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Rip Curl Pro Search - 2008/07/25 17:15
Rip Curl Pro Search - ASP Top 45 chase Slater into unassigned territory and an undisclosed location
Thursday, 24 July 2008
For the fourth season in a row, the Rip Curl Pro Search event will throw a curveball at the world's best surfers, offering the ASP Top 45 a never-before-competed-at Dream Tour venue.
Stop No. 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search will once again pit the best surfers on the planet at a location that has never before hosted an ASP event. Previous Rip Curl Pro Search venues have included St. Leu on Reunion Island (2005), "La Jolla" mainland Mexico (2006) and El Gringo in Chile's port town of Arica (2007), but 2008's venue has been kept secret from the public at large.
Kelly Slater (USA), eight-time ASP World Champion and current ratings leader on the ASP World Tour, has been in staggering form this season, collecting four victories in five events (Gold Coast, Bells Beach, Tavarua and Jeffreys Bay), and will be the man to beat at the Rip Curl Pro Seach.
"I'm really relaxed," Slater said. "My life is really good personally and professionally. There's nothing side-tracking me and nothing in the way. I've got to take the same approach that I took at the start of the year, which is not being preoccupied, and just focus on what's happening right now and how do I maximize that."
The brilliant natural-footer has yet to be defeated by any of his fellow ASP Top 45 members in 2008, his only loss being at the hands of wildcard Manoa Drollet (PYF) at the Billabong Pro Teahupoo.
"It's good for me because it puts all of the pressure on other peoples' shoulders," Slater said. "Winning in South Africa has put an immense amount of pressure on those guys, but No. 9 is still a long ways off."
Mick Fanning (AUS), reigning ASP World Champion, is sitting No. 4 on this season's ASP World Tour ratings following his runner-up finish at the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, but knows he has to make up some ground at the Rip Curl Pro Search if he is to have any chance at defending his ASP World Title.
"I will be going to the Rip Curl Search giving it my all," Fanning said. "I think if Kelly wins another event, the race for the ASP World Title will be pretty much over. Whoever is going to give him a run will have to start winning events."
Andy Irons (HAW), current ASP World No. 8 and two-time past champion of the Rip Curl Pro Search event (2006, 2007), has proven time and again that he is the form surfer on tour in unfamilar conditions and will look to make it a three-peat at this season's venue.
"It's an even playing field because most people haven't surfed those spots before," Irons said. "In the beginning of the year, there are always rumors of where the Search event will be, so it's always fun to finally get the real scoop on the venue, and the next step, if I hadn't been there in the past, (like Chile) is talking to people who have been there before to mentally prepare. When the Rip Curl Pro Search events are happing there is an exciting, competitive, nervous feeling in the air. You can see it in all of the competitors."
Bede Durbidge (AUS), current No. 3 on the ASP World Tour, is another who embraces the changing venue of the Rip Curl Pro Search and is excited to get the 2008 event underway.
"I think it's awesome how Rip Curl change the location of their Search event each year," Durbidge said. "I get so excited to hear where it's going to be and I'm sure all the other surfers do too. It's the only event on tour that changes every year and that's what all surfers want to do is surf new locations around the world. So we're really lucky to have the Search event on the calendar each year."
The waiting period for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Seach begins on July 30, 2008 and extends through to August 10, 2008.
The event will be webcast LIVE via www.aspworldtour.com
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 5210 points
2. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 3948 points
3. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 3782 points
4. Mick Fanning (AUS) 3753 points
5. Taj Burrow (AUS) 3638 points
6. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 3540 points
7. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 3460 points
8. Andy Irons (HAW) 3338 points
9. Bobby Martinez (USA) 3028 points
10. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 2884 points
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Re:Rip Curl Pro Search - 2008/07/31 20:42
Rip Curl Pro Search - Slater leads ASP Top 45 into uncharted waters for round one "somewhere in Indonesia"
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Round 1 of the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search event was completed today in excellent six-to-eight foot (2 metre) waves at the secondary site, “somewhere” in Indonesia.
Event No. 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search bore witness to the world’s best surfers attacking a venue that many had never surfed before, all the while putting in some of the most electrifying Round 1 performances of the season.
