Estoril Coast Pro

ASP 6-Star WQS Men's Event
Carcavelos Lisbon Portugal
21 - 26 October 2008

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

Nicol Tames Testing Conditions, Top Seeds Control Day 3 of Estoril Coast Pro      > Portuguese embaixo

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 23 October, 2008 : - - Guincho, Portugal -- The Estoril Coast Pro resumed at its back-up venue of Gunicho today, twenty minutes North from Carcavelos, with top seeds getting their start in the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star event in solid four to six foot (1.2 to 2 meter) waves.

After a day-off yesterday, it was time for current ratings' leaders to take the dust off their boards and surf in the third to last major event of the year that will be crucial regarding end-of-the-year ratings from which the Top 15 will qualify for next year's ASP World Tour.

Yadin Nicol (Wa, AUS), 22, took top honours on Day 3 of competition coming up with some world-class surfing in the solid waves to advance through to Round 3 with the highest heat result of the event so far, a 17.93 point tally (out of a possible 20), besting fellow Australian and rising star Owen Wright (Sydney, AUS) in Heat 10.

"It was hard out there and to be honest I was just preparing to go home," Nicol said. "These conditions usually fit Matt (Wilkinson) and Owen's (Wright) surfing and I did not know what scores I had. But I am stoked and it is a good motivation boost."  Nicol, who is currently rated No. 16 on the ASP WQS, suffered a shocker in the last event in the Canary Islands and was very disappointed after his loss, seeing all his closest followers jumping ahead.

Phillip MacDonald : photo Alfarroba/Pedro Duarte Jorge

"That heat in Lanzarote was hard because nothing really happened and I was kind of stuck in a hole," Nicol said. "I am happy to get that behind me and I hope I can get through a few more heats this week. I put a lot of pressure on myself in the last event and it did not work well moreover with every single person who needed a result getting one wether in the Canarys or in Brazil."

Nicol will meet with Gavin Gillette (HAW), Brandon Jackson (ZAF) and ASP Top 45 member Travis Logie in Round 3.

Jonathan Gonzalez (Tenerife, CNY), current ASP WQS No. 43 who suffered a major ankle injury that kept him out of the water for three months between May and July, was the first surfer to tame the tricky demanding conditions posting an impressive 17.90 point heat tally (out of a possible 20) including a 9.17 point ride before a last minute 8.73 score to secure his Round 3 berth.

"I thought it would be more difficult before paddling out but I managed to get some good waves," Gonzalez said. "I started on the lefthanders and got a few good scores but I found better potential on the rights in the end and ended up with two great waves. I am very relieved."

Gonzalez, who placed equal 17th in the ASP WQS 6-Star Prime event last week in the Canary Islands, came to Portugal very affected by his disappointing loss in front of his home crowd knowing a big result there would have put him back in the race for the ASP World Tour.

"Last week was very hard for me and that loss affected me a lot," Gonzalez said. "I lost motivation in the last few days because I knew I could achieve something big in Lanzarote and I ended up losing in a very close heat in Round 4 after a big hussle from the other competitors."

Tiago Pires : photo Alfarroba/Pedro Duarte Jorge

Gonzalez, who is no longer expecting any qualification or regional title, surfed with no pressure at Gunicho today delivering some exceptional surfing with his renowned beautiful style.

"I think I have the best board I've surfed so far this year," Gonzalez said. "I have nothing to lose anymore so I just surfed well and unleashed a bit to try and get big scores. I still hope I can kee going in the event. Looking back at the year, I know I have surfed better than ever and I will try and build on this for a good finish in Hawaii."

Tiago Pires (Ericeira, PRT), current ASP World Tour No. 31 and sitting No. 15 on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) with a good chance to requalify via the Grind, had a tough start in the Estoril Coast Pro in the first heat of the day placing second to New Zealand's Bobby Hansen (NZL). Pires, first Portuguese ever to surf among the ASP Top 45, came close to an elimination finding the scores he needed on his last couple of waves.

"I thought there was a righthander in the middle of the beach but appearently I was wrong or did not get it," Pires said. "I broke my leash early in the heat and felt a bit lost halfway through the heat. Breaking that leash forced me to start from scratch so I took a bigger board and went to the left of the contest area which gave me the waves I needed."

Pires, who will head straight to Brazil for Stop No. 10 of 11 of the ASP World Tour after the Estoril Coast Pro, is looking to better an 875 point result meaning he will have to place 17th or better in the next days.

"I have been surfing many events this year on both the ASP WQS and the ASP World Tour and I hope I can requalify," Pires said. "I did not do good in the last event in Portugal at Ericeira so I definitely want to show my sponsors and public I can go far in this event. It is important for me."

Also advancing today was a strong Australian contingent including top ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) contenders Phillip MacDonald (No. 10, AUS), Adam Melling (No. 35, AUS), recent ASP WQS 6-Star Prime winner Nic Muscroft (No. 10, AUS) and young European rising performers Noclas Von Rupp (DEU) and Christophe Allary (REU).

