Kenny Noyes, forced to use a standard Suzuki GSX-R 1000 engine in his Motorrad Suzuki after a crash in warm-up, overcame a very visual horsepower disadvantage to eventually take third place behind Bernat Martinez (T.B. Yamaha) and ex-MotoGP regular José Luis Cardoso (Blusens BQR Suzuki). It couldn’t have gone more perfectly in qualifying and it couldn’t have gone much worse in the warm up for Noyes who, after taking pole position and setting a new track record at Valencia for the opening round of the Spanish 1000cc Formula Extreme Championship, was caught out by the damp conditions and high-sided at turn two at the beginning of the morning warm-up. Though he was uninjured, the mercury kill-switch failed and his only race engine self-destructed. Under Spanish rules no spare bikes are allowed. Teams can change either engine or chassis, but not both. Normally the team carries two spare race engines along with cycle parts, but late delivery of race parts plus extensive crash damage to the crankcases of team mate Sergio Fuertes’ bike in his World Superbike fall on April 6 meant that the team´s only spare engine was completely standard and still bolted into a spare GSX-R 1000, brought along for “emergency cannibalization.” “The crash itself was nothing, but when the engine blew after revving its head off, I wondered of we’d even be able to start since there was only an hour and a half to work. Thanks to a great effort from the team I made it to the grid”¦ but, I started on slicks on a damp track without having done a complete lap in warm up and with a standard motor. The gear ratios were stock and didn’t suit the track. The clutch was the standard Suzuki slipper, nothing like our Yoshimura race clutch, and I had really forgotten what it was like to have no electronic quick-shifter. It was old school racing, closing the throttle on up-shifts and blipping the throttle big time on down shifts, working the clutch lever to keep the thing from coming around on me,” said Noyes, who went immediately into a six-rider battle for the lead. Noyes led across the line twice during the opening laps, but was being blitzed at the end of the home straight and on acceleration out of the slower corners. “It was pretty crazy. I was on the rev-limiter in all the wrong places and had to make some hairy passes with the bike all crossed up and backing in on the brakes because of the engine braking with the stock clutch, and I had to really be aggressive passing into the infield hairpin and at the end of the straight,” explained Noyes after the podium ceremonies. Positions were constantly changing. Noyes led across the line twice, slipped back as far as seventh and over the final five laps moved up from sixth to third, setting his fastest lap with three to go. Team mate Fuertes, riding injured, looked set for fourth but crashed on the final lap due to a gearbox problem. . “I had to figure out a way to ride this bike, and what I realized was just how good our set-up was. The only reason I could get away with throwing the bike around like that was that we had gotten the suspension spot on and I had so much confidence in the Dunlop front. This felt almost like a win because of what we had to overcome, but I know we are going to be up front all year and fighting for the title,” Noyes said. 1. Bernat Martinez (T.B. Yamaha) 31’33.055 2. José Luis Cardoso (BQR Suzuki) 31´34.119 3. Kenny Noyes (Motorrad Suzuki) 31’36.584 4. Enrique Rocamora (S.R. Suzuki) 31’39.442 5. Iván Silva (D´Antin Kawasaski) 31’40.234 6. Carmelo Morales (Laglisse Yamaha) 31’54.255 7. Diego Lozano (Darcey Honda) 31’58.478 8. Jordi Torres (Merson Honda) 32’04.932 9. Javier del Amor (Laglisse Yamaha) 32’08.883 10. David Bonache (S.R. Suzuki) 32’10.171 11. Manuel Hernandez (BQR Suzuki) 32´33.717 12. Victor Casas (Gher Suzuki) 33.08.325 (29 starters, 20 finishers)