Enter a world of magic and mystery, in my own head, where surfing and snowboarding are considered real jobs! Amazing feats of daring and skill are performed every day - and that's just getting the footage onto film!
Media anarchist, film guru, surf addict and web video blogger!
Marvelous evening spent with the Dragon Power crew, led by Sifu Quentin Chong, who brought some of the fighters for the Fight Night this Saturday at Grand West. The men from the Great Apes came to chat about their gig with Bilderberg Motel and the Beast on Friday evening at Mercury (Sean from Bilderberg also stopped by.) Tyrone Rawlins was with me on air with all the latest from AMA Supercross and we dissected the first stop on the ASP World Tour, the Quik Pro from Ozzy. All this and great tunes!
Download Show 26 - Podcast Here
(Right click and save as.)
With the build up to the Rolling Retro event this coming Saturday, I had Cheo Kraak, RVCA SA, Robby McDonald, Vudu Surf, Chad Du Toit and Jordy Smith on the show. We covered the Retro Surf comp, the North Shore season just passed, the upcoming 2012 ASP Surf Tour and the state of South African surfing. Had a good time, much red wine and beer was consumed and there were a couple of good laughs! Spike from Wavescape came along and gave us the green light with a good forecast for small waves and good weather.
Show 17 and I had surfing and FMX, with my mate Trent and Robby from Vudu Surf, talking Fantasy Surfer and the ASP World Tour for next year - also had a surprise visit from Markus, the guy responsible for Ultimate X, and he brought Jason Moriarty, our very own man behind the scenes on worldwide FMX. Was a great show and I hope you enjoy it...
Download the Podcast here - Podcast 17 (To download, Right Click, Save as)
The Emperor of all Surf contest starts today and it looks like it could be the best start in a decade. The Pipeline Masters on the North Shore of Oahu is the most prestigious trophy in surfing, the past winners a group of surfing's legends. When Pipeline is 15ft and out of the West, its scary, awe inspiring and the proving ground of real men. For the last few years, the swell has been smaller and the focus more on backdoor, where Kelly Slater and Andy Irons held a yoke on the competition for a number of years. Last year in average to good Backdoor, the Frenchman Jeremy Flores won the competition and joined the Pipe Club. Today the swell is looking a solid 12-15ft and out of the West meaning the contest should start in massive Pipeline breaking from at least 2nd Reef. (Some of the World Tour campaigners must be shitting themselves!)
Pipeline runs a little different to the other contests on the Tour as a huge field of Pipe Specialists are included in the draw. Thus the multiple wild cards are put into Round 1 with the bottom ranked Tour surfers, the winners getting to move into Round 2 to surf against the medium ranked Tour surfers and then eventually the top surfers on tour in round 3. The pick of the Round 1 Heats for me is going to be Jamie O"Brian versus Dane Reynolds. Both of these guys can charge big tubes and thats what they going to get in Round 1. This will be a pigdog backhand tube fest at Pipeline.
Here is the ASP Press release:
BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Tuesday, December 6, 2011) – The Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons is set to unfold from December 8 through 20, 2011 and with a big swell looming on the horizon, the world’s best surfers could be battling massive Pipeline on the opening day of the waiting period.
The final stop on the 2011 ASP World Title Series and the third jewel of the Vans Triple Crown, the Billabong Pipe Masters utilizes a unique overlapping format which hosts an expanded field to accommodate the talented list of Hawaiian Pipeline specialists.
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, freshly crowned 11-time ASP World Champion, was admittedly more relaxed entering the upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters after securing the 2011 ASP World Title in San Francisco, but is still anxious to tackle the dangerous barrel after nearly a year out of the North Shore lineup.
“In theory, having won the title in San Francisco takes the pressure off a lot, but there’s a big swell coming,” Slater said. “There’s been nothing to prepare on and I haven’t been there even if there was. It’s going to go from zero to 10 here pretty quick in the next few days and there’s not going to be a whole lot of waves to free-surf beforehand. The pressure is off, so I don’t have to worry about that, but the anxiety building up to surfing the Pipe contest is a lot. I haven’t felt it until sitting here today thinking about it, but it’s exciting and I can’t wait to get in the water. The pressure’s not there (for the ASP World Title), but there is the excitement, the anxiety and getting rid of the nerves after a year of not surfing Pipe.”
Slater, who has won several elite ASP event victories at Pipeline, also explained that the massive swell expected to ignite the infamous reef instantly changes a competitors’ heat strategy in comparison to smaller first-reef Pipeline typically seen in previous years at the Billabong Pipe Masters.
“It’s a whole different deal, you kind of have to make a decision,” Slater said. “Everyone would love to get one of those second-reef bombs in their heat. The truth is, they are heats and you get scored so the chance of getting out there and getting a second reef wave and maximizing your scoring potential at Pipeline probably isn’t going to happen. It’s been a long time since someone’s had a second-reef Pipe wave in a contest, but it’d be nice to see.”
Is this going to be the site at the Contest later today?
Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, 2009 Billabong Pipe Masters Champion, has been putting his time in at Pipeline in preparation for this year’s contest, but feels the smaller swells on offer earlier this year have done little to prepare him for the serious swell expected to deliver on the opening day of the waiting period.
“It looks like the surf is only going to get better, so I’m getting excited,” Burrow said. “I’ve been surfing out there a lot, but it’s mainly only been rippable little turns, so I’m looking forward to getting some barrels. It’ll be fun. Big Pipe is pretty intimidating, it’s scary for sure, but it’s awesome at the same time. I’m excited to surf such an incredible wave with just a few guys out.”
Burrow, who won the first event of the Vans Triple Crown, the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa, stumbled at Sunset Beach, but is hoping for Redemption at the Billabong Pipe Masters to keep his hopes alive for the prestigious Hawaiian title.
“I was definitely thinking about the Triple Crown on route to Hawaii,” Burrow said. “In the past Joel Parkinson won it a lot, and it seemed like he won it with ease and I noticed a few of the guys weren’t doing it this year. Triple Crown was something I really wanted to do and I want to win it. It’s looking like a good race with John John (Florence) and Adam (Melling) getting some good results, so it should prove to be an exciting finish.”
Throaty left pits with high risk factor... Got to love watching big Pipeline.
John John Florence (HAW), 19, winner of the Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach, is currently leading the Vans Triple Crown ratings entering the final stop at his home break and is chomping at the bit to battle the world’s best surfers despite the pressure that comes along with competing in front of the local crowd.
“It should be fun, we haven’t really had a Pipe swell this year and it’s looking like this will be the first real swell, so no one has had the chance to surf it yet,” Florence said. “There’s definitely pressure. I live there and surf there everyday and I don’t want to lose first heat. I want to have fun out there surfing with only three other guys in the water, it’s amazing.”
Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, who joined the ASP Top 34 after the midyear rotation, has been in stunning form while scalping two event victories and the young Brazilian is looking at this year’s solid swell as an opportunity to build crucial experience in bigger surf.
“I’ve been to Hawaii five times, but I haven’t surfed Pipe much because it’s always so crowded,” Medina said. “Hopefully I can get some good waves this year with two or three guys in the water. I don’t have a lot of big wave experience, but I’m excited and I’m going to do my best.”
Due to the expanded competition at Pipeline, the ASP has awarded two wildcard spots to surfers next in line on the ASP World Rankings, Kolohe Andino (USA), 17, and Willian Cardoso (BRA), 25. Both surfers will receive ASP World Rankings points for their campaigns at the Billabong Pipeline Masters.
The Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons will run from December 8 – 20, 2011 and will be webcast LIVE via http://vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com/billabongpipemasters2011
For additional information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 1 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. Marcus Hickman (HAW)
Heat 2: CJ Hobgood (USA) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 3: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Evan Valiere (HAW)
Heat 4: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. Bruce Irons (HAW)
Heat 5: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Ian Walsh (HAW)
Heat 6: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Kai Barger (HAW)
Heat 7: Daniel Ross (AUS) vs. Aamion Goodwin (HAW)
Heat 8: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Jamie O’Brien (HAW)
Heat 9: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Laurie Towner (AUS)
Heat 10: Willian Cardoso (BRA) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW)
Heat 11: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 12: Mason Ho (HAW) vs. Hank Gaskell (HAW)
Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 2 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 2: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 4: John Florence (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 5: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 6: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 7: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 8: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 9: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. TBD
Heat 11: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. TBD
Heat 12: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. TBD
Upcoming Billabong Pipe Masters Round 3 Match Ups:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 2: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBD
Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. TBD
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. TBD
Heat 9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 10: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBD
Heat 11: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. TBD
Heat 12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBD
VANS TRIPLE CROWN TOP 3 (Heading into Billabong Pipe Masters):
1. John John Florence (HAW) 9,780 pts
2. Adam Melling (AUS) 9,650 pts
3. Michel Bourez (PYF) 8,480 pts
ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (Heading into Billabong Pipe Masters):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 63,350 pts
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 48,600 pts
3. Owen Wright (AUS) 47,900 pts
4. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 43,700 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 42,200 pts
Taj finds the tubes and takes the win. (Photo: ASP)
You might have wondered why I have not blogged on the Triple Crown yet and the simple answer is that not much has really happened yet - well till the last day of the event at Haleiwa. The surf for the first few days looked like School Champs in Port Elizabeth - in other words really small and not what we expect from the North Shore. You got to know that is the case when the guys are surfing Haleiwa left! The young guns were reveling in the small stuff, throwing airs all over the show - see video further down. But they finally got some swell on the last day and Taj looking hungry as ever took the win. Next up is Sunset and hopefully they get swell...
HALEIWA, Hawaii (November 23, 2011) - West Australia’s Taj Burrow, a virtual veteran of pro surfing at 33 years of age, has claimed his first Reef Hawaiian Pro title in Hawaii to pocket $25,000 and take an early lead on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing ratings. Burrow, who has been competing in Hawaii for 15 years, left the field in his wake today, finding a form all his own in the pumping overhead surf. Coming into the final, he claimed that this was his year to shoot for the Vans Triple Crown. He kept his word. Runner-up was East Coast Australian Adam Melling; third was Adriano De Souza (Brazil); and fourth was Nat Young (Santa Cruz, CA.). The Reef Hawaiian Pro is the first jewel in the prestigious $830,000 Vans Triple Crown presented by Rock Star Energy Drink.
Burrow surfed through four rounds today, gaining momentum in each. While aerials were at the front of most surfer’s minds, Burrow got creative with every heat, strategically building scores with a mixed plate of form-bending tube rides and lip-belting close-out snaps. He eclipsed his challengers in the final, posting a two-wave total of 16.90 out of 20 (9.37 and 7.53). Melling (12.6 – 6.43, 6.17) and De Souza (12.5 – 7.5, 5) battled it out for second. Nat Young, who had tapped into the best rhythm of the day up until the final, was left high and dry with a two-wave total of only 6.10 (3.73, 2.37).
“I had a good run, it feels good scoring in the 9-point range and it’s hard to do,” said Taj, world #3. “I just really wanted to win an event here. I am really happy.
“It’s funny I have never really gotten a good shot (at the Vans Triple Crown). I was thinking, maybe I should really have a go at one of these things so I actually have it right in the front of my mind.
“I love being in Hawaii. I was saying to a few of my friends it is so good to come to Hawaii and sit and make a base for six weeks. We are getting on a plane every other weekend normally, it’s draining. Coming to Hawaii you just get in a good routine, you unpack your bags and you can kind of relax. We train and eat good food and just the whole routine of it all I feel much better then having to skip town every two weeks.”
Melling, 26, was the quiet achiever through the rounds, chipping away with rock-solid performances and error-free, text-book surfing. A podium finish was a new high for him in Hawaii, and $12,500 wasn’t bad either.
“I am feeling pretty good you know, always wanted to do well and get on the podium here in Hawaii because the waves are so testing,” said Melling. “You can get any kind of conditions. You can get one foot or 12-foot closeouts. I needed to podium this year, I need the points so bad. I have been on the borderline for a while now, so hopefully this can push me up and I can get a couple more results.
“I have some good big boards that have been sitting in the garage for a while. I’m definitely looking forward to Sunset. I hope we get some swell because anything can happen out there. I have lost heats needing a 0.2 and counting a one. So it gets pretty hectic at times but I am looking forward to it.”
De Souza, world #5, has had a stellar season on the elite ASP World Tour and, like Taj, is hoping for a strong Hawaiian season. At 24 years of age, De Souza is undisputedly a member of the youth movement that is driving a fast road to the top of the pro surfing world.
“I am so happy right now with the third, it has always been my dream to get to the finals here in Hawaii,” said De Souza. “I have been watching the last 10 years, all of the finalists, and I have seen them with all their trophies and leis. So I always been dreaming to be one day here. I am really proud of myself. It was an amazing week. Actually the flat waves at the start helped me a lot. I needed the rest. I am really pumped for Sunset. It is going to be big waves so it is going to be a big motivation.”
Young, the youngest of the finalists at age 20, had been on fire in the earlier rounds. He posted the highest heat score of the entire event in the quarters – 17.77, popping two huge reverse 360 aerials on one wave for a 9.77 – the highest single wave of the event. He surfed through more rounds to reach the final than the others and looked to be peaking at the same time. But his cat and mouse game with the waves in the final was fruitless and frustrating.
“Yeah I was super frustrated in the final,” said Young. “Everything that could go wrong went wrong for me. I mean, it’s great to make the final and I’m so stoked about that. It’s all good and I will go into the next event with a little more confidence.
“I feel confident out at Sunset. The waves where I live are like big rights and that is kind of the same. I have done good there the past few years and I am excited.”
On his double air 9.77 that has earned him a shot at the 250,000 Hawaiian Miles Air award: “If you get a long enough wave you can do two airs, it’s just hard to do one right at the beginning and follow it up with another. I was happy to get that. The (second air) was kind of a sketchy landing because I landed it so far out on the flats. I didn’t really think I was going to land it, so that was nice.”
Prior to the final, local favorite John John Florence, 19, floated on air and threaded through barrels to reach the semi finals, but hit a wall at Burrow and Young. Regardless, he was ecstatic to compete in front of a strong home crowd and hopes to build momentum through the remaining two events.
“I’m happy,” said Florence. “I would have loved to make the final but I’m stoked to make the semi’s. All the young guys, Nat (Young), Kolohe (Andino), Evan (Geiselman), Granger (Larsen), everyone’s just kind of killing it, doing airs, getting everything together. It’s great, everyone’s down here, I’m stoked. I feel so at home. Sunset’s next, it’s gonna be big, it should be fun!”
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing now moves north to Sunset Beach for the Vans World Cup of Surfing (Nov. 25-Dec. 6). The Surfline.com forecast for the coming week promises exactly the kind of hefty, challenging surf that the venue is famous for. Sunset has a reputation for separating the men from the boys and is where a bid for the Vans Triple Crown is usually cemented or crushed.