Kelly Slater (USA), eight-time ASP World Champion and current ratings leader on the 2008 ASP World Tour, continued his dominating form today, posting the day’s only perfect 10 for an incredible double barrel on a solid eight-foot set.
“This is my first time ever surfing out here, ‘somewhere’,” Slater said. “I’ve seen it a bit on a few videos and I watched it this morning a little bit on the high tide, but my heat was my first session out there. The wave is so good and you can just sit as deep as you want on the foam ball and it seems to let you out no matter what.”
Slater, who has won four out of five events thus far on the 2008 ASP World Tour, posted the day’s highest heat total of a 19.17 out of a possible 20, putting the ASP Top 45 on notice for the remainder of the event.
“I’m taking it all heat by heat,” Slater said. “I’m just cruising in Indo with some good friends and the waves are good so I’m having a great time here. Hopefully we’ll be back at this spot in two days for Round 3.”
Slater’s incredible performance turned supernatural when, after netting his perfect 10, the Floridian phenom collected a 9.17 out of a possible 10 for an unbelievable switch-foot barrel that stunned onlookers and fellow competitors alike.
“I got a pretty good barrel out the back and then I faded my bottom turn as much as I could before pulling up into that section and I knew I would have to switch stance to make it a good score,” Slater said. “When I did that, I lost all my speed and the barrel closed over me and I was able to reset and get under the lip before coming out again. Best switch-foot wave I’ve ever had.”
Andy Irons (HAW), former three-time ASP World Champion and two-time defending champion of the Rip Curl Pro Search event (2006, 2007), was in sensational form today, netting an impressive 18.40 out of a possible 20 to advance past opponents Dane Reynolds (USA) and Dan Ross (AUS).
“It’s beautiful and wally out there and the waves are just draining all the way across the reef,” Irons said. “It’s such a beautiful place and it’s so nice to surf with just two other guys. I’m really happy to be here.”
Irons, currently sitting No. 8 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, could potentially gain some ground on this season’s ASP World Title race with a solid result in Indonesia, but the Hawaiian is taking a relaxed approach to this year’s event.
“I’m just happy to be here and it feels good to get the first heat out of the way,” Irons said. “It’s great to be here in Indonesia with my beautiful wife Lindy and all my friends. I’m just cruising and taking it all in.”
Joel Parkinson (AUS), current No. 2 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, matched Irons’ impressive heat total of an 18.40 out of a possible 20 today, blending fantastic backhand re-entries with inpressive tube-riding. Parkinson netted excellent scores in the opening minutes of the heat, putting opponents Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Bruno Santos (BRA) in combination situations early on.
“It’s really good out there right now and the waves just seemed to come to me,” Parkinson said. “I got a couple of solid scores at the beginning and that set me up really well. The waves just seemed to come to me throughout the remainder of the heat, but Bruno (Santos) got that bomb and I had to go back to work there at the end.”
Parkinson has had a remarkably consistent season in 2008, finishing no worse than equal 5th all year, but the current ASP World No. 2 understands that a victory in the next few events will be paramount to his 2008 ASP World Title campaign.
“I’ve had a solid year so far, but Kelly has just been untouchable basically,” Parkinson said. “Myself and the rest of the boys really need to step it up and win an event here to gain some ground on him.”
Mick Fanning (AUS), reigning ASP World Champion and past winner of the Rip Curl Pro Search (2005), is currently sitting at No. 4 on the 2008 ASP World Tour and survived a hard-fought Round 1 heat today against veteran Dream Tour campaigner Taylor Knox (USA) and lethal wildcard Owen Wright (AUS).
“The waves out there are great, but it just went lully towards the end of the heat and none of us could really get any waves,” Fanning said. “There have still been some amazing heats today and I really hope the swell hangs around.”
Bruce Irons (HAW), current No. 19 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, put on an incendiary performance this afternoon, collecting an impressive 9.77 out of a possible 10 to advance past Taj Burrow (AUS) and I Made Garut Widiart (IDN).
“The waves are really fun out here and these are the kind of waves I like surfing,” Irons said. “I was just cruising around out there and picking off fun ones. That 9-something had a really good bowl on it and I hope the waves stick around for the rest of the comp.”
