Texas: McPhee in the top ten on Day 1

Solid start for the BTT in Austin

British Talent Team rider John McPhee kept some good momentum on the first day of Free Practice at COTA, taking P9 on the combined timesheets as he arrives from a second place finish in both Qatar and Argentina.

With his usual modus operandi of riding alone and focusing on race setup, the Brit put in 13 laps in FP1 with his best proving his last - ninth in the session on a 2:19.234. FP2 saw the Scotsman improve his laptime to a 2:18.162 after 11 laps, keeping him in ninth on the combined timesheets for a solid start.

The lightweight class head out for qualifying on Saturday at 12:35 local time (GMT -5), with McPhee aiming to fight for the front rows once again following his stunning pole position in Argentina.

John McPhee, P9: "Not the pace we were looking for to start the weekend off but we have a lot of room for improvement and some good ideas for tomorrow. I didn't get a great lap together so I know today wasn't my true position. But it's nice to be back in America with the great support of the fans at this amazing circuit!"