Hyundai Pro Longboards

Surfing New Zealand
Port Waikato
18 - 19 February 2006

Competition Surfing Returns to Port Waikato After Twelve Year Hiatus

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 16 February, 2006 : - - Event three of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour ventures to Port Waikato this weekend (18th – 19th February).  The Hyundai Pro Longboard event will be the first national level surfing competition to be held at ‘The Port’ for twelve years.  The top longboarders in New Zealand will contest the event including defending national champion and current ratings leader Michael Fitzharris (Gis). 

This weekend’s event will complete the first half of the tour which is yet to visit Kaikoura, Mount Maunganui and Gisborne.  The ratings for the five divisions contested are starting to take shape with Fitzharris having a comfortable lead, going into this event as the number one seed.  As a primary school teacher, Fitzharris obviously gets in plenty of water time before and after school and his form this year suggests he will be hard to stop come the business end of the tour in May. 

Second and third on the ratings Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) and Daniel Kereopa (Rag) have acheived podium finishes in the first two events but have been unable to secure that elusive number one position.  Both will be out to go one better this weekend and with Port Waikato being a first time location on the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour, they may well be able to surprise the runner away leader. 

Gisborne’s Daniel Procter is yet to fire a shot this year and could cause upset as could Kelly Ryan (Gis) who missed the most recent event, The Northland Longboard Classic. 

Micheal Fitzharris : photo NZ Surfing Magazine

Everyone knows that longboards give surfers the ability to catch their fair share of waves.  It is no wonder then, that the large turn out in the Over 40s and Over 50s are just as competitive if not worse than the Open Men’s Division.  Further to this, their traditional style surfing is barely a shade less enjoyable to watch than that of their younger counterparts. 

Hawkes Bay’s Brendon Young stole the Over 40s victory at the last event on the tour from one of New Zealand’s legendary shapers Roger Hall (Bream Bay).  Fellow shaper Mike ‘Micky T’ Thompson (Rag) was not to be out done finishing in third and the three surfers will go hammer and tongs again this weekend to see who can take bragging rights. 

In the Over 50s, Paul Browne (Auck) won the last event over regular competitor David Storck (Auck) in the hotly contested division that saw no less than 20 of the ageless grommets out there competing and giving it a crack. 

In the Women’s Wini Paul (Sandy Bay) will look to make it three out of three after firstly winning a national title and then backing that up with a win at Sandy Bay two weeks ago.  Paul will still be on a high after this week being named in the New Zealand Junior Surfing Team to compete in Brazil in May this year. 

Likewise in the Junior Men, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope) will hope to make it three out of three but will come up against stiff competition from Wellington’s Kirk Beyer and also Sam Guthrie (Mnt). 

The event is scheduled for two days.  Surfers will meet at the beach at 7am both mornings to determine the venue for the day and the order of events.  The Hyundai hospitality tent will be in full operation again making sure that everyone is more than comfortable.  

Current ratings after the first two events follow.  Please note that the Over 40’s and Over 50s have contested one event only. 

Hyundai Open Men Longboard 

1 Michael Fitzharris (Gis)
2 Thomas Kibblewhite (Akl)
3 Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
4 Mathew Cockayne (Mngwhai)
5 Tony Baker (Mngwhai)
6 Daniel Proctor (Gis)
7 Paul Culpan (Akl)
8 Dave Ivory (Mgwhai)
9 Matt Gillespie (Akl)
10 Phil Morris (Auck) 

Hyundai Women Longboard 

1 Wini Paul (Sandy Bay)
2 Josephine Moore (Mur)
3 Pauline Pullman (NCB)
4 Anna Jolly (Piha)
5 Lucy Parks (Auck) 

Hyundai Junior Men Longboard 

1 Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)
2 Kirk Beyer (Wgtn)
3 Tom Grooten (Auck)
4 Tyler Anderson (Tara)
5 Sam Guthrie (Mnt)

Hyundai Over 40s Longboard 

1 Brendon Young (Hawkes Bay)
2 Roger Hall (Bream Bay)
3 Mike Thomson (Raglan)
4 Ian Wood (Auckland)
5 Dave Ivory (Mangwhai) 

Hyundai Over 50s Longboard 

1 Paul Browne (Auck)
2 David Storck (Auckland)
3 Allan Macdonald (Oakura)
4 John Ayton
5 Nick Matich (NCB) 

The 2006 Northland Longboard Classic is proudly sponsored by Hyundai. The event would be not possible without the support of Surfing New Zealand and North Coast Boardriders.

Event dates for the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour:

- Hyundai National Surfing Championships,
  Northland – 7th – 14th January
- Northland Longboard Classic in association with Hyundai,
  Sandy Bay – 4th – 5th February
- Hyundai Pro Longboard,
  Port Waikato – 18th – 19th February
- “V” South Island International Longboard Pro-Am in association with Hyundai, 
  Kaikoura – 17th – 19th March
- Hyundai Pro Longboard,
  Mount Maunganui – 25th – 26th March
- Hyundai Pro Longboard,
  Gisborne – 13th – 14th May

Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by Hyundai, Lion Red, Vodafone, SPARC, Smoke, Freentin Drain.

www.surfingnz.co.nz

Previous reports:
# 1 : Hyundai sponsors new Pro Longboard NZ Tour 2006 
# 2 : Coming soon
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

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Ben Kennings

Longboard Contests - Surfersvillage