Happy Thanksgiving! FINALS
Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.90pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 12.12.60pts ; Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.50 pts ; Nat Young (USA) 6.10 pts SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.84pts ; Nat Young (USA) 12.70pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 11.50pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 10.67pts Heat 2: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 13.54pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 13.16pts ; Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.30pts ; Roy Powers (HAW) 4.57pts QUATERFINALS
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 15.60pts ; Evan Geiselman (USA) 15.00pts ; Kolohe Andino (HAW) 6.90pts Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 17.77pts ; John John Florence (HAW) 14.27pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS) 5.50pts ; Glen Hall (IRL) 5.20pts Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.50pts ; Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.30pts ; Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.20 pts ; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 9.17pts Heat 4: Roy Powers (HAW) 15.00pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 9.90pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 7.33pts ; Granger Larsen (HAW) 6.83pts Round of 32
Heat 1: Evan Geiselman (USA)11.33pts ; Kieren Perrow (AUS)10.73pts ; Hodei Collazo (EUK) 6.84pts ; Maxime Huscenot (FRA) 2.90pts Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (HAW) 11.84pts ; Nat Young (USA) 9.70pts ; Adrien Toyon (REU)9.27pts ; Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 9.13pts Heat 3: Glenn Hall (IRL) 15.43pts ; Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 14.37pts ; Sebastien Zietz (HAW) 10.34pts ; Leonardo Neves (BRA)10.00pts Heat 4: John John Florence (HAW) 16.27pts ; Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.26pts ; Thiago Camarao 7.77pts (BRA) ; Daniel Ross (AUS) 7.70pts Heat 5: Adriano De Souza (BRA) 12.67pts ; Brett Simpson (USA) 12.34pts ; Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.60pts ; Adrian Buchan (AUS) 9.30pts Heat 6: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 11.19pts ; Adam Melling (AUS) 10.73pts ; Dion Atkinson (AUS) 8.83pts ; Adam Robertson (AUS) 8.50pts Heat 7: Roy Powers (HAW) 9.94pts ; Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.50pts ; Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.57pts ; Marc Lacomare (FRA) 5.83pts Heat 8: Granger Larsen (HAW) 14.60pts ; Jesse Mendes (BRA) 12.60pts ; Nathaniel Curran (USA) 10.84pts ; Aritz Aramburu (EUK) 7.93pts CLASH of the LEGENDS
Heat 2 : Ross Williams (HAW) 14.50pts ; Shane Dorian (HAW) 14.44 pts ; Rob Machado (USA) 10.83pts ; Kalani Robb (HAW) 8.27pts
Kelly Slater has officially become the greatest surfer of all time. Hell possibly the greatest athlete of all time. Yesterday at the Rip Curl Pro in San Francisco, he causally took down his Round 3 heat to win the 2011 title. The scary thing is that he still looks like he easily has a few more years in him. Could he go for number 12? It would surely ensure his place as the greatest sport star of all time!
The rest of the tour are left wondering what the hell they are going to have to do to stop him. It will be very interesting to see what goes down for the rest of the year and whether Kelly is still amped to compete.
Congrats Kelly! You are a legend.
ASP Press Release:
OCEAN BEACH, San Francisco/California (Wednesday, November 2, 2011) – Kelly Slater (USA), 39, has claimed a historic 11th ASP World Title today, clinching the year-long pursuit with his advancement out of Round 3 at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco.
In pristine three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) peaks at Ocean Beach, Slater fought back to an inspired start from opponent Dan Ross (AUS), 28, to claim victory in the dying moments in front of a capacity crowd at Ocean Beach.
“It was a scrappy heat, I didn’t win it in the most effortless style,” Slater said. “I’ve had a lot of heats with Rossy (Dan Ross) this year, and he’s real dangerous with a little power so I knew he’d be dangerous and I was nowhere to be found in the beginning of that heat. I was hunting those lefts and they were fading off I was thinking ‘why am I taking off on these things.’ I knew I had to get in on some of those rights. That wave had a nice open face and I thought it’d probably be just enough.”
After a banner year that witnessed the iconic Floridian make five of nine Finals (thus far) and post three wins, Slater seems to be surfing at the top of his game.
“This is pretty fabulous,” Slater said. “Two days ago in the afternoon it was chunky and small and didn’t look inviting at all. Yesterday was nice and today looks like a nice day in France. I don’t know, this hasn’t sunk in. I’ve been pretty stressed about it and I’m glad it’s over. It’s very fulfilling and there’s personal satisfaction. It feels real nice. I’ve dedicated my life to surfing and competing and to go a whole year and win a world title and have it pay off, it’s really fulfilling. To win on American soil is nice. Everyone’s been so cool and the locals have been so stoked. It’s been a special time. It’s been warm and offshore and a nice little swell. Someone’s looking over us and probably Andy (Irons).”
Today’s clinching of the 2011 ASP World Title comes on the one-year anniversary of the passing of Andy Irons. Irons, who is credited with being a defining force in Slater’s career, was once a bitter rival of the champ (claiming three consecutive ASP World Titles himself) but became a close friend and confidant in recent years. The symbolism of today was not lost on Slater.
“It’s sort of weird and I’ve been thinking about a lot of things coming together,” Slater said. “What are the chances of me winning on the anniversary of Andy passing away? It makes it a lot more special for me. It’s a way to celebrate my memories with him and be thinking about him. It’s been on my mind and I wrote a story about him the other day. It’s a time to think back.”
2011 ASP World Title Series Results:
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: WINNER
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: Equal 5th
Billabong Rio Pro: Equal 13th
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay: No Show
Billabong Pro Tahiti: WINNER
Quiksilver Pro New York: Runner-Up
Hurley Pro at Trestles: WINNER
Quiksilver Pro France: Equal 5th
Rip Curl Pro Portugal: Runner-UP
Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco: TBD
Billabong Pipeline Masters: TBD
With the 2011 ASP World Title sealed, Slater is now focused on performing in the event at hand, the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco.
“I’m refocusing on another win here,” Slater said. “I’ve accomplished the year goal. I definitely feel like I can go out and surf a lot more relaxed now. It’s really nice to win here in these conditions with so many people on the beach, I thought it’d be freezing cold and onshore and it’s been amazing.”
Having claimed his first ASP World Title in 1992 at the age of 20, Slater still boasts the record for the youngest-ever ASP World Title holder. Now at 39 years of age, Slater holds the record of being the oldest ASP World Champion ever, but was characteristically coy regarding any talk of retirement.
“I think 39 is actually pretty young to most people,” Slater said. “I guess in the past, you would top out once you hit 30, but that’s definitely not the case now. I feel like I’m surfing at the highest level of my career and I feel like I can keep going. I haven’t thought about it too much, but I plan on relaxing for the rest of the year and enjoying my time in Hawaii. We’ll see what 2012 brings to the table.”
Kelly Slater’s ASP World Title Clinch Locations:
2011: Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco – USA
2010: Rip Curl Pro Search Puerto Rico – USA Territory
2008: Billabong Pro Mundaka – Basque/Spain
2006: Billabong Pro Mundaka – Basque/Spain
2005: Nova Schin Festival – Brazil
1998: Mountain Dew Pipeline Masters – Hawaii
1997: Expo 98 Figueira 97 – Portugal
1996: Coca Cola Figueira 96 – Portugal
1995: Chiemsee Pipe Masters – Hawaii
1994: Chiemsee Gerry Lopez Pipe Masters – Hawaii
1992: Alternativa Surf Rio – Brazil
The Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco is Stop No. 10 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title Series with a waiting period from November 1-12. The 2011 Pro Search will be broadcast live on Fuel TV, Livestream.com and live.ripcurl.com
Surfline, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, are calling for he first two days of the waiting period, Tuesday and Wednesday, to see solid northwest ground and windswell mix along with generally favorable wind conditions (although still lumpy and bumpy surf on Tuesday). The end of the week and into the following weekend (3rd-6th) will see more swell, but also variable and, at times, strong onshore wind.
WOW that's the common response to this contest! Three days of tube festival deluxe in Portugal. At the end of the day the little Brazza, Adriano da Souza was the winner, taking out King Kelly in the final. Kelly had been doing his usual of slaying all comers, but seemed to finally lose his rhythm in the final and did not find the good waves. Adriano though was in scintillating form on the final day and rode solid tubes right through to the final buzzer.
Kelly Slater needs to just get through 2 heats at the next event in San Francisco to win his 11th World title and most are already pushing the title - Ke11y Slater. The man is simply amazing.
Other standouts for me were John John Florence who only got knocked out when they got the most wave starved heat of the contest, Joel Parko and Taj burrows who were both ripping and Julian Wilson, who is finally starting to show the surfing he was foretold to bring to the tour. Keep watching as the World Title moves to the USA for the Rip Curl Search event next.
SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Tuesday, October 18, 2011) – Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, has taken out the Rip Curl Pro Portugal over Kelly Slater (USA), 39, in clean three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) barrels at Supertubos today.
