Mick Fanning Claims Back-to-Back ASP Dream Tour Events, Takes Quik Pro France
SEIGNOSSE, France (Sunday, September 27, 2009) - Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, has just claimed his second consecutive ASP Dream Tour event, taking out the 2009 Quiksilver Pro France presented by Orange over fellow Finalist Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, in punchy one-to-three foot (0.5 - 1 metre) waves at Les Bourdaines.
Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France opted to utilize today's swell to complete the event given the dismal surf forecast for the remainder of the waiting period. Despite today's challenging conditions, the world's best surfers executed well, blending their rapid-fire approach with progressive fin-free and aerial surfing.
Fanning continued to build momentum through the final day of competition before erupting in the Final with a flurry of excellent scoring rides, a 7.83, an 8.83 and a 7.33 in the opening half of the competition.
"I was really fortunate to get those couple of good ones at the start because I really ran out of gas there at the end," Fanning said. "It's two back-to-back events where I have had to surf four heats on the final day to get the win and it takes a lot out of you. The conditions were deteriorating and I was fortunate to get those scores on the board early on."
Today's victory marks the second in a row for Fanning, having proven victorious in Southern California last week. The win further cements Fanning in second position on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings, cutting the distance between himself and frontrunner Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, from 936 points (pre-France) to a scant 146 points heading into Spain.
"It's back on," Fanning said. "Everyone though Joel (Parkinson) was going to run away with it and it's unfortunate for him that he fell out early, but I've put in a lot of work to get these last two wins and I'm just psyched on heading into the rest of the season."
Durbidge was in excellent form throughout the final day of competition, eliminating a rampaging Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, compatriot Ben Dunn (AUS), 23, and lethal local Patrick Beven (FRA), 31, en route to the Final. Although surfing well, the big Australian couldn't overcome Fanning's speed in the trying conditions.
"I felt good and fit as but I was trying to push my turns too hard on a couple of waves and I was caught in the bump a lot so I guess that's the difference from the other heats today," Durbidge said. "The conditions were a bit bumpier and I couldn't get any clean sections out there. It feels good to be in the Final though, it's the best I've done this year and coming from a 3rd at Trestles, it is petty good."
Durbidge's Runner-Up finish rockets him from 7th to 4th on the 2009 ASP World Tour ratings, placing him in solid position heading into the remainder of the year.
"That's good news (ratings jump) but my goal is just to finish the year off good and be in a good position to start next year," Durbidge said. "I would like to finish the year inside the Top 5 for sure so I hope to keep things rolling."
Tiago Pires (PRT), 29, ASP Dream Tour sophomore, halted what many considered to be the juggernaut of the event when he eliminated reigning nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37, in the Quarterfinals of the Quiksilver Pro France.
"I'm over the moon right now," Pires said. "Kelly (Slater) is my favorite surfer and I have so much respect for him. I knew I had to wait for the bigger waves to get the scores to beat him. I've had a really tough year, but have been training very hard for this and I'm so happy to get through."
While the Floridian opened up with some fluid-yet-explosive surfing on his backhand to amass a daunting 17.43 out of a possible 20 heat total, it was Pires who would answer back with a 9.57 followed by a 8.13 to take the heat.
"After I put up that first big score, I was still needing another really big one so I knew I had to wait," Pires said. "Kelly (Slater) likes to stay busy and he keeps getting scores all the time, but I still had to wait for a good one. I had been watching all day and I knew there would be sets so when it came, I just put everything I had into it.
Although Pires would eventually down to Fanning in the Semifinals, his Equal 3rd place finish sees him bolt from 33rd to 23rd on the ASP World Tour ratings.
"I couldn't have asked to a better start to these next events in France," Pires said. "I've worked very hard and I am hoping to turn things around during the European leg. I feel comfortable here - it feels like home and I believe I can put up some very good results."
Patrick Beven (FRA), 31, who gained entry into the event through the Moskova Trials, had a banner run at the Quiksilver Pro France, eliminating current ASP World No. 1, Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, as well as ASP Dream Tour stalwarts Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, and Bobby Martinez (USA), 27, before falling to Durbidge in the Semifinals.
"Bede (Durbidge) is a great surfer and he pushed me in a couple of average waves," Beven said. "I was feeling really tired in that heat, I didn't eat today and focused so hard on each of my heats. I was a bit confused out in the line-up and I didn't catch the good ones. I was a little stressed halfway the heat and I didn't surf as good as in my previous heats."
Supported by thousands of spectators throughout the final day of competition, the giant-killer Beven put on a show using smart heat tactics and razor-sharp backhand turns to prove a standout in the Les Bourdaines beach beaks.
