QUIKSILVER SURF SHOWDOWN

QUIKSILVER SURF SHOWDOWN

FISTRAL BEACH, NEWQUAY.  29TH-30TH AUGUST 09

8 Shops, 16 Surfers, 1 Winner

The Quiksilver Surf Showdown contest will take place on August bank holiday - 29th, 30th August 2009, Fistral Beach, Newquay.   This unique event will see 8 of the UK & Ireland's most iconic surf shops compete for the chance to win a trip to the legendary Quiksilver Pro France and a personalised Gibson Guitar, the winning pro-surfers will win £500.

2 staff from each store will be paired with 2 surfers from the UK & Ireland's finest 16 pro's including Quiksilver's Spencer Hargraves, Nathan Phillips, Aaron Reid.  Roxy will also add 8 of the UK's Pro Female Surfers to the mix.  These 8 teams will then compete over the two day contest.  Irish surf legend, Andy Hill, owner of Troggs in Portrush is amongst the invited store owners confirmed to compete, alongside cult surf stores; Northshore (Newquay), Tubes (Cork), Dive & Ski ( Jersey), Surfing Life (Plymouth), In Deep (Bude),  and others still to be confirmed

Gibson Present Quiksessions "Play on the Beach"

In the run up to the Quiksilver Surf Showdown, Quiksilver are searching for local bands to play live at the Gibson Tour Bus & Quiksessions Stage during the event. 

Quiksilver's Ben Howard, who recently supported Paul Weller, Fink, Xavier Rudd, and performed at this years Glastonbury and Lovebox festivals, will also be live on stage.  His increasing success has followed after winning the Red Stripe Music awards, and release of his new EP "These Waters".

All local bands and solo artists can win the chance to Play on the Beach.  We're looking for up to 6 bands and the best performance over the weekend will win Quiksilver product & Gibson Guitar.  Click www.quiksilver-europe.com/playonthebeach to enter from Friday 7th August or call 0207 4366800 now.  Local bands will be selected from this site and contacted 10 days before the event!

To complete the rock ‘n' roll experience, the Gibson Guitar Tour Bus one of only five in the world will be parked exclusively on Fistral beach and will provide a media hub, hospitality and a place to relax for Gibson's special guest artists and all surfers.

Jeremy Flores ISA world Champion 2009

Quiksilver team rider Jeremy Flores leads the French surfing team to a world title the  Open Gold Medal  of the ISA world surfing games 2009.

Surfing trhu to the final via the repercharges heats Flores was the form surfer of the event repeatdedly posting the highest heat scores of the entire comptetion . once qualifying into the Grand Final Flores dominated his 3 opponents with a combination score of  17.12 points , the 2 sufers of USA , Ben Bourgerois and Cory Lopez and the Preuvian Gabriel Villaran were left in need of a exceptional wave to over take the Frenchman .

This win for Flores put the French team into a second place on the overall title to team America
Flores Follows on the footsteps of  CJ Hobgood (USA) winner of the previous ISA games.

Credit Photo: Billy Watts

Ramzi Boukhiam crowned King of the Groms 2009 in Zarautz

Morocco’s Ramzi Boukhiam has won the 2009 edition of the Quiksilver King of the Groms, beating Tom Neushwanger (Fra), Ian Fontaine (Fra) and William Alliotti (Gua). Ramzi and Tom will go on to represent Europe in the International Final of the King of the Groms, set to take place from 23rd September to 4th October, during the Quiksilver Pro France 2009.

In the final, the Team Quiksilver surfer Ramzi Boukhiam outclassed his rivals with a score of 7.90 and 9.33. With a final total of 17.23 points (out of a possible 20), including one wave judged at 9.33 (out of 10), Ramzi produced the best series of the entire competition.

At the end of the day, at the spot in Zarautz (Euskadi) and for the final series of the event, the quality of the waves improved markedly. For the first few minutes of the final, Ramzi had some trouble perfecting his moves. But with iron patience, the one they call “Ramzouille” gradually gained in confidence and performed a string of rollers, floaters and cutbacks with increasing ease and a radical style. With seven minutes to go in the series, he confirmed his victory with a wave scored at 9.33 that unmistakeably marked the pinnacle of these two days of competition. The young Moroccan richly deserved his win, having remained unbeaten over the two days of surfing. “I’ve changed the way I approach my series, and now I’m more chilled, I don’t put myself under so much pressure. I try to have fun, just let go and it works!” explained the King of the Groms 2009.

