Petronas SRT's John McPhee endured a ‘tricky’ race day at Misano after a poor start and technical issues prevented much momentum on his Moto3 return.

Starting from 19th, after Saturday’s disappointing qualifying, a poor start meant McPhee found himself down in 23rd by the second lap. The Scot made steady progress back through the field to move into the points and up to 12th by mid-race distance, with his sights set on closing the gap to the top 10.

Unfortunately an issue with the rear brake in the final 10 laps prevented any further progress but he remained in the race, eventually crossing the line 13th.

“It was a tough race today and the pace at the front was really fast,” McPhee explained on Sunday. “I felt quite good on the bike and was able to have a decent rhythm, but the biggest issue was making my way past the other guys.

“When I was able to get to the front of my group, I was closing the gap to those ahead. Lap-by-lap I was getting there, but then 10 laps before the end I had a moment and the rear brake broke. It wasn’t enough to make me retire, but it made it a tricky finish to the race.

“It was good to still score some points and we’ve learned a lot from this. I’m looking forward to getting to Texas, but I’m also looking forward to being back here in a few weeks.”