm able to enter a race weekend

with that sort of training, it's, you know, it prepares me, you know, perfectly for the race weekend. And mentally it's like, you know, you've done the work, you know, you're the fittest you've ever been. So you can just, you know, get on the bike and ride. But yeah, training is very taxing. Like today, Sunday is my rest day. It's probably, I wouldn't say it's my favorite day of the week, but it's a nice day to just, you know, relax. Obviously MotoGP is on, so you get to watch that. But yeah, it's, you know, you're knocking on the window.

22 hours a week of training, know, 400 kilometers, you know, is usually the amount of mileage I try to do on the cycling. So, yeah, it's a full-time job and yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a part of the process and that's what I love. You got your eye on the prize. It's interesting. I don't know if you've heard of Tino Petri, Robert Tino Petri, he raced in Moto 3, Moto 2.

And I got to spend some time with him on the track at the Yamaha Champs school, is a track school here in the US. And we had lunch one time and he told me that Alessius Bargera could have been a pro cyclist and done really well. Like he was that good, right? He was that good at cycling. a lot of the, find, cause I ride bicycles as well. There's a lot of the physics of riding on two wheels. The fact that you're on a gyroscope, you know, it wants to go straight, you know, and it's.

It's all about inputs is quite transferable. But that's, that's really interesting. So you're working really hard. You've got your eye on the prize. It's obviously a lot of flexibility and as well as an old guy in his fifties, you know, like I can proudly say I do drag money. But I remember the first time I did it, it was kind of a shock. I thought there was something wrong. And then I realized I was actually cause I'm writing properly, but the older I get, the harder it is to get off the bike like that.

Angus Norton (49:35.438)
And I assume you do a lot of not just strength training, but flexibility as well, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so, man, God, we could talk to so long. So what do you think's been your toughest race or like the moment in your career, where you're maybe you're second guest yourself or like, you just weren't sure if you, if you could do it, there, has there ever been a time like that for you? It's the toughest time. I think for me, I have, there's this one, obviously, Mugello.

You all know Mugello and Rookies Cup the last three years, well, not this year, but the last three years before we've raced there. And every Saturday, like the first race of the weekend at Mugello had always been my worst race of the season. So I'll put it into perspective. So my first time at Mugello in 2021, the Saturday race day, I finished two minutes behind first place. That was my biggest gap from first place I'd ever had in Rookies Cup and ever did have in Rookies Cup.

And at that point, that was where I was like, right, this is, yeah, it's pretty tough. It was a tough pill to swallow and only having dad there as well, was kind of, yeah, that made it very difficult. And then the next year was 2022 and it was in the wet and Mijello in the wet is probably, I'd say the most tricky track in the wet. The surface, I don't know what it is. It's just something about it or it's just me. Maybe I just had bad luck with it there. But yeah.

I lead my first, it was the first time I ever led a race in Europe. I was leading by eight seconds, six laps to go, crashed. And I crashed at turn seven. So remember turn seven, six laps to go. 2023, next year, the race won on the Saturday. It was wet again. I was leading turn seven, six laps to go, crashed. So yeah, the Saturdays at Mugello are probably the worst ones. yeah, that.

This one last year when I was leading the game, that was probably the hardest one. Having it happen two years in a row, same amount of laps, same corner. Yeah. And I do remember crossing the line and we had in Mugello, we have like an electronic lap counter. So when our laps are left and then I've seen six laps to go and I don't remember saying it to myself, but I'm sure something happened at the time. I was like six laps to go, right.

Angus Norton (52:00.33)
If this is how far you made it last time, just make it this much more. And in another way, also in the wet, I found that race when I got to that point, what I did was I backed off. And while that might be a good thing, because I mean, you're taking less risk mentally, once you switch off and you say, right now I'm to be cautious. If you can pull it off, it's good, but you're in what we call a flow state. You're in that flow state.

everything's flowing, you're not thinking about nothing else except for writing. As soon as you say, right, I'm gonna get out of this, I'm gonna slow down, that's when you start making mistakes. It doesn't feel like slow motion, know, everything's coming at you fast. And I'd say that's probably what happened to me in that second week one. So yeah, was a tough pill to swallow for sure, yeah. Oh man.