"The crowds pushed big time in that event," Beven said. "They were behind me and it felt so good when the crowds cheered after my waves. It is a big part of my result today and I hope I can keep that confidence for the next events on the ASP WQS. I am stoked to get the chance to show my surf and beat some of the world's best surfers. That run today is pretty unbelievable."
The hunt for the 2009 ASP World Title has become even more interesting with the early elimination of frontrunner Parkinson and the win from Fanning. They'll battle other top seeds C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, Durbidge and Slater as the ASP Dream Tour continues the European leg.
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE FINAL RESULTS:
1 - Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.66
2 - Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.87
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.76 def. Patrick Beven (FRA) 12.90
SF 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.43 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 12.33
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.70 def. Ben Dunn (AUS) 13.60
QF 2: Patrick Beven (FRA) 14.86 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 14.00
QF 3: Tiago Pires (PRT) 17.70 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 17.43
QF 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.00 Taj Burrow def. (AUS) 12.33
QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE ROUND 4 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 13.33 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 12.40
Heat 2: Ben Dunn (AUS) 13.83 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 12.37
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 11.43 vs. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.30
Heat 4: Patrick Beven (FRA) 14.10 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 12.67
Heat 5: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.23 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.33
Heat 6: Tiago Pires (PRT) 14.83 def. Tim Boal (FRA) 9.36
Heat 7: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.40 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 15.00
Heat 8: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.74 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.40
CURRENT ASP WORLD TOUR TOP 10 (After Quiksilver Pro France):
1 - Joel Parkinson (AUS) 5896 points
2 - Mick Fanning (AUS) 5750 points
3 - C.J. Hobgood (USA) 4872 points
4 - Bede Durbidge (AUS) 4792 points
5 - Kelly Slater (USA) 4638 points
6 - Adriano de Souza (BRA) 4573 points
7 - Taj Burrow (AUS) 4417 points
8 - Damien Hobgood (USA) 4384 points
9 - Bobby Martinez (USA) 4314 points
10 - Taylor Knox (USA) 4216 points
Parkinson and Reynolds Rule as Wildcards Run Rampant at Quiksilver Pro France
SEIGNOSSE, France (Wednesday, September 23, 2009) – Round 1 and the opening four heats of Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France got underway today with the world's best surfers detonating in punchy three-to-four foot (1.5 metre) peaks at Les Bourdaines beachbreak.
Event No. 7 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro France was treated to some fantastic surfing throughout the opening day of the waiting period, with the world's best surfers letting loose in the playful beachbreaks while the event wildcards stamped their authority as real contenders amongst the ASP Top 45.
Dane Reynolds (USA), 23, current ASP World No. 11, is coming hot off the heals of his best results on the ASP Dream Tour, a 3rd in South Africa and a 2nd in Southern California, and continued to push the limits of high-performance surfing today at the Quiksilver Pro France.
Opening with a blistering 8.83 out of a possible 10 with some rapid-fire forehand surfing, Reynolds then fell behind fellow Venturan Nathaniel Curran (USA), 24, who posted an impressive heat total of a total 15.40 out of a possible 20. Needing a score in the dying minutes, Reynolds detonated another roping righthander for grab and 8.50 and the advancement to Round 3.
"I knew that wave was going to offer up a score for me and all I had to do was surf it as best I can," Reynolds said. "It had a good wall on it and I was able to do a few turns. It's too bad for Nathaniel (Curran) as he was surfing really, really well, but I'm sure he'll do well in his Round 2 heat."
Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, current ASP World No. 1, suffered his first setback in an otherwise near-flawless season last event, finishing 17th in Southern California. While the media speculated that a quasi-serious ankle injury was the culprit in Parkinson's poor showing, the Australian showed no signs of injury today.
"Everyone has been talking about it (ankle injury) but I haven't really noticed it," Parkinson said. "It feels fine today and I feel like I have full movement. Obviously, I didn't have the result I wanted at the last event, but everyone has a bad one and hopefully I've gotten mine out of the way already."
With extreme tide fluctuations wreaking havoc upon the consistency of the Les Bourdaines lineup, Parkinson effortless posted excellent scores with both backhand and forehand ripping.
"It's pretty tricky out there but there are definitely some pretty fun ones coming through," Parkinson said. "It can be tricky with the tide changes. The waves looked really fun this morning, but as the tide's dropped, some of the good ones are breaking inside and the others are breaking out the back. Looking forward to a few days off now and excited to get back out there."
