Team News

Pires and ASP Dream Tour Europeans Back in Winning Form at the Quiksilver Pro France

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 29 September, 2009 : - - Capbreton -- The Quiksilver Pro France will remain one of the best events ever for the ASP World Tour European contingent, four out of seven representatives surfing their way up to Round 4 of the prestigious event won by current ASP World No. 2 Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, AUS).

After an up-and-down season and one stellar result only for Team Europe by Aritz Aranburu (Zarautz, EUK) who made the Semifinals at Tahiti, the contingent stepped-up to shine in the Quiksilver Pro France, first of this year’s three-eventEuropean leg, in front of massive crowds.

Tiago Pires (Ericeira, PRT), 27, got his best result of the year making the Semifinals of the Quiksilver Pro France after eliminating reigning and nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (Florida, USA), 37, in Quarterfinal No. 3. Pires, who got the best of an exciting exchange that saw both men go over the 17.00 point mark, had to wait until the last set wave of the thirty-minute battle to get back in the lead adding an impressive 8.13 point ride to his opening 9.57 score.

“After I put up that first big score, I still needed 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.”

Pires, who had a slow start to his second season amongst the elite ASP Top 45 this year, repeated his exceptional surfing against fellow Semifinal surfer Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, AUS) but was not able to advance through to his first ASP World Tour event final.

“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. I've had a really tough year, but have been training very hard for this and I'm so happy to get that result.”

Pires’s run in the Quiksilver Pro France was stopped by an unreachable Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, AUS), the 2007 ASP World Champion stamping authority over his Portuguese opponent with a 17.43 point result, the third best of the event. The Portugese surfer jumps to No. 23 on the international ratings.

While event wildcard Patrick Beven (Biarritz, FRA) was securing his best result ever by reaching the Semifinals along with Pires, fellow Europeans Tim Boal (Anglet, FRA) and Michel Bourez (Tahiti, PYF) were able to advance through to Round 4 of the event.

Coming from a solid series of results in the previous two events, Tahitian charger Michel Bourez struck again with his power-surfing, delivering spectacular backhand attacks to place 9th after losing to Slater in Round 4. Much expected for his clash with legendary and reigning nine-time ASP World Champion Slater, Bourez let his opponent open the battle on a consistent three-foot walling lefthander, an opportunity that Slater didn’t miss to take the lead and eliminate the Tahitian.

“I just realized that my run at the Quiksilver Pro France was a third good result for me so I am pretty happy,” Bourez said. “I would have liked to do better and did some mistakes against Kelly (Slater) in that heat but it’s great to get inside the Top 20 and keep things going well.

Bourez’s ninth-place finish still marked the third consecutive good result for the 23-year-old ASP Dream Tour rookie, a finish that has rocket him to No. 19 on the ASP World Tour ratings which makes him the leader of the European crew.

Bourez is the first European to overtake historical European leader and current ASP World No. 21 Jeremy Flores (Caprebton/New Caledonia, FRA) since the 21-year-old wunderkind qualified for the Dream Tour in 2007. His current 19th rank puts him back in the ASP Rookie of the Year race along with fellow ASP Dream Tour newcomer Kekoa Bacalso (Oahu, HAW, both men sitting on the same point-total before heading to the Billabong Pro Mundaka.

Making his way through to Round 4 for the first time this year was other ASP Dream Tour rookie Tim Boal, the French surfer winning his Round 1 battle to advance straight through to Round 3 where he eliminated experienced competitor Tom Whitaker (New South Wales, AUS). Boal, who was coming from his fifth equal 17th place finish this year in California, stepped-up in front of his home crowds at Seignosse to place 9th after losing against an unstoppable Tiago Pires.

“It was great to surf at home and have all the support of my friends and entourage,” Boal said. “I was hoping to get further than Round 3 after being stopped there in all but on event this year and I am stoked to get back-up in on the ratings. There were very few waves in my heat against Tiago (Pires) and there wasn’t much I could do.”

Boal’s promising run puts the Frenchman in 24th position on the ASP World Tour rankings.

Aritz Aranburu (Zarautz, EUK), avoided another 33rd (last) place finish last week giving himself a bit of air thanks to his Round 3 finish, a crucial result for the Basque competitor who has had a testing year losing in first round of all events but one. Aranburu, who eliminated Flores with solid surfing in their Round 2 exchange, showed he was in good form displaying rapid-fire attacks on both his back and forehand, a promising performance before the man competes at home in the expected barreling lefthanders of Mundaka’s fantastic line-up.

Hindered by an everlasting ankle injury, Flores, along with fellow French competitor Michael Picon (Capbreton, FRA), German rookie Marlon Lipke (Algarve, DEU) and Moskova Trials’ winner Alain Riou (Tahiti, PYF), left the Quiksilver Pro France with a 33rd place finish, the young and still excellent competitor who is a former ASP Rookie of the Year (2007) not finding his rhythm in a messy ocean.

For more on the European surfers of the ASP World Tour, logon to aspworldtour.com

QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE – EUROPEANS’ RESULTS
3rd, Tiago Pires (Ericeira, PRT)
3rd, Patrick Beven (Biarritz, FRA) Event Wildcard
9th, Michel Bourez (Tahiti, PYF)
9th, Tim Boal (Anglet, FRA)
17th, Aritz Aranburu (Zarautz, EUK)
33rd, Jeremy Flores (Capbreton/New Caledonia, FRA)
33rd, Michael Picon (Capbreton, FRA)
33rd, Marlon Lipke (Algarve, DEU)
33rd, Alain Riou (Tahiti, PYF) Event Wildcard

ASP WORLD TOUR RATINGS – EUROPEANS’ POSITIONS
19th, Michel Bourez (Tahiti, PYF), 3202 pts
21st, Jeremy Flores (Capbreton/New Caledonia, FRA), 3065 pts
23rd, Tiago Pires (Ericeira, PRT), 2966 pts
24th, Tim Boal (Anglet, FRA), 2875 pts
34th, Aritz Aranburu (Zarautz, EUK), 2411 pts
41st, Michael Picon (Capreton, FRA), 2130 pts
44th, Marlon Lipke (Algarve, DEU), 1760 pts

www.aspeurope.com
www.aspworldtour.com  

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