We're going to have to more interviews because the level of maturity I'm hearing from you is super impressive. Yeah, I crashed at Laguna Seca two years ago. It was the first session of the morning. And if you've ever ridden the, you come down through the corkscrew, you come under the bridge, you'd sit up for 10-1 and I got taken out. Like, dude just took me out, right? And he went to hospital on a helicopter and I walked away. But...

I want to go back there because I want to get that monkey off my back. know, like it's like one of those weird things. know I'm just an amateur, I can, I can hear, I can hear where you're going. Um, and, um, you know, as you think about like, what I'm curious, you'd be talking a lot about race is I'd love to understand more a bit about like, um, like, you know, on the flip side, you know, sort of what's your most proud moment, like what's the moment that, um, and racing so far that really stands out for you.

I think there's lots of different things. Obviously, racing in Europe is probably, I'd say the highest level of, well, the sense of achievement. Obviously, it's a world championship. yeah, definitely the podium. I think the first podium, most of all this season in Misano in Italy, that was probably the biggest one. It was coming into this year. I wouldn't say I put a lot of pressure on myself, but I was like, right, this year I'm going all in. It's all or nothing.

Angus Norton (54:18.51)
And to get the first podium in the first race weekend of the season was like, wow, you know, that, you know, the first Kiwi podium in that championship, you know, to see the New Zealand flag on the podium. It had loads of creases in it because it's probably been in the packaging for so long. Yeah. See that. Exactly. That's that. It's really awesome. It was, it was amazing. You know, just being, you know, seeing, yeah, as I said, seeing that Kiwi flag on the podium was awesome. Another one was the weekend later where I got my first pole position.

and I'll give you bit of a background pretty much. Esterel is a crazy circuit. It's one of the most beautiful circuits we ride at and pretty much it was wet. It was another wet day. The last time I had written a moto free bike in the wet was the crash that I had in Mugello the two years, the two years in a row. And that was on the rookies bike. This was on the junior GP bike. It was the first time I was ever going to ride this bike in the wet. I'd never ridden this bike before.

But luckily I'm from New Zealand, I'm from Vicargana and the weather there is horrible. I love, the thing is I love the wet. I just don't love Mijello Saturdays in the wet. That's yeah, that's a different story. But I remember I was going out to that session and I said to my crew chief, Harvey, said, look, it's my first time riding the bike in the wet. I'm just going to try and learn as much as I can. know, whatever happens happens. And we went out there and the thing with the wet that I find different than in the dry, wet.

the whole time you have to be focused. In the dry, you're always, I guess you could say thinking one corner ahead, because you kind of have to plan for strategy or whatever. The wet, it's always changing. So every little corner, every little bit of the corner is different. So you have to be fully focused that whole time. And as I said, I was in flow the whole time I was in flow. And the thing with qualifiers in the wet, the last lap of the session,

Your last lap of the session will always be the best one. That's when your knowledge is on track and the wet is at the best. Your tires are at the hottest team, know, breaks all of that. And I did the pole lap on my second, it would have been a lap good enough for pole position on the second previous lap. But obviously you don't know that when you're riding out there, cause you don't have, you know, the, a leaderboard or anything on your dash. And I was like, right, it's, it's my last lap. Right. I'm going to try my best to see what happens. And when I say that was one of the most complete laps I've ever done.

Angus Norton (56:43.638)
I crossed the finish line half a second in front of second place in the wet, you know, first time on a bike in the wet, you know, pole position, first Kiwi pole position. And yeah, that was, that was a pretty sick feeling. And as, as you said, how you want to go back to Laguna Seca, get the monkey off your back, the amount of relief that I felt like, right, you know, I'm back, you know, it just felt, yeah, it felt amazing. That's so cool. Yeah, actually it's funny. I actually did my first two track days of pouring rain.

in the web two weeks ago. First time I actually ridden on wet tires, know, wet race tires. It was a whole cool experience, basically, to make a video on it. And so, you got a fan base, you got a life outside of the track. I want to sort drill in a bit that in the last 10 minutes, because are you still going to school? you, like...

Did you like just give all that up or go all in race or like, how does that work as someone your age? Yeah, so this is my first year of actually not being at school. remember last year, I've always really struggled with trying to manage school, training and racing. And when I got home, I did all the necessary requirements, I got all the achievements that needed to get to pass school and stuff like that.