Julian Wilson (AUS), 20, led the wildcard charge at today's Quiksilver Pro France, besting veteran compatriots Bede Durbdige (AUS), 26, and Dean Morrison (AUS), 28, inRound 1 of competition.
"I've done a few of these events as a wildcard before and the approach of ‘just go for broke' has kind of gone out the window now. I look at these heats as opportunities to establish myself and good training against these guys. I hope to be up at this level of competition in one to two years and this is great experience."
Joining Wilsonin posting Round 1 heat wins today were fellow wildcards Joan Duru (FRA), 20, and Patrick Beven (FRA), 31.
The afternoon saw some electric surfing as Round 2 moved through the opening four heats, and some big names avoided elimination at the Quiksilver Pro France.
Following the close Round 2 victory of former ASP World Champion (2007) and current ASP World No. 2, Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, another former ASP World Champion in C.J. Hobgood (USA), 30, survived one of the most exciting heats of the year.
The current ASP World No. 3, who had all nine of his surfboards stolen his first night in France, was comboed by wildcard Alain Riou (PYF), 26, before snapping another surfboard in the powerful Les Bourdaines shorebreak. Grabbing a spare board he had never surfed before, Hobgood returned to the lineup where he proceeded to tube-ride his way out of the combination situation and to a Round 2 victory.
"We all have a breaking point and a lot of things went through my mind and I was just wondering how much worse it could get," Hobgood said. "I was comboed, my board was broken and I know my back-up one is not even that good. If the ocean didn't turn on I would have had a nervous breakdown (Laughs). But whatever, I am happy to get through that heat."
Upsets continued through the final heat of the day with journeyman campaigner Phillip MacDonald (AUS), 30, taking down current ASP World No. 3 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22, inRound 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France. The powerful Australian man-handled the running lefthanders on his backhand, posting an impressive 16.90 out of a possible 20.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
Winning the trials, Alain Riou clinches his wildcard for Quiksilver Pro France, ASP World Tour 7th stop.
The Polynesian surfer, scoring a 15,40 during the final has secured his spot for the main event.
Next call, Wednesday, at 7.30AM
Round 1:
Heat 1: Taylor Knox (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Josh Kerr (AUS), David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 3: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tim Reyes (USA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Luke Stedman (AUS)
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 7: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), TBA
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA), Mick Campbell (AUS), TBA
Heat 10: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), TBA
Heat 11: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Chris Ward (USA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 12: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW), Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 13: Dane Reynolds (USA), Chris Davidson (AUS), Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 14: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Jay Thompson (AUS), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 15: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Tim Boal (FRA), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 16: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Dayyan Neve (AUS), Dustin Barca (HAW)
Check it out LiveWebcast on quiksilverlive.com
Marc Lacomare, ASP European Junior Champ
With his qualification to the quarterfinal round of the Tenerife Pro Junior 3*, DC team rider Marc Lacomare is crowned ASP European Junior Champion 2009.
Past winners of this prestigious title include Jérémy Flores, Alain Riou & Maxime Huscenot.
With this win, Marc secures his spot in the ASP World Junior Championship to be held in Australia January 2010, to compete for the ASP World Junior Championship.
QUIKSILVER’S JOAN DURU AND DC’S MARC LACOMARE DOMINATE WORLD SURFING ON HOME TURF.
In soaring summer temperatures this Sunday afternoon, local riders from the Quiksilver and DC family Joan Duru and Marc Lacomare turned up the heat on their competitors to put in scorching performances and claim respective victories in the Rip Curl Pro Junior 3-star and the WQS 6-star Sooruz Lacanau Pro.
The first final to take advantage of the spectacular 4-5-foot, offshore waves hitting the Landes coast was the Rip Curl Pro Junior held at Seignosse Le Penon, a local haunt of 18 year-old Marc Lacomare. Marc, from Hossegor, trains tirelessly at the beach break but his rival in the final, John John Florence from Hawaii is widely regarded as one of the best surfers of his generation. The route to the podium would not be an easy one.
In the quarter-finals of the event, also held this morning, John John Florence neatly illustrated this point when he scored an incredible perfect 10, which he backed up with an almost-perfect 9.87 to take him into the semi-final. Marc Lacomare won his semi-final against Basque surfer Jatyr Berasaluce by a nail-biting 0.24 but he was, it seems, saving his best performance for the final.
A huge, excited crowd of friends, family, supporters and rivals lined the water’s edge at the height of the day’s searing temperatures and as the tide turned, perfect offshore walls pushed over the sandbank. The two surfers from opposite sides of the world paddled out to complete three days of top quality surfing for the most highly rated contest of the ASP Junior Pro Tour.