Surfline, official forecasters for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, are calling for today’s solid Southwest swell to maintain through tomorrow before gradually fading throughout the day.
Event organizers will reconvene at 7am tomorrow morning for a possible 7:30am start for Round 2 of the Rip Curl Pro Search “Somewhere” in Indonesia.
The event will be webcast LIVE via http://live.ripcurl.com/
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
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Re:Rip Curl Pro Search - 2008/07/31 20:42
Rip Curl Pro Search - Top seeds take charge in pumping left handers for round two
Thursday, 31 July 2008
The 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search returned to its primary venue, ‘somewhere’ in Indonesia, today for Round 2 of competition which saw top seeds dominated the pulsing six-foot (2 metre) lefthanders before conditions deteriorated in the early afternoon.
Stop No. 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search saw the elimination of 10 surfers today before inconsistency forced event organizers to call competition off for the day.
Bede Durbidge (AUS), current ASP World No. 3, bested lethal wildcard Owen Wright this morning in one of the more incendiary heats of the day. Wright secured an incredible forehand barrel for an impressive 9.63 out of a possible 10 only to have Durbidge answer immediately with a 9.63 of his own for a deep tuberide followed by two powerful backhand blasts.
“Owen (Wright) got that incredible barrel right in front of me and I thought I was done,” Durbidge said. “Then that sick one came through and I just held my rail as long as I could and it let me out and I got the score – I was so stoked.”
Durbidge, who finished 5th on the ASP World Tour last year, has remained a contender in 2008, putting up excellent results to maintain his current No. 3 position.
“I’ve had a really good year and I’ve been able to stay really consistent,” Durbidge said. “I had a bit of a slip up in Tahiti, but the rest of the year has been good for me. It’s great to be here in Indonesia and the waves have been really good. Hopefully I can put up another good result.”
Bobby Martinez (USA), current No. 9 on the ASP World Tour, put on an impressive tube-riding display this morning, eliminating dangerous wildcard, and the only other surfer to win an ASP World Tour event in 2008, Bruno Santos (BRA).
“Bruno (Santos) is really dangerous in these kinds of waves,” Martinez said. “In barreling lefthanders, he knows what to do. It’s not as easy as it looks out there, but there are still some incredible barrels and I am happy to get through the heat.”
Adrian Buchan (AUS), current No. 10 on the ASP World Tour, was another goofy-footer to excel in today’s conditions, netting and impressive 17.90 out of a possible 20 to eliminate 2008 rookie Dan Ross (AUS) from Rip Curl Pro Search competition.
“I love it here – it’s like a third home for me,” Buchan said. “I’ve been coming here since I was a kid with my family and the waves are so good. It’s phenomenal out there and we’ve been fortunate enough to have really good waves so far so I’m pumped.”
Rip Curl Pro Search event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 7am for a possible 7:30am start.
Surfline, official forecasters for the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search, are calling for the Southwest swell to continue to drop through tonight and tomorrow before a new swell begins to fill in tomorrow afternoon.
When competition recommences, Dane Reynolds (USA) and Daniel Wills (AUS) will be first up in Heat 11 of Round 2.
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Re:Rip Curl Pro Search - 2008/08/04 18:29
Rip Curl Pro Search - Bruce Irons (Haw) wins "somewhere" in Indonesia to claim his first ASP World Tour win since qualifying
Monday, 4 August 2008
Bruce Irons (HAW) has defeated fellow finalist Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) to claim the 2008 Rip Curl Pro Search in rifling four-foot (1.5 metre) lefthanders ‘somewhere’ in Indonesia.
Stop No. 6 of 11 on the 2008 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Search saw a marathon day of action capped off by a stunning barrel shootout finale between the young Hawaiians.
Irons, who took down reigning ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) and Dream Tour sophomore Ben Dunn (AUS) en route to his Finals berth, came from behind in last 10 minutes of the event, grabbing an 8.33 and a 9.33 to scalp his first ASP World Tour victory.