I sat mum and dad down, I said, look, why should I focus on all of these different things at once when to perform at the highest level, I need to be focused fully on racing? And I said, look, this year I want to go all in. I just want to put everything towards this one year. No distractions, fully on training, fully on racing. And yeah, this is the first year I've been at school. But yeah, it was always quite difficult, I think.

more so in the early years of my racing career with school. Because since I was going back from Australia to New Zealand and all of that, it was quite difficult because being a school kid racing road bikes, was very, very rare, very rare in New Zealand, especially in this day and age. So was kind like the other kids, I guess, sort of didn't know what to think. They're like, what's this? What are you doing? You're always leaving us to go to Australia.

Angus Norton (59:02.42)
And it was kind of like, wait till you find out I'm going to Spain to the rookies cup selection event. It was, yeah. It's, it's cool. You know, like a lot of my mates, even now they're still watching the races, know, guys that I was racing in speedway, they're still watching all my races and coming back now to New Zealand is, as I said, you know, now there's a bit more of a younger generation trying to come up. So it's also, it's also being cool, you know, being able to kind of pave a pathway for them. cause right now, you know, I'm the only one that's really doing it.

in Europe, you know, so it's always cool to come back home, you know, see the people that have, you know, watched me since I was a little toddler, you know, at the Speedway track, all the people that have seen me when I was wearing the high vis vest at, you know, the racetracks in New Zealand. And it's always, you know, good to, you know, just say hello, come back, you know, tell them stories like what I'm doing now, you know, stuff like that. And yeah, it's a really cool experience to be able to share with all of those people.

And like when you're not racing, sounds like you're into cycling and as well, but do you, do you have any other hobbies or like outside of the stuff, man? I'm sure you do. I mean, a young guy living in Barcelona, I'm sure he's all sorts of attractions. You got to be pretty disciplined. Yeah, it's difficult at times. Like, it's, yeah, it's pretty much a fully racing focus, but another big thing that I've prioritized this year is my like recovery and my rest.

They're having that downtime. always after the race weekends, I, I sort of give myself two to three days to kind of just, you know, just relax, you know, just be a, a normal teenager for once. Cause you know, sacrifice it, you have to sacrifice a lot, you know, I've had to sacrifice my childhood basically to, come over here, move over here to race the world championships and stuff. So it's always, it's always nice to go play golf or something, you know, go to a driving range with my mates and, you know, hit a few golf balls around.

I'm into coffee. That's another big thing. I love coffee. I love cooking. It's funny because nowadays since I'm on a super strict diet and super strict requirements with the waste and stuff, I'm always trying to find different creations, trying to come up with different creations that I can fit into the diet and stuff. But yeah, I love all sorts of things. I'm a big rugby fan, big All Blacks fan.

Angus Norton (01:01:27.392)
Last year was super tough. We were having to watch the World final. It was quite funny because mum was at home. Obviously she lives in New Zealand so she can watch it just on the TV like as if you were turned on the news. Since me and dad, we were stuck here, we couldn't get the VPN to watch it on SkySport or anything like that. So mum literally had to FaceTime us and put the phone up to the TV so we could watch the World Cup final.

But yeah, after that result, don't think I talked to anyone for the next day or two. was just, yeah, a bit upset about, yeah, even now we've got like the, you know, the world rugby series and stuff on the All Blacks. I'm watching that. Yeah. And into the cycling, as you said, you know, with the Tour de France and now even we have the, the La Vuelta, which is the Spanish, I guess, Tour de France equivalent. So, yeah, it's, it's difficult. The most difficult time is during the summer break because,

Yeah, it's two months without racing. You the last race I had was in June. So luckily it's only a couple more weeks until I get back on the bike. Um, but yeah, it's, you know, trying to figure out different things to keep myself busy away from the training. Um, but yeah, it's pretty much full gas, you know, the whole summer break training to be, yeah, wake up a better person than I was yesterday. I made a share of my batch right now. We have a batch in the mountains in Pacific Northwest.

Beautiful roads everywhere and so you're welcome to come and stay and ride your bike here. Lock it in. If it makes you feel any better, ate two whole bars of Cadbury Caramello chocolate yesterday. And then this morning I already had two pieces of dairy milk chocolate because I love Cadbury's chocolate and the Yank chocolate sucks. It's really bad. Man, so, okay, so.

