Lorenzo takes San Marino pole position with record lap

Lorenzo beat his own lap record set in 2016 with a time of one minute 31.629 seconds at the Misano circuit, ahead of fellow Ducati rider Jack Miller of Australia and Yamaha's Maverick Vinales.

World champion Marc Marquez fell five minutes from the end of the session but sprinted back to the pits to change his bike and managed to put in two more fast laps on his Honda, taking fifth place on the grid behind Andrea Dovizioso of Ducati.

Nine-times MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi, who missed the race last year because of injury and is second in the championship standings behind Marquez, could manage only seventh place on his Yamaha.

Lorenzo had been due to start on pole at Silverstone two weeks ago before the race was cancelled due to heavy rain.

(Reporting by Clare Fallon; Editing by Helen Popper)