The father of the resistance Josep Maria Folch left the orphans Las 24 Horas de Catalunya

This weekend the 24 Hours of Catalunya Motociclisme will be held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the great benchmark in the world of endurance that it inherited from the mythical 24 Hours of Montjuïc. And the 18th edition will do it without fiction Joseph Maria Folchthe founder of the Folch Endurance team, winner of 11 editions, passed away this Tuesday at the age of 77.

Folch, from Reus, has been an ardent fan of the 24 Hours of Montjuïc since he was young, a businessman and team manager, the soul of the fighting discipline in our country and for all who faced him “a reference, an inspiration. , one of the greatest fans motorcycling has ever had.”

From his official Yamaha dealer in Reus and his small workshop in an old farmhouse next to his home, he became a benchmark in endurance, launching the Folch Endurance team in 1980, debuting in the mythical 24 Hours of Montjuïc. But it was at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya when the 24 hours moved to Montmeló that he made a big leap, signing up for the test a record 11 times, the last in 2017 after chaining three consecutive victories , with a mythical and relentless battle between the squads. Josep Maria Folch’s Yamaha Folch Endurance and Eduard Català’s Suzuki Català.

Folch Endurance also competed in the World Endurance Championship between 2008 and 2012, with third in 2008 as its best classification.

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The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya sent him an emotional farewell through its social networks and they are working to organize a tribute this weekend to the two characters who became the monuments of the event and recently disappeared: the team manager Josep Maria Folch and Raül Torras, the Mosso d’Esquadra and resistance pilot who died on June 7 at the Isle of Man TT.