Tell me about your fan base, your level, do you have fans? know, like we'll put some links to shout out or whatever, any sponsors you have, it'd be cool to do that. But are you developing a bit of a fan base or do you engage with fans or? Yeah, I definitely have like a fan base now. I certainly have a much bigger one than what I had in my first year rookies cup. It's really, really cool because Junior GP,

Angus Norton (01:03:45.696)
Everyone wants to see, I guess you could say, the next, the future MotoGP World Champions. So I guess this season specifically being a consistent front runner fighting for the title that comes with more fans and we have pit lane walks where there's a lot of people that want to get photos, autographs and stuff like that. So it's always cool, especially when you see like, I remember Aragon last year, there was a whole, I guess you could say school of kids, but they're all wearing their race leathers.

So they look super cute, super cute and tiny and they raised leathers and stuff. was, yeah, that was awesome. But yeah, as well as having the sponsor backing, Bedpost New Zealand, they've been sponsoring me for a long time. And something cool that I have is the Kiwi on the top of the helmet. Hugh Anderson, Kim Newcombe, they've had that Kiwi. it's a special, I guess you could say it's like a unique thing that I have in all of my helmets.

I had it all my rookie cup helmets. You also mentioned there's a Māori word, a Māori phrase that you use. Yeah. Can you tell us about that? So the Māori phrase is kia kaha kia mai kia mana wanui. So pretty much that comes from my primary school before I'd even had a thought of racing road bikes. But it's something that stuck with me. So it means be strong, be brave. And I can't

I can't remember the last one. We'll look it up and put it up here, but I remember reading about that. And who is the key response to you mentioned? it? Bedpost New Zealand. So they're another one that I have on the helmet as well. honestly, I have a lot of local backing as well. A lot of support from, know, Brent Monroe challenges, another big one. So that's all. Yeah, that's yeah, that's that's another amazing thing to have, like have it on my letters on the arm there. So that's quite.

that's quite special to have, know, Brent Monroe obviously is a, I guess you could say a global icon. You know, there's people that say, you know, oh, I know you, you know, you're from Brent Monroe country. I'm like, yep, especially when I was in the UK as well. But yeah, to have, to be able to represent, you know, I guess you could say my, not just New Zealand, but my specific part of New Zealand and the part that makes me a, you know, it makes me a New Zealander, that's, you know, that's special. And, you know, the Kiwis are, you know, are solely New Zealand, you know.

Angus Norton (01:06:08.974)
animal who are, you see a key where you think New Zealand straight away. that's, that's, yeah. Oh, it's really cool to hear that mana. You have the real mana and, and, um, man, that's, um, you know, I was looking at some stats the other day. So New Zealand, uh, in terms of total per capita and the Olympic games, everyone talks about how many medals, but we're like number three. Um, and like, we definitely bet about a way, you know, know, bet way above our weight.

I'm always reminding people, McLaren, Kiwi, all these great writers, racers, sports people that come out of New Zealand. it's great to hear that you've got that pride as well. And I certainly do. I've been living in the States for a long time, but New Zealand will always be my home. When I go home, I might think I sound like a yank, which I think is kind of weird. Oh, don't tell me it's so bad. When I come home, like here, to speak to the Spanish people, I have to speak in, we call it Spanglish.

They have to, you know, have to like change, like lower your words, you know, shorten them and speak with an accent. And that is the worst thing. When I come back home, sometimes I forget to switch it off. But yeah, everyone makes fun of me for that. But the thing is my New Zealand accent, they can't understand me. So I have no other choice. Yeah, I hear a few, I hear some, some deep, some Southern accent, a little bit of Kiwi Southern accent there. And so look, hey,

I know it's later for you, so I just want to make sure I respect your time. as you think about looking back in your journey, and you're still so early, also so far, it's very interesting talking to you. I don't want you to feel like you're showing favoritism here, but when you think back about it, clearly your parents have been a massive influence on you, and you're super grateful for them. And I think that goes about saying, and I can tell how proud they are of you.

But, you know, who else, is there anything else you're most grateful for or anyone else you want to thank for getting where you are today? you know, I'd love to understand that. And I'd also love to understand, do you like have a personal motto to talk a bit about the Māori kia kaha is be stronger? Like, who would you like to thank? And I know it's weird to say this because you're just kind of getting started, but you're not, you know? Yeah. I think, you said, my parents, know, without them,

Angus Norton (01:08:28.908)
I wouldn't be here. know, daddy had to put up with me for the last three years, growing teenager, and now mom has to put up with me for this year as well. So they work, you know, just as hard as I do to make this a reality. And it's a big sacrifice for my whole family, as well as my sister. You know, it's difficult being away from the family, you know, for nine, 10 months per year. It's great to have such a family that is so supportive and is willing to sacrifice.