His rivals did their utmost to outsurf him, but all in vain. This year, Ramzi was just too good. Tom Neushwanger and Ian Fontaine performed very solidly at the start of the series, but didn’t get the waves they needed to try and keep up with the leader.
In the repechage table, Portugal’s Fransisco Alves and France’s Pierre Rollet saw their hopes of making it through to the final of the main leaderboard slip away. Ian Fontaine and Tom Neushwanger were able to make the most of every one of their waves, giving their two pursuers little chance. The patience shown by Pierre Rollet, waiting for the right wave to arrive, was ultimately to no avail.
Following this final, World Top 45 surfer Aritz Aranburu and the King of the Groms riders performed an expression session for the spectators. For 30 dazzling minutes, all the surfers let their imagination run free, thrilling the big crowd gathered on the beach at Zarautz. Afterwards, Tahiti’s Kevin Bourez emerged victorious with an ollie pop.
Crowned by the competition sponsor Aritz Aranburu, Ramzi will have a major card to play in the International Final. The reward is a wildcard to compete in the trials for the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast 2010 and the Quiksilver Pro France 2010.
This evening from 10pm at the Place Munoa square in Zarautz, there will be a special DJ set with Mahara McKay. Later, at 11pm, France’s Joan Duru and Dimitri Ouvré will join Australian Craig Andreson to light up Zarautz for the Quiksilver Air-Show - a unique night-time surfing spectacle, that will see the riders towed out by jetskis, performing aerial moves.
Then at midnight, Helltrip are set to rock the living daylights of the Place Munoa!

King of the Groms final - results
1st: Ramzi Boukhiam (Fra)
2nd: Tom Neushwanger (Fra)
3th: Ian Fontaine (Fra)
4th: William Alliotti (Gua)

King of Groms - First day in Zarautz

The 2009 edition of the Quiksilver King of the Groms kicked off this morning on the beach at Zarautz. At 8am sharp, the 32 qualifiers for the European Final, split into series of four, inaugurated their new competition spot in 1.50 metre swells under a cloudy sky. For this first day, the surfers had to perform for 20 minutes in difficult waves which limited the number of moves.

The 1st round was shock-free, with strong title contenders Ramzi Boukhiam (Fra), Ian Fontaine (Fra), Pierre Rollet (Fra) and Fransisco Alves (Port) all easily booking their places in round 2.

The competition format includes a repechage table, giving the third and fourth place surfers in each series from the main leaderboard the chance to stay alive in the contest and potentially rejoin the main contenders for the final phases. In the 2nd round, the wave conditions improved with the incoming tide. And the surprises – both good and not so good - started to flow thick and fast.

Rounds 1 and 2 saw Ramzi Boukhiam, of Moroccan descent, set the bar very high. Performing solidly, with plenty of air and some radical moves, Ramzi forced his rivals to up the ante right from the start of round 2. He was facing some pretty tough competition, with Portuguese surfer Fransisco Alves making a great start to the event. With the best wave and the best combination of the first round, Fransisco remains a serious challenger for the main event. In round 2, he consolidated his position by taking the second best wave score, just behind Ramzi Boukhiam. Pierre Rollet, another with big hopes going into the European Final, was forced to go through repechage and is now in the secondary table. Having had a torrid time throughout the series, Pierre eventually hauled himself into 2nd place with barely three minutes left, only to see it snatched away in the dying seconds by countryman Gary Landais with his very last wave. In the repechage round, Pierre won his series easily. Though still in the race, he'll have to produce a string of top performances to get back into the main event. Ian Fontaine, another seed, was also relegated to the repechage table after a difficult series that pitted him against another of the favourites, Kevin Bourez. Local hopeful, 13-year-old Imanol Yeregui, really got the spot rocking. Cheered on by a partisan crowd, the youngster didn't let them down, and showed he can mix it with the older guys. The Basque surfer is still in with a shout in the repechage table.

Tomorrow, the surfers will head to the competition spot at 8am for the final phases. In the evening, the European grom king will be crowned, and he and the runner-up will book their tickets to the international final of the King of the Groms. After the award ceremony, from 10pm on the Place Munoa in Zarautz, there will be a special DJ set with Mahara McKay, followed by the Quiksilver Air Show. The night will end with a concert by Helltrip.