Event No. 9 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title Series, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal culminated in exciting fashion today as a feast of picturesque barrels closed out one of the most memorable events in ASP history.
De Souza tore through the field on the final day of competition, taking down Travis Logie (ZAF), 32, Michel Bourez (PYF), 25, and Bede Durbidge (AUS), 28, en route to his final clash with Slater. The young Brazilian opened up with a solid forehand barrel to secure a 9.00 out of a possible 10 and put pressure on the defending champion. Slater answered back with two solid scores of his own, but De Souza came back in the final minutes to hammer the nail in the coffin and secure the third elite tour win of his career.
“Kelly (Slater) has been my hero since I ever heard about surfing,” De Souza said. “He is a living legend and to be competing against him at this level is more than a dream come true. He has pushed me more than any other surfer and I owe him a lot. The waves have been incredible for this event. Thanks to Rip Curl for bringing us here and thanks to all the Portuguese who have supported me throughout the event.”
Today’s win vaults De Souza from 6th to 3rd on the ASP World Title rankings and into contention heading into the last two events of the year.
“I haven’t been as consistent as I would like to be this season but I have had two of the biggest results of my career here and in Brazil,” De Souza said. “It’s very special to win in these kinds of conditions. I just want to finish the year with some good results – I’m not thinking about the World Title.”
Slater, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, moved one step closer to clinching his 11th crown today. Should he finish 9th or better in the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco event (two heat wins), he will seal the deal.
“It’s been an amazing event,” Slater said. “I can’t remember a time when we’ve had so many 9s and high 8s and we’ve all just got barreled off our heads for three days straight. It’s been pretty amazing. Unfortunately, there was really only that one good one in the Final and I made a priority mistake and let Adriano (de Souza) have it. It’s obviously a good result for me and it makes things harder on everyone else. Let’s hope for good conditions in San Francisco.”
Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, rampaged through the day’s affairs, claiming a Round 4 win before dispatching of red-hot rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, in the Quarterfinals. Burrow then faced Slater in a heated Semifinal exchange. The Western Australian pulled out to an early lead as both tube specialists went blow for blow in the opening exchanges. However, a last-minute Perfect 10 from the champ would seal the deal and send Burrow home with an Equal 3rd.
“What do you say after that?” Burrow said. “It was another one of those situations where we were both getting good waves. I broke my board and was paddling out when he dropped in on that left – first left of the heat – and I knew it was a 10 straight away. I’m still a bit blown away. It’s been an amazing event though. Some of the best waves I’ve ever surfed.”
Bede Durbidge (AUS), 28, matched his best result of the season today, besting John John Florence (HAW), 19, and Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, en route to his Equal 3rd place finish. Despite having his run halted by De Souza in the Semifinals, today’s result moves Durbidge from 18th to 15th on the ASP World Title rankings and that much closer to cracking the Top 10.
“It’s been a big event for me here so I can’t be upset with losing there,” Durbidge said. “We’ve had incredible waves throughout the event and I just didn’t have the rhythm there in the Semifinal. It’s a big result for me and hopefully that turns my year around heading into the last two events.”
Owen Wright (AUS), 21, current No. 2 on the ASP World Title rankings, was eliminated this morning in a hard-fought Round 3 battle against ASP Dream Tour newcomer John John Florence (HAW), 19. Despite posting an excellent 16.96 out of a possible 20, Wright was unable to overcome the preternatural onslaught from the young Hawaiian.
“When I saw John John (Florence) moving through the draw, I knew there was a real possibility of meeting him early on,” Wright said. “He’s obviously very dangerous in these conditions as it resembles him home at Pipeline. That said, I put together a good heat I think so I can hold my head up. I just didn’t come out on top in this instance.”
Wright’s early ousting from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal doesn’t bode well for his 2011 ASP World Title campaign as reigning 10-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 39, moves closer to clinching the crown. However, the young Australian remains positive in his approach to the remainder of the season.
“I’m going to go home before San Francisco and recharge,” Wright said. “There are still two events to go and I really want to finish my year strong.”
Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be available via http://live.ripcurl.com
Thanks to our broadcast partners at FUEL TV in Australia and Portugal, Ma Chaine Sport in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland and Africa as well as ESPN in Brazil.
The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco from November 1 – 12, 2011.
For additional information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.67
2 – Kelly Slater (USA) 14.73
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.50 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.87
SF 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 13.83 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.03
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.94 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.50
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.70 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 7.67
QF 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 17.60 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 17.53
QF 4: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.10 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.60
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING HEAT 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 6.83 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 3.50
Heat 2: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.40 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.74
Heat 3: Michel Bourez (PYF) 18.93 def. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 17.96
Heat 4: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 17.44 def. John John Florence (HAW) 17.06
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.13, Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.70, Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.10
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.30, Heitor Alves (BRA) 17.20, Chris Davidson (AUS) 13.40
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.30, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.64, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.67
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 18.00, John John Florence (HAW) 17.84, Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.10
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.60 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 8.10
Heat 10: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.56 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 12.30
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.27 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.54
Heat 12: John John Florence (HAW) 17.33 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 16.96
ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (after Rip Curl Pro Portugal)
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 58,150 pts
2. Owen Wright (AUS) 45,650 pts
3. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 42,450 pts
4. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 41,100 pts
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 40,950 pts
Portugal delivers the goods once again for the Rip Curl Pro (Photo: ASP)
Day 2 went absolutely mental at Supertubos. Highlight for me was Travis Logie winning his Round 2 heat on the buzzer, it sure must have felt good for him. Surfers to watch are definitely John John Florence, Taj Burrows, Damien Hobgood, Julian Wilson and Kelly Slater. The competition is on right now for Day 3!
ASP Press Release: SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Monday, October 17, 2011) – The Rip Curl Pro Portugal stormed through 21 heats of competition today as the primary site of Supertubos delivered flawless six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.5 metre) barrels from sun up to sun down.
Event No. 9 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title Series, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal enjoyed an historic day of action with the world’s best surfers posting near-perfect scores throughout the day as Supertubos delivered world-class action.
Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, 2011 ASP Top 34 rookie, went blow-for-blow against compatriot Kai Otton (AUS), 31, in the heat of the event today. Otton posted a near perfect 9.97 out of a possible 10 on his opening ride and backing it up with an excellent 8.43 to put the youngster on the back foot early on. However, Wilson would answer back in champion fashion, netting a 9.43 early in the heat before pulling into a cavernous bomb for a 9.70 and the heat win.
“That was an amazing heat,” Wilson said. “My hat goes off to Otto (Kai Otton) as he was getting some ridiculous barrels and really put the pressure on me early. I’ve been watching the conditions all day long and have been trying not to froth out too hard, but they’re just so perfect. It’s truly Dream Tour stuff out there today.”
Finishing Equal 3rd at Lower Trestles and Runner-Up at La Graviere, the young Australian has been building an impressive momentum throughout the last several events and would be considered one of the more dangerous surfers remaining in the field.
“I’ve been very confident in my surfing the past few events and I really feel like I belong at this level of competition,” Wilson said. “I felt like I was right there at the last event in France and I’m really keen to put up another result. The win is always the goal.”
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, navigated the challenging high tide afternoon conditions today with characteristic aplomb, besting an in-form Daniel Ross (AUS), 28, to advance through to Round 4.
“There are still a lot of fun waves out there but the tide is definitely changing things up,” Slater said. “My plan was to go out and catch a lot of waves and I actually made a little priority mistake in there. Dan (Ross) is one of those underrated guys. He’s a big guy so I knew he wouldn’t be taking the smaller waves and I knew he was capable of getting big scores.”
With his Round 3 victory this afternoon, Slater moves one step closer to clinching ASP World Title No. 11, but the iconic Floridian remains characteristically nonchalant about the possibility.
“Counting Portugal, there are still three events left and a lot of points so it’s far from over,” Slater said. “Obviously another result here would long ways towards it but there’re still quite a few guys remaining in the hunt that are still in the event so we’ll see how it all pans out.”