so much, not because it's never confirmed, but just to give me the shot, know, that's, that's definitely, you know, that makes me very, very grateful as, well as my whole extended family, you know, they're always calling, you know, checking in on me, you know, asking how it's going. And as well as the people in New Zealand, especially the Southland Motorcycle Club, more specifically Andy Underhay, you know, if he didn't give me that opportunity when I was, you know, a little, a little peewee, you know, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be able to

I wouldn't have started. Who knows? I'd probably be sitting on the couch at home, watching the All Blacks play rugby on Saturday night. So there's definitely those people. But as well as the Ripper Rookie Cup staff, Danny Rabauter and Gustl, I will admit they took a punt on me. They definitely took a chance. And who knows? Maybe it couldn't have paid off. I know that's a big sacrifice. Every rider, think it's 250,000.

a year per rider, you know, in the supplies in total. So that for them to select me was, you know, it was a huge sacrifice. could have, you know, might not have paid off, but I think it certainly did. They definitely, you know, I was so grateful for that. Those three years, you know, they shaped me into the rider I am today, as well as my current team, you know, AGR team. They're my manager and Scarry. He's, know, he's, you know, he also took a punt on me. That second year.

in Europe after the first year of the Rookies Cup. I will admit the results after that first year didn't look flash, know, no points. You know, why should we put this kid to race for my team in, you know, one of the most elite competitions in the world? He took a punt on me like they did in the Rookies Cup. yeah, because of him, you know, now I guess you could say now I'm starting to pay back that, you know, given the team podiums, positions and stuff like that. it's, yeah.

Angus Norton (01:10:52.82)
every little person, know, dating even back to, you know, the speedway days when there wasn't a vision, it was just, you know, having fun, you know, just, you know, the sponsors even back then, they, everyone's played their little part in getting me to where I am today. And, you know, the list of people to thank is, you know, it goes all the way out the door. It's super long, you know, but yeah, I'm so grateful to every single person that's played a part in this. And as I said, you know, we're only getting started. The future, the future is exciting. So.

Yeah. Well, clearly proud to be here. are proud to represent New Zealand. I know that motor sports, well, they say it's a team sport. I suppose it is in some ways, but it is at end of the day, real individual sport, right? And it's cool to see that. I thought it was a bit of a hoot that they had break dancing in the Olympics, but I didn't hear the motorcycle racing. What the hell? Like maybe they should do like a, I mean, seriously, but there's a whole nother discussion. So, you know, the other thing you remind me of is

I remember in the mid 90s watching, I was watching TV in Auckland and the story came on TV news about Scott Dixon. They're like, there's this young guy, Scott Dixon, he's 15 years old and his parents are mortgaging the house and sending him to America is the true thing, right? To race in IndyCar, or I think it might've been earlier, a junior version. And like that guy is like, he's won more IndyCars than anyone else in history.

And like I often think about him when I think about when I meet guys like you, because I mean, there's a guy whose family put it all on the line. I mean, I don't know if you've met him, but like you probably should. He'd probably be happy to meet you. I'd like to meet him, but man, it's cool to see you doing what you're doing. And man, thank you for, you know, giving me the opportunity to tell you the story. And my last question is kind of an obvious one is I've been trying to find where to watch you online and like, I can't find where to watch you. Like, is there a...

Are your races streamed? Like maybe you can send me the details and can put it up at top. yeah. Yeah. So usually in Europe and New Zealand, the best thing to do is YouTube. They live stream the races on YouTube. Obviously they have the social media channels like on Instagram, Facebook and stuff. So if you go to Junior GP, they always post a link for the races as I do on my social media accounts as well.

Angus Norton (01:13:10.734)
So I'm always updating those frequently, constant updates on how the weekend's going and always leaving a link for the race. yeah, Junior GP races, they're pretty exciting at times. It's the exact same as Moto Free World Championship just with younger kids. So yeah, it's definitely worth a watch for sure. Yeah, man. Well, you've definitely got a new fan of me.

And I'm sure that my audience have really enjoyed it as well. Just tapping into this race and mentality. It really is special. It really is cool. man, I reckon you've got a bright future and all of us are behind you, mate. So thank you. And yeah, I'm going to stop recording, but then I want to say goodbye to you. So I'll stop recording.