“One of my goals when I joined the Tour was to win an event and I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen since I’ll be stepping away after this season,” Irons said. “But the waves pumped this event! This is what the Dream Tour should be like all the time. I’m definitely stepping away from the ASP Tour at the end of this year, but I’m not retiring. I’m still planning on competing at Pipeline and Teahupoo and at venues that I can get into.”
The progressive natural-footer eased into the Final against Patacchia grabbing small scores before unleashing a fury of backhand tubes and commited re-entries over dry reef to take the win and move into No. 10 on the ASP World Tour ratings.
“I was tripping out in the water when they kept announcing Fred (Patacchia) and I in the Final – you never hear that,” Irons said. “It was all business though. This is only the second time I’ve ever made one on Tour and I wasn’t about to let it go. I was trying my hardest out there.”
Irons maintains the family monopoly on Rip Curl Pro Search events, joining older brother Andy, who has two Rip Curl Pro Search titles (2006, 2007) under his belt already.
“My brother has won this event twice and all I could think about in the Final is how I wanted that trophy,” Irons said. “The thing is sick! It was a great event and we’re going to have a huge party tonight!”
Patacchia was in stunning form all event, netting high scores and eliminating top seeds before coming up short in the Final.
“Bruce (Irons) and I are good friends but we were super competitive in that Final,” Patacchia said. “Both of us wanted to win and we were hassling and trash-talking and everything. I had one wave at the start, but Bruce got two bombs towards the end and I could tell he was really gunning for it.”
After suffering an injury early in the season, Patacchia has since rebounded, finishing equal 9th in Fiji and Jeffreys Bay before his runner-up finish ‘somewhere’ Indonesia. The stylish goofy-footer now sits at No. 14 on the ASP World Tour.
“It feels great to come back after a slow start to the year,” Patacchia said. “The waves were so good for this event and I’m bummed I didn’t win, but to have Bruce (Irons) there and since he’s stepping away, it feels good that we kept the title within Hawaii.”
Chris Ward (USA) was another who was in blazing form all day, eliminating former three-time ASP World Champion and two-time defending Rip Curl Pro winner (2006, 2007) Andy Irons (HAW) and 2007 ASP World Tour runner-up Taj Burrow (AUS) before coming up short against an in-form Irons.
“I’m not even bummed,” Ward said. “If I had come out of that one barrel, then I would have been in the Final, but I’ve had a great day and a 3rd place finish really helps me this year. The next event is in my backyard, Lower Trestles, and I’m pretty confident out there. I’ll be spending a lot of time preparing for that event, but first I am going to enjoy this magical island and all the beautiful waves it has to offer.”
Tiago Pires (PRT), 2008 Dream Tour rookie, put in the best performance of his young career, dispatching of eight-time ASP World Champion and current ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) in Round 3 before rampaging through to an equal 3rd place finish.
“This is the best result of my career and it takes the pressure off of me to get a 3rd at the halfway point this season,” Pires said. “I don’t know what it will do to the ratings, but it should help me and give me a better seed going into Lower Trestles. I have a pretty busy summer. I am doing all the ASP WQS events in Europe so it is a lot of surfing for me coming up.”
All Rip Curl Pro Search videos, photos and news are available via http://live.ripcurl.com/
With the early elimination of the majority of top seeds on the Dream Tour, current ratings leader Kelly Slater (USA) maintains a healthy lead on this year’s ASP World Title race.
The next stop on the 2008 ASP World Tour will be the Boost Mobile Pro pres. by Hurley at Lower Trestles, California from September 7 – 13, 2008.
For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com
RIP CURL PRO SEARCH FINAL RESULTS
1 – Bruce Irons (HAW) 17.66
2 – Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 11.16
CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 AFTER STOP NO. 6
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 5620 points
2 – Joel Parkinson (AUS) 4548 points
3 – Bede Durbidge (AUS) 4382 points
4 – Taj Burrow (AUS) 4370 points
5 – Mick Fanning (AUS) 4353 points
6 – Adriano de Souza (BRA) 3950 points
7 – Andy Irons (HAW) 3938 points
8 – C.J. Hobgood (USA) 3870 points
9 – Bobby Martinez (USA) 3628 points
10 – Bruce Irons (HAW) 3392 points
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