John John Florence clearly had his wave magnet charged, taking wave after wave to notch up 11 rides in total and a combined score of 9.67. Lacomare, on the other hand, displayed a professional level of patience and selection. Choosing only two waves in total, Lacomare scored an 8-point ride, backed up by a 4.67. Despite the Hawaiian’s best efforts, it was quality and not quantity, laced with invaluable local knowledge that won in the end. Lacomare emerged victorious and the crowd’s cheers reverberated along the beach towards his hometown of Hossegor. A stunned and ecstatic Lacomare took to the podium to claim his prize money and an electric guitar for his efforts to end a day that he will never forget.
The very same afternoon, 150 km north on the same Aquitaine coast, Joan Duru took to the water to compete in the final of the prestigious Sooruz Lacanau Pro. In the 6-star event, Duru, just 20 years of age and from Ondres would have qualified to compete in the Pro Junior but instead stepped up against some of the world’s best surfers to take part in the WQS event. Going into the competition, Duru had already proved his level of ability as he ranked tenth on the WQS, forging a path towards the ASP World Tour next year. He then illustrated his dominance in Round 5 of the event when he defeated teammate, close friend and ASP World Tour surfer, Miky Picon to progress to the quarter final against Brian Toth. His heat tactics and knowledge of French beach breaks took him onward to the semi against Matt Wilkinson from Australia and straight into the final.
Perfect 4-foot, offshore conditions greeted the surfers for the final and some of the best waves, according to Logie, that have greeted the surfers on the WQS this entire year. Thousands of spectators gathered on the shoreline to watch the action and they were not disappointed.
Travis Logie had been surfing with impressive power leading up to the final, having defeated Americans Austin Ware and Patrick Gudauskas in the quarter and semi-finals. As an ex-member of the elite Top 45 and a seasoned competitor with more experience of the man-on-man format, it seemed Logie had the edge over his younger rival. Joan Duru, however, had other ideas.
Opening his score account with a 7.33, Duru was bolstered by local support and surfed with panache. Logie, who is attempting to return to the upper echelon of surfing in the Dream Tour, eventually answered with a 7.23 that would count as one of his best wave scores by the time the hooter sounded. Performing huge vertical top turns and impressive manoeuvres, Duru upped the ante by posting a 9-point ride. This, backed up by a 7.47 would seal his victory despite the best efforts of Logie and an 8.07 score. Victorious in front of his home crowd, a jubilant Duru was carried up the beach to claim his $20,000 prize cheque and the all-important points.
Duru commented afterwards, “I am just so happy right now, I wanted to win so bad I am really over the moon and can’t really realise the result yet. I felt quite under pressure throughout the event and until the semi-final I was just very focused and anxious but I managed to get over it for the final and I really let go to surf at my best. Travis never let go of me and he is an impressive competitor so I really played my game and used priority and it finished perfectly.”
Duru’s win is the first for a French surfer in the event for 27 years. This was the 30th anniversary of the Lacanau Pro, which began 10 years before Duru was even born. His stunning result, which catapults him to seventh on the WQS rankings brings his aspirations of joining the world’s 45 best on the ASP World Tour in 2010 ever closer to becoming a reality. The performances of Duru and his friend Marc Lacomare illustrate how far French surfing has come in recent years and its significance on a global scale.
Gabe Davies
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO FINAL
1st, Joan Duru (FRA), 16.47 pts
2nd, Travis Logie (ZAF), 15.30 pts
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.60 pts Def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.76 pts
Heat 2: Joan Duru (FRA) 11.17 pts Def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.03 pts
SOORUZ LACANAU PRO QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 15.43 pts Def. Leonardo Neves (BRA) 7.50 pts
Heat 2: Travis Logie (ZAF) 18.24 pts Def. Austin Ware (USA) 10.00 pts
Heat 3: Joan Duru (FRA) 13.24 pts Def. Brian Toth (PRI) 9.76 pts
Heat 4: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.04 pts Def. Adam Melling (AUS) 11.66 pts
ASP WQS TOP 10 AFTER SOORUZ LACANAU PRO
No. 1, Daniel Ross (AUS), 14975 pts
No. 2, Jadson Andre (BRA), 13350 pts
No. 3, Owen Wright (AUS), 12838 pts
No. 4, Adam Melling (AUS), 12801 pts
No. 5, Patrick Gudauskas (USA), 12513 pts
No. 6, Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 12150 pts
No. 7, Joan Duru (FRA), 12050 pts
No. 8, Brett Simpson (USA), 11863 pts
No. 9, Travis Logie (ZAF), 11326 pts
No. 10, Blake Thornton (AUS), 10826 pts
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