Round 2 results
Heat 1: William Alliotti (Gua) 12.50pts, Gary Landais (Fra) 8.03pts, Pierre Rollet (Fra) 7.20pts, Rui Henriques (Port) 6.54pts.
Heat 2: Ramzi Boukhiam (Fra) 14.66pts, Fransisco Alves (Port) 12.30pts, Andy Crière (Fra) 6.70pts, Imanol Yeregui (Spa) 5.60pts.
Heat 3: Paul Cesar Distinguin (Fra) 11.50pts, Kevin Bourez (Fra) 10.94pts, Ian Fontaine (Fra) 10.47pts, Gaminde Txaber (Spa) 8.03.
Heat 4: Jordan Oueslati (Gua) 9.43pts, Gaspard Larsonneur (Fra) 9.17pts, Roberto D'Amico (Ita) 6.80pts, Tom Neushwanger (Fra) 5.90pts.

Round 1 results
Heat 1: William Alliotti (Gua) 10.60pts, Gary Landais (Fra) 7.44pts, Natxo Gonzales (Spa) 7.10pts, Julen Eguiguren (Spa) 6.10pts.
Heat 2: Pierre Rollet (Fra) 10.50pts, Rui Henrique (Por) 10.33pts, Ivan Gonzales (Spa) 4.04pts, Ethan Eguiguren (Spa) 3.57pts.
Heat 3: Fransisco Alves (Port) 12.40pts, Imanol Yeregui (Spa) 6.17pts, Emilien Lojou (Fra) 5.47pts, Maquire Conor (Irl) 3.57pts.
Heat 4: Ramzy Boukhiam (Fra) 8.90pts, Andy Crière (Fra) 7.17pts, Alex Vibert (Uk) 4.90pts, Valerio Giorgi (Ita) 1.27pts.
Heat 5: Ian Fontaine (Fra) 11.34pts, Paul César Distinguin (Fra) 7.93pts, Miles Lee Hargraves (Uk) 4.90pts, Achile Kindt (Bel) 3.34pts.
Heat 6: Kevin Bourez (Fra) 8.10pts, Txaber Gaminde (Spa) 7.13pts, Thomas Fernandes (Por) 2.50pts, Freddie Seymour (Uk) 2.26pts.
Heat 7: Gaspard Larsonneur (Fra) 7.13pts, Roberto D'Amico (Ita) 4.50pts, Josu Alcantara Gran (Spa) 4.50pts, Jobe Harris (Uk) 4.26pts.
Heat 8: Jordan Oueslati (Gua) 11.50pts, Tom Neushwanger (Fra) 8.84pts, Javier Asciano (Spa) 5.50pts, Mikel Zamakona (Spa) 3.80pts.

Reperchage 2 results
Heat 1: Pierre Rollet (Fra) 9.56pts, Rui Henrique (Port) 6.50pts, Natxo Gonzales (Spa) 5.63pts, Julen Eguiguren (Spa) 5.33pts,
Heat 2 : Imanol Yeregui (Spa) 7.03pts, Emilien Lojou (Fra) 6.60pts, Andy Crière (Fra) 6.20pts, Alex Vibert (Uk) 5.13pts.
Heat 3: Ian Fontaine (Fra) 12.17pts, Txaber Gaminde (Spa), Miles Lee Hargraves (Uk) 5.27pts, Thomas Fernandes (Por), Miles Hargraves (Uk).
Heat 4: Tom Neushwanger (Fra) 8.93pts, Javier Asclano (Spa) 8.20pts, Roberto D'amico (Ita) 6.16pts, Mikel Zamakona (Spa) 4.06pts

Reperchage 1 results
Heat 1 : Natxo Gonzales (Spa) 8.20pts, Julen Eguiguren (Spa) 7.17pts, Ivan Gonzales (Spa) 6.86pts, Ethan Eguiguren (Spa) 6.30pts.
Heat 2: Emilien Lojou (Fra) 11.66pts, Alex Vibert (Uk) 9.33pts, Maquire Conor (Irl) 3.70pts, Valerio Giorgi (Ita) 0.00pts.
Heat 3: Thomas Fernandes (Por) 8.60pts, Miles Lee Hargraves (Uk 5.17pts, Freddie Seymour (Uk) 4.67pts, Achile Kindt (Bel) 2.50pts.
Heat 4: Javier Asciano (Spa) 9.03pts, Mikel Zamakona (Spa) 8.50pts, Josu Alcantara Gran (Spa) 8.27pts, Jobe Harris (Uk) 5.47pts.