Yamaha GMT 94 took today a serious option on the pole position. The Yamaha of Sébastien Gimbert, David Checa and Steve Plater took the lead from the average lap time of its three riders. Sébastien Gimbert even beat everyone with a best lap of 1’40”826. He was the only rider below the 1’41 mark today. The best qualifying time last year was obtained by Vincent Philippe in 1’41”118. Despite several minor technical problems, the Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 1 managed to score the second best time of this first qualifying session, just behind GMT 94, with their homogeneous team of riders Vincent Philippe, Matthieu Lagrive and Julien Da Costa. But the SERT doesn’t seem to be in a very good mood at the moment. With great performance of riders Gwen Giabbani and Steve Martin, Yamaha Austria Racing Team took the third place, but Igor Jerman could not really ride properly as his two sessions had been interrupted by red flags. Team Kawasaki France had to satisfy themselves with fourth place, with Erwan Nigon, Ivan Silva and Julian Mazuecos. Behind them is Suzuki Endurance Racing Team 2, suffering from the same front fork problem that is also affecting Suzuki 1. The first Superstock machine is in sixth place, the Suzuki Junior Team is faster than many Formula EWC bikes, theoretically more powerful. Freddy and Kenny Foray, and Emeric Jonchière are ahead of Kawasaki Bolliger Switzerland, and the Yamaha Phase One Endurance and Folch Endurance. In tenth place comes the first Honda, National Motos team, with Sébastien Scarnato, Thomas Metro and Josep Monge, still battling with some front end problems. In the Superstock class, dominated by the Suzuki Junior Team, are also the Honda Moto Revue of Jean-Michel Bayle, Sébastien Charpentier and Thierry Traccan in twelfth place, the Yamaha LTG 57 in seventeenth place despite some over-heating problems and a crash, and the Suzuki from the Qatar Endurance Racing Team, eighteenth of this first qualifying session. In the Open class, the Bihr Metiss took advantage of the two BMW HP2 Motorrad, who are to be seen in Endurance for the last time at the Bol d’Or. The weather forecast plans some rain for tomorrow. Starting tomorrow Friday from 10:15 am, the second qualifying session should not let the teams to improve their laptimes.