British Talent Team rider John McPhee had a more difficult start to the race weekend at the Circuit of the Americas compared to the first two rounds of the season, and FP3 saw the Brit down and out of position before a stunning comeback in qualifying.
McPhee put in a last dash up the timesheets in the QP session to take ninth, setting him up well for what is sure to be another Moto3™ classic on Sunday.
The Scotsman did 12 laps and set his best on his last, a 2:16.199 giving him a third row start in a tightly-packed field.
The race for the lightweight class gets underway on Sunday at 11:00 local (GMT -5), with the behemoth 1200m straight on the track ready for the kings of slipstreaming.
John McPhee, P9: “After a slightly more difficult start to the weekend, I think we can be happy with ninth in qualifying. It's not the position I am looking for, but I know I can fight from here in the race tomorrow!”