Check the Live Action

UPCOMING ROUND 3 HEATS (1st, 2nd to Round 4)
Heat 1: Bobby Hansen (NZL), Adam Melling (AUS), Nic Muscroft (AUS), Hugo Savalli (REU)
Heat 2: Tiago Pires (PRT), Rowan Aish (NZL), Mike Losness (USA), Phil MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 3: Eric Rebiere (FRA), Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
Heat 4: Nicolas Von Rupp (DEU), Vincent Duvignac (FRA), Christophe Allary (REU), Jean Da Silva (BRA)
Heat 5: Gavin Gillette (HAW), Yadin Nicol (AUS), Brandon Jackson (ZAF), Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 6: Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF), Owen Wright (AUS), Sunny Garcia (HAW), Tonino Benson (HAW)
Heat 7: Romain Cloitre (REU), Dion Atkinson (AUS), Justin Mujica (PRT), Eneko Acero (EUK)
Heat 8: Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Shaun Burrell (USA), Marlon Lipke (DEU), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 9: TBA
Heat 10: TBA
Heat 11: TBA
Heat 12: TBA

REMAINING ROUND 2 HEATS (1st, 2nd to Round 3)
Heat 17: Nathaniel Curran (USA), Brian Toth (PRI), Clint Kimmins (AUS), Miguel Ximenez (PRT)
Heat 18: Shaun Gossmann (AUS), Glenn Hall (IRE), David Richards (ZAF), Dylan Graves (PRI)
Heat 19: Shaun Cansdell (AUS), Nathan Hedge (AUS), Jose Maria Cabrera (CNY), Josie Gravis (USA)
Heat 20: Drew Courtney (AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS), Luke Campbell (AUS), Iler Fuentes (EUK)
Heat 21: Gabe Kling (USA), Hodei Collazo (EUK), Abdel El Harim (MAR), Clancy Dawson (AUS)
Heat 22: Michel Bourez (PYF), Tanner Gudauskas (USA), Jean Sebastien Estienne (BLM), Marcos Sansegundo (EUK)
Heat 23 : Leigh Sedley (AUS), Joan Duru (FRA), Travis Mellem (USA), Ola Eleogram (HAW)
Heat 24: Jay Thompson (AUS), Joao Guedes (PRT), Romain Laulhe (FRA), Alexandre Ferreira (PRT)

ROUND 2 RESULTS (1st, 2nd to Round 3)
Heat 1: Bobby Hansen (NZL) 14.83 pts, Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.60 pts, Pablo Gutierrez (ESP) 10.80 pts, Hira Teriinatoofa
Heat 2: Adam melling (AUS) 15.50 pts, Rowan Aish (NZL) 14.56 pts, Austin Ware (USA) 11.23 pts, Txaber Trojaola
Heat 3: Mike Losness (USA) 13.54 pts, Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.16 pts, Simon Marchand (FRA) 12.54 pts, Sam Page
Heat 4: Phillip MacDonald (AUS) 15.34 pts, Hugo Savalli (REU) 9.54 pts, Klee Strachan (ZAF) 7.97 pts, Anthony Petruso
Heat 5: Eric Rebiere (FRA) 13.83 pts, Nicolas Von Rupp (DEU) 12.27 pts, Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.53 pts
Heat 6: Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 17.90 pts, Vincent Duvignac (FRA) 13.83 pts, Nathan Yeomans, Parrish Byrne
Heat 7: Christophe Allary (REU) 14.50 pts, Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 13.17 pts, Patrick Beven (FRA) 10.34 pts, Nick White
Heat 8: Jean Da Silva (BRA) 12.33 pts, Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 11.44 pts, David Weare (ZAF) 7.50 pts, Borja Agote
Heat 9: Gavin Gillette (HAW) 13.30 pts, Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF) 12.37 pts, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) Brandon Ragenovich
Heat 10: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 17.93 pts, Owen Wright (AUS) 15.26 pts, Edgar Nozes (PRT) 10.83 pts, Matt Wilkinson
Heat 11: Sunny Garcia (HAW) 14.34 pts, Brandon Jackson (ZAF) 13.90 pts, Joel Centeio (HAW) 10.47 pts, Ricardo Lange
Heat 12: Tonino Benson (HAW) 14.37 pts, Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.27 pts, Ruben Gonzalez (PRT) 11.17 pts
Heat 13: Romain Cloitre (REU)14.37 pts, Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA) 12.76 pts, Alain Riou (PYF) 12.34 pts, Wesley De Souza
Heat 14: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 11.57 pts, Shaun Burrell (USA) 11.26 pts, Adam Robertson (AUS) 10.13 pts, Omer Bar
Heat 15: Marlon Lipke (DEU) 14.36 pts, Justin Mujica (PRT) 12.07 pts, Dane Gudauskas (USA) 12.04 pts, Jason Miller
Heat 16: Greg Emslie (ZAF) 16.40 pts, Eneko Acero (EUK) 14.33 pts, Rudy Palmboom (ZAF) 13.33 pts, Cesar Rosa 

The ESTORIL COAST PRO is strongly sponsored by Turismo de Portugal/Estoril, along with Camara Municipal de Cascais (Cascais City Hall), and Ericeira Surf Shop. Sponsors like Nokia, B!, Tmn and Jeep also provide huge support.