John John Florence (HAW), 17, newcomer to the ASP Top 34 following September’s rotation, posted the highest heat total of the event this morning, a 19.53 out of a possible 20, to eliminate Adrian Buchan (AUS), 29, in Round 2 of competition.
“It’s unreal out there this morning,” Florence said. “It reminds me a lot of Backdoor and Pipe but with a sandy bottom. I was having so much fun. I just kept taking off on everything that came through.”
Florence will now face current ASP World No. 2 Owen Wright (AUS), 21, in Round 3 of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
“Owen (Wright) is good in pretty much any conditions,” Florence said. “We had a pretty close heat in Trestles and he beat me. I feel confident in these kinds of conditions though. So hopefully we have good waves for our heat.”
Florence was joined by fellow Hawaiian Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 29, who dispatched of current No. 5 on the ASP World Title rankings Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, in Round 3 of competition.
Bede Durbidge (AUS), 28, punctuated the day’s affairs with the first Perfect 10 of the event for a monster forehand barrel to the adulation of the thousands on the beach.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7:45am for a possible 8am start.
When competition resumes, up first will be Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, and Travis Logie (ZAF), 32, in Heat 9 of Round 3.
The Morning Show from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be webcast LIVE from 7:30am to 8pm tomorrow morning, as well as broadcast LIVE on FUEL TV in Australia and Portugal, Ma Chaine Sport in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland and Africa as well as ESPN in Brazil.
Surfline, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, are calling for a strong northwest swell will fill in further on today, ease on Tuesday and then fade further on Wednesday. A smaller, reinforcing north swell could then move in on Thursday to keep the surf from dropping too quickly. Wind conditions will be generally favorable for Supertubos Monday with light wind in the morning building in the afternoon.
For additional information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.74 def. Bruno Santos (BRA) 10.97
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.10 def. Francisco Alves (BRA) 6.57
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 16.83 def. Justin Mujica (PRT) 8.64
Heat 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.77 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 15.23
Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.43 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.90
Heat 6: John John Florence (HAW) 19.53 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 13.97
Heat 7: Heitor Alves (BRA) 15.50 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.20
Heat 8: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 16.04 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.87
Heat 9: Kai Otton (AUS) 14.97 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 13.93
Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) 16.63 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.27
Heat 11: Travis Logie (ZAF) 16.43 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.76
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 13.73 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 9.30
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 13.57 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 8.43
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) 16.33 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 15.30
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 18.40
Heat 4: Chris Davidson (AUS) 14.10 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 5.10
Heat 5: Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.77 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.20
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.86 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 16.37
Heat 7: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 15.06 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 14.90
Heat 8: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 18.33 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.17
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 10: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 12: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
Gabriel Medina reveling in the hollow Left at Supertubos! (Photo: ASP)
After a rather slow start at Supertubos yesterday, the waves picked up and the tubes started. Joel Parko, after a dismal result in France, switched back onto form and posted the best wave score of the day. Right behind him was the red hot wonder kid, Gabriel Medina, who after winning in France, is looking full of confidence. There should be banging waves today and Jordy Smith is up in the first heat of Round 2 against wild card, Bruno Santos.
ASP Press: SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Sunday, October 16, 2011) – Clean four-to-six foot plus (1.5 – 2 metre) left and right barrels graced the primary site of Supertubos this afternoon as the Rip Curl Pro Portugal completed the opening round of competition.
Event No. 9 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will play a pivotal role in determining the 2011 ASP World Champion as well as provide an important opportunity for the world’s best surfers looking to remain amongst the elite ASP Top 34.
Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, wasted no time in lighting things up today, opening the round with the highest heat total of the day, a 17.87 out of a possible 20, with some inspired tube-riding on his forehand.
“The conditions improved so much in the span of one heat when compared to the warm-up just before,” Parkinson said. “It was great and everyone was getting barrels and scores. I guess it just shows how quickly things can change out there.”
Although currently sitting at No. 3 on the ASP World Title rankings, Parkinson admits that his uncharacteristic early round loss at the previous event in France has significantly altered his mental approach to the rest of the year.
“With that loss in France, it seems like it really took me out of the World Title race,” Parkinson said. “It was disappointing, but I just went surfing after for a few daysit and focused on that and had a lot of fun. I think it was a good opportunity to reset for me and hopefully I can finish the season strong.”
Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, hot off the heels of his first elite tour victory in France last week, matched Parkinson’s best result for the day with a 17.87 out of a possible 20 for a commanding display on both his forehand and backhand. In an impassioned heat between compatriot Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 29, and Tiago Pires (PRT), 31, it was the youngster that came out on top.
“We were all battling for waves out there,” Medina said. “At one point, Raoni (Monteiro) got his arm caught in my leash. That’s competition though. We’re all hungry for the win. The waves are really fun out there. I had two really good ones and I’m happy with the win.”
Brett Simpson (USA), 26, scrapped his way to his own victory this afternoon. The Californian has been in sizzling form throughout the last several events and dominated his Round 1 bout in challenging high tide conditions.
“The tide is definitely pretty full this evening and I wasn’t expecting to get those ones that I did,” Simpson said. “With three guys and a small takeoff spot, you don’t want to be sitting there when the waves come – you want to be able to paddle into them. I’ve had some close heats in the last few events, but am stoked to be putting some scores on the board and am keen for a result in Portugal.”
Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, 2011 ASP Dream Tour rookie, posted an impressive Round 1 victory today, carrying over the momentum from a career-best Runner-Up finish in France last week to secure a 17.50 out of a possible 20 en route to his opening victory over Miguel Pupo (BRA), 19, and Adam Melling (AUS), 26.
“I think everything came together for me at the event last week,” Wilson said. “I was able to back myself and convince myself that I was able to take on the best guys in the world and I think that confidence has just been carrying over to Portugal. This is my first time to Peniche and probably my first proper surf out there. It’s a really fun wave and the forecast looks like we’re in for more as well.”
The frontrunners in the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title continued to perform well today. Both Kelly Slater (USA), 39, current ASP World No. 1, and Owen Wright (AUS), 21, current ASP World No. 2, posted commanding wins in their respective Round 1 bouts, advancing directly into Round 3 of competition.
When competition resumes, up first will be Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, and wildcard Bruno Santos (BRA), 28, in the opening heat of Round 2.
The Morning Show from the Rip Curl Pro Portugal will be webcast LIVE from 7:30am to 8pm tomorrow morning, as well as broadcast LIVE on FUEL TV in Australia and Portugal, Ma Chaine Sport in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland and Africa as well as ESPN in Brazil.
Surfline, official forecasters for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, are calling for a new, long period northwest swell to be strongest tomorrow and then will fade through the middle to second half of the week. At this point, wind conditions look generally favorable for tomorrow. Much stronger wind will pick up for Tuesday-Thursday, but will still be from a decent direction for Supertubos.
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.87, Jadson Andre (BRA) 15.47, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.93
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 17.50, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.80, Adam Melling (AUS) 10.00
Heat 3: Daniel Ross (AUS) 10.07, Taylor Knox (USA) 9.14, Taj Burrow (AUS) 7.12
Heat 4: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.23, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.34, Justin Mujica (PRT) 4.80
Heat 5: Chris Davidson (AUS) 14.60, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.90, Francisco Alves (PRT) 7.67
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 13.10, Bruno Santos (BRA) 7.53, Travis Logie (ZAF) 4.70
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 16.43, John John Florence (HAW) 13.50, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 4.87
Heat 8: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.87, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 12.90, Tiago Pires (PRT) 2.79
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) 14.07, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.60, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 6.00
Heat 10: Brett Simpson (USA) 17.43, Heitor Alves (BRA) 6.23, Michel Bourez (PYF) 6.17
Heat 11: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.10, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.77, Kai Otton (AUS) 9.73
Heat 12: Josh Kerr (AUS) 16.30, Dusty Payne (HAW) 16.24, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.33
RIP CURL PRO PORTUGAL ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Bruno Santos (BRA)
Heat 2: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Francisco Alves (BRA)
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Justin Mujica (PRT)
Heat 4: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 5: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 6: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. John John Florence (HAW)
Heat 7: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 8: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 9: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 10: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 11: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Gabriel Medina, the 17 year old wonder kid from Brazil, punting his way to victory in France. (Photo:ASP)
The ASP has turned into somewhat of a soap opera this year. We have had judging calls that have created media storms, unhappy Mexicans comparing the tour to Tennis and of course there is the old man, Kelly Slater, marching on to his 11th World Title. Not much changed in France.
