Folch Yamaha First and Third in Qualifying for 24 Hours of Catalunya Spain’s most prestigious endurance race will get under way on Saturday at 3:00 PM Barcelona time with the American-French-Spanish combination of Kenny Noyes, Olivier Four and David Gomez starting on the pole. The three Folch Yamaha R1 riders managed to average 2 minutes 4.975 seconds to record the best three rider average among the 65 teams entered in the classic Barcelona marathon. Last year’s winners, Suzuki Catalá (Sardá, Cabana, Casas, all Spanish) were second 1.3 seconds back with the second Folch machine ridden by Spaniards Toni Salom, Augustin Perez and Argentine Ignazio Tazi) were third with a combined average of 2 minutes 6.550 seconds. Conditions were mixed with first riders getting just fifteen minutes of dry time before the showers came. The pole position average for the Folch 1 team was a result of a 1 minute 52.293 seconds by Noyes, and then wet times of 2 minutes 14.188 and 2 minutes 7.22 seconds set by Gomez and Four respectively. Team owner Josep Folch said, “Kenny did his quick time on an old tire and just when we put on the first new tire it started to rain. Gomez had heavier rain in his session and then Four did some very fast times when we put in intermediates. It looks dry for tomorrow, but we will be fine either way”¦all three riders are good in the wet and we should have a good pace in dry conditions. But the pole means nothing in endurance racing. I expect BQR Honda to be fast early on with Tomás, Ullastres and del Amor but we´ll be there as will Suzuki Catalá and tomorrow we´ll now who could keep the pace and make the least mistakes. Since the race moved five years ago from the short variant of the Circuit of Catalunya to the full Grand Prix track, Folch Endurance Yamaha has won three times and Catalá Suzuki twice. Sixty-five teams will make the start.