This competition is organized by Alfarroba, with help from Sapo.pt, Polen Surfboards, Fonte Viva, LG Computers, Konica Minolta, Red Bull, Vitaminas, Hotel Praia Mar, Restart and the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Europe.

To help on the event's diffusion, organization counts with extra help from radio MegaFm, newspaper Destak, tv channel Sport Tv, tv programme Zona Radical, websites Surf.Sapo.Pt, Conquilha.com and magazines FreeSurf and Bit.

www.aspeurope.com  
www.estorilcoastpro.com

Tiago Pires : photo Alfarroba/Pedro Duarte Jorge

Portuguese

TIAGO PIRES SEGUE EM FRENTE NO ESTORIL COAST PRO

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 23 October, 2008 : - - A ronda de 96 surfistas do ESTORIL COAST PRO começou hoje no Guincho. O vento moderado de leste, durante a manhã, e as ondas na ordem dos dois metros fizeram brilhar algumas das maiores estrelas do surf mundial, entre as quais o português Tiago Pires, na primeira bateria do dia.

Numa bateria bastante complicada, Tiago parecia não se encontrar nas ondas pesadas e rápidas do Guincho. As dificuldades culminaram com a quebra do shop e a consequente perda da prancha. No entanto, o atleta confessou mais tarde que acabou por ser positivo: “foi o meu ponto de viragem”, conseguindo duas boas ondas no final da bateria. No entanto, Bobby Hansen levou a melhor e com um score final de 14,83, acabou por colocar Saca em segundo. Foi, no entanto, suficiente para passar à ronda seguinte.

No final, Tiago confessou “O mar estava muito difícil mas acabei por conseguir, foi acreditar até ao fim. Nestas situações é muito importante manter a calma. O WCT tem sido óptimo para intensificar o meu nível competitivo pois os júris são mais exigentes, os atletas são de topo e as ondas perfeitas.

Vou continuar a dar o meu melhor e neste campeonato em especial, que é decisivo para consolidar o meu apuramento para o WCT do próximo ano.”
Destaque para Yadin Nicol, o surfista que fez a melhor onda até ao momento, conseguindo um 9.6 em dez possíveis. Ao sair da água, o australiano não cabia em si de contente.

O jovem luso-alemão Nicolau Von Rupp, foi protagonista de uma excitante reviravolta. Em último lugar durante praticamente toda a bateria, chegou a partir o bico da prancha ao trazer uma onda até à areia, valendo-lhe 7.17 preciosos pontos e atirando o experiente Daniel Ross para terceiro.
Phillip Macdonald, Jonathan Gonzalez e Sunny Garcia foram surfistas que se destacaram também neste dia de ondas grandes, em que os atletas mais experientes, de uma maneira geral, passaram as suas baterias.

O líder do ranking WQS europeu Tim Boal não compareceu devido a lesão, deixando o caminho aberto aos outros dois atletas ainda em contenção, Michel Bourez e Glenn Hall para lhe roubar o título.

António Pedro, director de prova e da Alfarroba – Ideias e Eventos, destaca que este terceiro dia de campeonato está a ser muito positivo. “Temos um dia de sol fantástico, boas ondas e os melhores surfistas dentro de água. Da manhã destaco a continuação do Tiago em prova, o que é excelente. Nos próximos dias podemos esperar um grande espectáculo, pois temos boas previsões”.

O ESTORIL COAST PRO é principalmente patrocinado pelo Turismo de Portugal/Estoril, pela Câmara Municipal de Cascais, e pela Ericeira Surf Shop. A seu lado, apostam também a Nokia, B!, Tmn e Jeep. Esta prova é uma realização da Alfarroba, com os apoios do Sapo.pt, Pólen Surfboards, Fonte Viva, LG Computers, Konica Minolta, Red Bull, Vitaminas, Hotel Praia Mar, Restart e ASP Europe – Association of Surfing Professionals.

Para ajudar na divulgação, contamos com a importante ajuda da rádio MegaFm, do jornal Destak, da Sport Tv, do programa Zona Radical, dos websites Surf.Sapo.Pt, Conquilha.com e revistas FreeSurf e Bit.

Previous Reports
# 1 : 6-Star Estoril Coast Pro set to go at Carcavelos Portugal
# 2 : Final countdown on for 6-Star Estoril Coast Pro Portugal
# 3 : The 6-Star Estoril Coast Pro starts at Guincho, Portugal
# 4 : Estoril Coast Pro gets lay day, Thursday looks promising 

www.aspeurope.com  
www.estorilcoastpro.com

What's your take on this?
Post your thoughts: SV Forum

New Survey: Map Surfing’s future 

New! B2B News ASBE-Surf   |  Receive News-Alerts

  Updated & Revised European Surforecasts
  More European surfing news available here  

Beatriz Lopes Chavez / Gregoire Puget

WQS Contests - Surfersvillage