Travis Logie the diminutive South African was on fire and came up against Taj Burrows in Round 3. Travis was ripping and we all thought he had won the heat - not so the judges of the ASP - and Travis was out. Check out the heat and make up your own mind, my call is that Travis was ripped! (You can check out the heat with scores on the Quik Pro website.)
Jordy Smith was back in business after a 2 event layoff from an injury sustained in Tahiti. He did well to surf with still damaged ribs and made it to the Semi Finals before losing to Julian Wilson, who had been ripping the entire event. Jordy also beat Dane Reynolds, also coming off of a long injury layoff, and Jordy must have been happy to get one over Dane again.
The real story though was, Gabriel Medina. The 17 year old out of Brazil proved that he is no slouch and deserves to have stormed into the premier division from the QS this year. The kid was pulling airs on demand and took out Kelly Slater on his was to the final and his first win on the WCT, in only his 2nd contest. The rest of the tour took notice and it will be very interesting to see where he goes from here.
Next up is Portugal, which should deliver some good waves. I will keep you posted. Here's hoping the judging sorts itself out...
ASP Press Release:
LA GRAVIERE, Hossegor/France (Wednesday, October 12, 2011) – Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, newcomer to the elite ASP Top 34 after September’s rotation, has secured his inaugural ASP World Title victory today, taking out the Quiksilver Pro France over Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, in high-performance three-to-four foot (1 metre) waves at La Graviere.
Stop No. 8 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the Quiksilver Pro France culminated today in exciting fashion as the next generation of ASP World Title contenders announced their intentions on the world stage.
Medina, in only second event as an ASP Top 34 member, cut a swathe through the world’s best surfers, securing three of the top five highest single-wave scores of the event en route to his emotional win.
“This is the best feeling ever,” Medina said. “I beat some great guys on the way to Final and I’m very stoked now. I want to thank all my friends and family and god for their support. It has been an amazing week for me. Just two years ago, I was here competing in the King of the Groms and I won that event and now I’m here in the main event and I’ve won it. It doesn’t seem real.”
Opening their final clash with a strong 7.83 for a full-rotation forehand aerial, Medina was put on the back foot by an in-form Wilson until the dying moments, when the young Brazilian blasted several high-risk maneuvers on a lengthy lefthander to secure a 9.17 and regain the lead.
“The start of the heat was slow and it was going high tide so it was a challenge,” Medina said. “It was a fun heat. It was a hard hat as well. Julian (Wilson) is an incredible surfer and I know he wanted to win very badly. I knew I needed a big score on that final wave and I had to throw everything I had to get it. I’m very happy right now.”
Wilson built momentum throughout the final day of competition, dispatching of the tour’s heavy hitters and posting some impressive scores. The young Australian’s Runner-Up finish today marks a career best and is indicative of his recent run of improvements amongst the world’s elite (5th and the 3rd previously).
“Everything feels good and I’m very happy to be here on the podium,” Wilson said. “It’s been a great event for me and congrats to Gabriel (Medina) for his incredible run here in France. I have so many amazing memories of watching this event as a kid, seeing Andy (Irons) and Kelly (Slater) go for it and to be in it now is a very special feeling. I’m hoping to improve in the coming events and looking forward to Portugal.”
Taylor Knox (USA), 40, posted his best result of the year today, finishing Equal 3rd and bolting from 32 to 21 on the ASP World Title rankings. Knox, who was in searing fashion throughout the event, eventually fell to the high-flying antics of Medina in the Semifinals.
“This is one of the best events I’ve had for a while but yeah I definitely ran into ‘Medina Airlines’ there in the Semifinals,” Knox said. “It’s a huge result for me and I felt like my surfing was really coming together. I have some really good boards right now and I’m hoping to keep the momentum up. We’re looking at maybe getting some big barrels in Portugal next week so that will be exciting and we have a lot of interesting events to finish the year with.”
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, back in his first event since injury in Tahiti, exhibited an impressive return to form throughout the event, but was unable to overcome Wilson in their Semifinal clash.
“I’m really happy with a 3rd and it’s a good result for me,” Smith said. “To be honest, I’m just happy to be back in the water. It feels great to be back and I just couldn’t get into the right waves until the end of that Semifinal there. Julian (Wilson) got off to a good start and he’s been ripping so I hope he posts a win here.”
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, was ousted in today’s Quarterfinals by an on-fire Medina. The iconic Floridian looked out of sorts in the shifting morning conditions as the young Brazilian dominated on both his forehand and backhand.
“Not much of a performance by me,” Slater said. “I guess he surfed well, I didn’t really see much as I was just floating out the back. Unfortunately, I was out of synch the whole time and didn’t really have a chance to battle it out with him.”
With the dust settled in the south of France, it has been determined that the 2011 ASP World Title cannot be decided at the next event in Portugal and will go to at least San Francisco.
Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro France will be available via http://www.quiksilverlive.com
The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Rip Curl Pro Portugal from October 15 – 24, 2011.
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Gabriel Medina (BRA) 17.00
2 – Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.10
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 19.57 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 7.00
SF 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.50 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.55
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.17 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 9.50
QF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.66 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 8.60
QF 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.26 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.77
QF 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.00 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 3.54
ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 5 (After Completion of Quiksilver Pro France):
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 50,150 pts
2. Owen Wright (AUS) 43,900 pts
3. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 35,900 pts
4. Taj Burrow (AUS) 34,450 pts
5. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 34,000 pts
Kelly dominated Trestles and is well on track for another Title. (Photo: ASP)
King Slater, that should be his official name change! After he missed Jbay a lot of people were writing him off and claiming his time was done - I might have thought it. He came back to win Teahupoo, nearly took the NY Pro from Owen and absolutely killed Trestles this week to win the Hurley Pro. Firmly back at number 1, World Title 11 on track. Lets not forget Owen Wright though. The kid has made 3 finals in a row with Kelly and won one of them. Owen was ripping all week at trestles, but just did not have the legs to pip Kelly at his favorite contest wave in the world. So now the tour moves across the Atlantic to Europe for the Quik Pro France - a contest Kelly has been know to win! Lets hope Jordy is back from injury and able to climb back into the title race. Right now Owen is Kelly's only competition.
ASP Press Release:
LOWER TRESTLES, California/USA (Wednesday, September 21, 2011) – Kelly Slater (USA), 39, has won his fifth Hurley Pro at Trestles title, defeating Owen Wright (AUS), 21, in a hard-fought Final that saw the iconic Floridian overtake the young Australian in a last-minute exchange with a final score of 17.50 to 16.74.
Slater and Wright’s third consecutive Final bout marks a first in ASP history, as no two competitors have faced off in three successive ASP Dream Tour Finals – a noteworthy statistic in sparking this new rivalry in the battle for the ASP World Title.
Slater roared to life on the Final day, unloading the highest heat-total of competition, 18.40 out of 20 in the Semifinals, and maintained his lethal form throughout the day’s entirety with a consistent display of new-school airs and patented carves to clinch his unprecedented 48th elite ASP World Tour victory and third of the season.
“Owen (Wright) is tough and he’s been surfing great,” Slater said. “There really are no weak points to his surfing and he’s going to be a standout in every spot. A lot of the guys tried to get him this week and I got lucky in that last exchange. I was taking the first wave of the set under his priority and once I got priority I wanted to wait. It almost looked like there wasn’t a wave after Owen’s. It’s been fun surfing against Owen and surfing Lowers. It’s been a great week and thanks everyone for the crazy support, it’s been wonderful.”
