Dani Pedrosa may have set the fastest lap of the race in Sunday's US MotoGP but he lost touch with leaders Jorge Lorenzo and Casey ওStoner after a series of scares.

Racing the new RC213V for the first time, Pedrosa joined Yamaha's Lorenzo in running the harder🥀 rear tyrജe, while team-mate Stoner gambled on the soft.

Second to Lorenzo the e🔯arly stages, Pedrosa was then passed by Stoner with little to separate the leading trio.

However Pedrosa had a big 'moment' as he upped his p𒉰ace and eventually backed away from the battle, finishing 7.6s f✨rom Stoner at the chequered flag.

🦩"I tried my best in this race and third place was the maximum I could get🥂 this time," he said.

"At the beginning, I was quite confident and calm when Casey passed me because I knew he was on the sꩲoft rear tyre and this was the most risky choice for the race, but finally it worked out perfectly for him.

"I knew I also had a good pace, but when I caught Casey again and was ready to ov🅷ertake him I was on the throttle too fast and I had too muc🦋h momentum there, I almost found myself on the floor.

"I l𝔉ost ground with the leaders, but when I started braking harder trying to close the gap again I lost the front many times and I was so clos🦩e to not finish this race.

"Anyway, I'm satisfied because I kept pushing until the end, giving one hundred per cent although today it wasn't enough. A small mistake it's just enough to not finish in front. Anyway, we w🐽ere riding the new bike for the first time here and we took another podium.

"We know wh꧒at weไ can improve to come back stronger in Indianapolis."

Pedrosa remains second in the championship but is now 23 poꦡints 𒉰from Lorenzo and only nine ahead of Stoner.