Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event #3

Surfing New Zealand
Mount Maunganui New Zealand
3 - 4 February 2007

Tradition Vs Power at The Hyundai Pro Longboard Event

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 3 February, 2007 : - - Longboarding got back to its classic best when the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour hit Sandy Bay, Northland today.  Small but reasonably consistent wave conditions forced the country’s best longboarders to rely on style rather than aggression in the battle for points in the third round of the six event tour.

National open champion Daniel Kereopa (Rag) and some of the other younger competitors like Wellington’s Kirk Beyer relied largely on a modern tight turning style to win their way through the early heats, Kereopa scoring the highest wave of the day with an 8.75 ride.  But others such as defending 2006 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour winner Michael Fitzharris from Gisborne looked towards more traditional stepping, nose riding and drop knee turns for their points in the clean half metre waves.

Mount Maunganui’s Darren McBride and Ohope junior Dylan Barnfield were among others who stood out with stylish noseriding in the open men’s division. In the juniors Dylan Barnfield and his younger brother Eli both made it through to the semi finals, as did 13 and 15-year-old Mangawhai brothers Louie and Sam Smith, with 11 year-old Hone Douglas from Whakatane also stepping up to the plat to progress to the semifinals.

With the first round of this year’s Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour at Mt Maunganui abandoned due to lack of waves and the second round being incorporated into the Hyundai National Surfing Championships at Taranaki this weekend’s Sandy Bay event is the first time this season the country’s top longboarders have had for a serious match up between one another.

Surfers who have progressed into Sunday’s Semifinal rounds of the Northland Longboard Classic include: Women’s: Kirstie Thomsen (Whangarei), Shereen Lobb (Port Waikato), Anna Jolly (Piha), Melody Spaul (Whangarei), Pauline Pullman (Sandy Bay) Rea Ansin (Auckland), Monique Waitzer and Josephine Moore (Muriwai).

Junior Men: Eli Barnfield, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope), Louie Smith, Sam Smith (Mangawhai), Hone Douglas (Whakatane) and Sam Guthrie (Mt Maungonui) Over 40 Men: Richard Dorahy (Whangarei), John Ayton (Victoria, Aus), Bruce Shortridge (Hawkes Bay), Al Ashworth (Muriwai), Mike Thomson (Raglan), Scotty Riach (Stanmore Bay), David Storck (Auckland) and Roger Hall (Ruakaka).  

All finals will be completed on Sunday with the action commencing at 8am in the morning.  A full media release and results will be distributed at the end of the days surfing.

Further event dates for the 2007 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour are as follows:
Hyundai Pro Longboard, Christchurch – 17th – 18th February
South Island International Longboard Pro-Am in association with Hyundai, Kaikoura – 16th – 18th March
Hyundai Pro Longboard, Port Waikato – 24th – 25th March

Hyundai have been involved with Surfing New Zealand since 2004.  2006 saw the relationship go from strength to strength with sponsorship of the national champs and the longboard tour.  The relationship is now having a serious impact on the sport of surfing and particularly longboarding in this country.

For more information on the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour please contact Ben Kennings on 021 2278732 or email benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz.  Alternatively, please contact Hyundai Marketing Manager Daniel Carroll on 64 9 573 2050 or dcarroll@hanz.co.nz.

The Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour is brought to you by Billabong, Oceanbridge, Nickelodeon, Coke, Panasonic, Clearasil, UV Triple Guard, Von Vipper and Kustom. Surfing New Zealand are proudly partnered by  Corona, Vodafone, Hyundai, SPARC, Smokefree,

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Ben Kennings
benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz

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