Wright, current No. 2 on the ASP World Title rankings, has continued to build momentum throughout his sophomore year amongst the ASP Top 34 and dispatched of a rampaging Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, and rookie prodigy Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, en route to his rematch against Slater, but was unable to solidify the victory over the veteran in the Final.
“I’ve been enjoying the rivalry,” Wright said. “We’ve had some great heats and the last three finals have been great. I’m glad the sets came through at the end. It was a bit of a dud final but I’m glad that last exchange came though at the end. It made it exciting.”
Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, was a standout throughout the Hurley Pro at Trestles, earning the highest single-wave score of 9.80 as well as the second-highest heat-total of 18.23 in his Quarterfinals win over Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, and consistently unloaded some of the most progressive maneuvers of the contest.
“I had a bit of fire after yesterday, not against Joel (Parkinson), but just to show that I could beat him,” Wilson said after his Quarterfinal win. “I’ve dreamed about surfing against Joel and Mick (Fanning) my whole life and yesterday gave me a lot of confidence to go against him today.”
The young Australian got off to a slow start in his Semifinals matchup versus Owen Wright after an interference and was unable to rebound, finishing equal 3rd overall. Wilson now sits at No. 11 on the ASP World Title Rankings.
Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, who finished equal 5th in New York, continued his giant killing spree at the Hurley Pro Trestles, defeating ASP World Title campaigners Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, before falling to Slater in the Semifinals to earn his career best result of an equal 3rd place finish.
“Thanks God for everything in my life,” Alves said. “This is a good result for me. Adriano is a good surfer, he rips this wave and surfs very well. This is a great event for me and I enjoy this wave.”
Alves’ performance moves him from No. 20 to 14 on the ASP World Title Rankings.
The next stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season will be the Quiksilver Pro France from October 4 – 13, 2011.
Highlights from the Hurley Pro at Trestles are available via http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES FINAL RESULT:
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 17.50
2 – Owen Wright (AUS) 16.74
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 18.40 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 16.57
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.74 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 10.04
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.77 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.50
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.60 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.07
QF 3: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.67
QF 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 18.23 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.93
HURLEY PRO AT TRESTLES ROUND 5 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Heitor Alves (BRA) 12.74 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 9.80
Heat 2: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.27 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 12.97
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 18.23 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.27
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 15.67 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.37
CURRENT ASP WORLD TITLE TOP 10 (After Hurley Pro at Trestles)
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 44,950 pts.
2 – Owen Wright (AUS) 39,900
3 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 35,400
4 – Adriano de Souza (BRA)31950
5 – Josh Kerr (AUS)30,800
6 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 29,250
7 – Mick Fanning (AUS)28,200
8 – Jordy Smith (ZAF)27,500
9 – Jeremy Flores (FRA)23,700
10 – Michel Bourez (PYF) 22,250
King Kelly loves Trestles, is on a roll and clearly wants another Title! (Photo: ASP)
Shew, Ok big week building up to Trestles and we have had the changing of the guard on the Pro Tour. Many an old face has disappeared and a couple of new ones have joined the ranks. The most notable joins are Travis Logie and John John Florence, who thanks to injuries etc have made the cut and are on the top flight tour. Both these guys rip small bowls for breakfast, so the other guys on tour must be somewhat jealous. (See the new Top 34 Further Down.) Here is your 2011 preview video...
So who are the danger men come Sunday and the start of the comp? Kelly Slater - Cummon, the guy has an almost mythical relationship with Trestles! No need to say more. Jordy Smith - He missed out on the air fest in new York and needs to get his title race back on track. Expect a lean, mean and very hungry Jordy! He may still be out, watch this space. Taj Burrows - He was looking unbeatable in NY, but somehow came unstuck! Trestles suits his surfing and he will also want to get back into the title hunt. Owen Wright - Straight off of 2 finals in a row. He won NY. The kid wants in on the World Title race!
Who are the Wild cards and loose canons? John John Florence - the new kid from Hawaii rips everything and was on fire earlier in the year at Trestles. Could just knock a couple of egos! Keep watching this space. Miguel Pupo - New on tour and won the 6 Star at Trestles earlier this year. Airs on demand if the Lefts are cooking. Could dent some established egos! Jadson Andre - The Brazza has been a little quiet this year, but Trestles and its perfect Left-hander will give him ample opportunity to throw multiple airs on every wave. You don't want him in your heats!
This could be one of the best contests in a long time after the mayhem at Teahupoo and NY. I will keep you posted! The ASP Release and Ratings:
LOWER TRESTLES, California/USA (Wednesday, September 14, 2011) – The Hurley Pro at Trestles, Event No. 7 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, is set to commence this weekend with the world’s best surfers descending upon the jewel of Southern California surf venues, Lower Trestles.
The Hurley Pro at Trestles will reconvene this season’s red-hot ASP World Title race on the heels of historic events in Tahiti and New York where this year’s frontrunners have already begun to distinguish themselves.
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion and defending Hurley Pro at Trestles winner, started 2011 with mixed results, winning the opening event of the year before posting relatively an uncharacteristic Equal 13th in Brazil and missing South Africa altogether. However, the past two weeks have seen two consecutive Finals from the iconic Floridian, including a win in Tahiti, and an ascent to the No. 1 spot on then ASP World Title rankings.
“Of course when that opportunity (the ASP World Title) arises, you don’t pass it up,” Slater said. “I fight focusing and competing for all these years in my head, but when I’m there, I know what to do and a title chance is obviously a good goal.”
While Slater is coming off of back-to-back elite tour Finals, it bears mentioning that both appearances were face-offs against young Australian standout Owen Wright (AUS), 21, with Wright taking out the event in New York and moving into Slater’s rearview mirror as the current ASP World No. 2.
“Owen (Wright) is the toughest guy in my opinion given the venues we’re facing,” Slater said. “That might be a big call to some, but having just won and probably should/could have won in Brazil and how things are shaping up, he’s the most well-rounded and confident competitor to deal with. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and I don’t think it (the ASP World Title Race) is an unwelcome pressure for him.”
Last Friday, Wright took out the richest event in surfing history in New York, claiming the US $300,000 first prize. Coming off of his East Coast win against Slater, and his penchant for hi-fi ripping at venues like Lower Trestles, Wright descends upon the Hurley Pro at Trestles as one of the most dangerous men in surfing.
“My confidence level would definitely be at a all time high for myself,” Wright said. “I’m happy to have my first win in a WT event leading into the back half of the year. I was just as stoked after Tahiti as well because of how good the waves we had there. The way I look at it is that I’m in a great position and have a great opportunity. I’ve been working hard with my coach Dean and we are starting to get some results. We didn’t think we would be in this position, but it’s where we are at and we are not going to stop working hard to achieve what I want to achieve.”
In addition to this year’s battle between Slater and Wright, the two met time and again at the Hurley Pro at Trestles in 2010. Wright got the better of Slater in the non-elimination three-man Round 4, but it was Slater who ended the Australian’s run in the Quarterfinals.
“Last year, Trestles was a strong point for me although I ended up losing to Kelly (Slater),” Wright said. “But I found a bit of form from the contest and I’m looking forward to competing in one of the most high-performance venues on the tour. I’m excited about this back half of the year knowing that it was where my best results came from last season. Portugal has been an event I’ve really enjoyed with some wild surf that reminds me of where I grew up. Pipe is always going to be one of my favorites, I hope it’s big!”
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, current No. 4 on the 2011 ASP World Title Rankings, was absent from the last event in New York after a severe injury suffered in Tahiti relegated the powerful natural-footer to the sidelines. At time of writing, Smith is “day-to-day” on whether or not he will be healed in time for the Hurley Pro at Trestles.
Following the last event in New York, the ASP activated the first incarnation of the midyear rotation, where the ASP Top 34 are updated with the current top 32 surfers on the ASP World Rankings (plus two surfer wildcards). Joining the elite ranks for the remainders of the season will be Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17, Miguel Pupo (BRA), 19, and John John Florence (HAW), 18.
“Those guys are all sick and they’re going to stir things up for sure,” Slater said. “People would have a hard time arguing that anyone else falling out would be more exciting at Lowers.”
Surfline, official forecasters for the Hurley Pro at Trestles, are calling for a series of small south-southwest to south swells for the first few days of the waiting period for very contestable surf.
The Hurley Pro at Trestles will be webcast LIVE via http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/ from September 18 through 24, 2011.
For additional information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
NEW ASP TOP 34:
1. Kelly Slater (USA)
2. Jordy Smith (ZAF)
3. Mick Fanning (AUS)
4. Owen Wright (AUS)
5. Taj Burrow (AUS)
6. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
7. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
8. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
9. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
10. Michel Bourez (PYF)
11. Adriano de Souza (BRA)
12. Julian Wilson (AUS)
13. Damien Hobgood (USA)
14. Josh Kerr (AUS)
15. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
16. Gabriel Medina (BRA)
17. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
18. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
19. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
20. Jadson Andre (BRA)
21. Heitor Alves (BRA)
22. Chris Davidson (AUS)
23. Brett Simpson (USA)
24. Dane Reynolds (USA)
25. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
26. Daniel Ross (AUS)
27. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
28. Dusty Payne (HAW)
29. Kai Otton (AUS)
30. Taylor Knox (USA)
31. Tiago Pires (PRT)
32. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
33. Travis Logie (ZAF)
34: John John Florence (HAW)
1st Alternate: Adam Melling (AUS)
2nd Alternate: C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Adriano letting his surfing do the talking! (Photo:ASP)
Outside of the Bobby Fiasco, there were actually some pretty amazing waves and surfing on display in New York for day 2 of the Quik Pro. While the waves can certainly not be considered the ideal for a "Dream Tour", they were super fun and the world's best had no compunction in ripping them apart. I would love to see the stats on aerials landed in this comp, would be interesting reading. The big news was obviously Bobby's tirade and consequent disqualification from the competition. In some ways though the bigger news is actually who benefited from this... None other than Mr Kelly Slater, who gets a free pass through to Round 4 thanks to Mr Martinez. That should keep the conspiracy theorists going for a while. In sad news, Travis Logie was knocked out in Round 2 and he now will have to go cane the last WQS contest to have any chance of making the cut. He is however really well positioned for the rest of the year and has a great chance of qualifying for 2012. The ASP Press release below.
LONG BEACH, Long Island/New York (Wednesday, September 7, 2011) – The Quiksilver Pro New York continued for the second consecutive day at Long Beach in Long Island, New York and saw the completion of Round 2 as well as the first four heats of Round 3.
Stop No. 6 of 11 on the ASP World Title Series, the Quiksilver New York marks the final event before the mid-year rotation while also offers up the richest prize purse in surfing history of US$1,000,000. Hurricane Katia continued to deliver increasing three-to-four foot (1 metre) surf throughout the day, and there was no shortage of fireworks that went off in Long Beach.
Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, current No. 4 on the ASP World Title Series, vigorously attacked the Long Beach lefthanders on his backhand and belted the day’s highest single-wave score of 9.20 while netting the top heat-total of 17.93 (out of 20), in Round 2 before taking his Round 3 heat.
“I’m really happy with my performance today,” De Souza said. “My first heat was better for sure, I got the 9 and the 8, but I tried to get in rhythm in Round 3 and I hope I can keep going and get a good result in here. My house is really similar to these waves in New York and I feel at home out in these conditions.”
De Souza, who defeated Travis Logie (ZAF), 33, in Round 2 before topping Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 25, in Round 3, kept his ASP World Title campaign alive with today’s effort and is hunting a strong result in New York to regain the No. 1 position on the ASP World Title Rankings.
“I’m stoked to make my heats today,” De Souza said. “We had tough conditions and I knew for me that if I fell in that heat I would be out of the World Title Race. I’m happy to make it and hope I can keep my rhythm for the rest of the event. I’m looking forward to the no-loser’s Round 4 and hopefully I can keep going in this event.”
Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, put on an amazing aerial performance on his forehand in Round 3 compliments of the side-shore winds blowing into the Long Beach right-handers and lofted a 17.10 heat-total while eliminating Adam Melling (AUS), 26, from competition.
“It’s pretty good out there,” Burrow said “Us natural footers that like to do airs rub our hands together when wind’s like that. I did that big alley-oop on that first wave and I stacked it, but when I was through air I felt the board sticking to my feet. I knew that heat was going to be fun. I wasn’t aware of his (Adam Melling’s) position on the rankings, but I’m thinking about the money. I’m trying not to, but it’s there in the back of my head.”
Melling, current No. 35 on the ASP World Ranking, will not make the mid-year rotation for Trestles, but could possibly appear as an alternate in the remainder of the ASP World Title events.
Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, two-time ASP World Champion, rebounded after a Round 1 loss yesterday, making a change in his equipment to dispatch of dangerous local wildcard Balaram Stack (USA), 20, with a dominant performance.
“It’s always hard when you lose that first round, you’ve got to go back and pick up the pieces and go again,” Fanning said. “Wildcards are difficult because they’re usually locals and they know spot. I tried to get moving early and keep moving. The tide was dropping out and I just tried to get them in early. My board yesterday wasn’t working to well, so I went back to my normal shortboard that I’ve been riding all year.”
Brett Simpson (USA), 26, got the best of a series of exchanges over ASP Dream Tour veteran Taylor Knox (USA), 40, in their Round 2 match-up. Knox, current No. 30 on the ASP World Ranking, will wait on the results of the surfers ranked behind him who are still alive in the Quiksilver Pro New York to see if he maintains his position among the ASP Top 34 entering Trestles.
“We all knew coming into this event that Taylor (Knox) needed to do something and I am coming off momentum from Teahupo’o,” Simpson said. “He’s been a mentor and friend since I started on tour last year. He’s inspired all of us. It’s just the way it goes. I was anxious. I knew there was a lot on the line for him and I want to climb the rankings too.”
Simpson will face off against ASP Dream Tour rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, in Round 3.
Jeremy Flores (FRA), 23, who was a standout at Teahupo’o, maintained his form in the beachbreak conditions on offer at the Quiksilver Pro New York, eliminating fellow European and close friend Tiago Pires (PRT), 31, in a hard-fought Round 3 battle.
“I didn’t like surfing against Tiago, I want him on tour,” Flores said. “He’s my friend, but I want to do well here, I want to make heats, but I wanted to see him do well here because I knew he needed a result. I couldn’t find any really good waves. The guys in the heats before had fun waves with great walls and mine were fat or wide. I guess my wave choice was bad, but I made it.”
Bobby Martinez (USA), 29, has been disqualified from ASP competition in New York. An explanation is available on the ASP website.
When competition resumes, up first will be Josh Kerr, 27, (AUS) against Raoni Monteiro (BRA), 29, in Heat 5 of Round 3.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.
Highlights from the Quiksilver Pro New York will be available via http://www.quiksilverpro.com
Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver Pro New York, are calling for Solid SE swell from Hurricane Katia expected during the second half of the week before fading headed into the weekend.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.20 def. Balaram Stack (USA) 7.06
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.07 def. Asher Nolan (USA) 11.33
Heat 3: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.10 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 9.00
Heat 4: Bobby Martinez (USA) 14.06 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.73
Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.10 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.27
Heat 6: Damien Hobgood (USA) 13.13 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 10.00
Heat 7: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 17.93 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.40
Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 13.17 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 12.50
Heat 9: Adam Melling (AUS) 15.70 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.97
Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) 13.50 def. Chris Davidson (AUS) 12.43
Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) 12.93 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 11.20
Heat 12: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 14.93 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 8.83
QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 17.10 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 12.87
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.60 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.67
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.60 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.73
Heat 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.17 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 7.93
QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 5: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Bobby Martinez *Will not be surfed. Martinez disqualified from competition.
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 9: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 10: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 11: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat
12: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
