Rip Curl Pro Search

Rip Curl Women’s Pro Search

ASP Mens World Tour event #9
ASP Womens World Tour event #4
Peniche Portugal
19 - 30 October 2009

Live Coverage  |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

World’s Best Surfers Prepare for Rip Curl Pro Search Start Tomorrow

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 18 October, 2009 : - - Peniche, Portugal -- The Rip Curl Pro Search, Event No. 9 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, is set to commence tomorrow with solid waves forecast for the world’s best surfers to sink their teeth into.

The third and final event of the 2009 European leg for the ASP Top 45, the Rip Curl Pro Search provides a crucial setting for a possible ASP World Title clinching as well as numerous battles for Dream Tour requalification.

Tiago Pires (PRT), 29, current ASP World No. 23 and Portugal’s first-ever qualifier for the prestigious ASP World Tour, salvaged a difficult season with an Equal 3rd in France to vault himself up the ratings and within the requalification bubble. Now at home in Portugal, Pires will look to further solidify his rating heading into the final event of the year.

“Competing in an ASP World Tour event in Portugal is something I have always dreamed of,” Pires said. “Now that I have the opportunity to do this in front of my friends and family, I am very grateful. The wave at Supertubos is a beachbreak barrel and I don’t think local knowledge will have a big advantage out there. The guys on tour are the best in the world and every heat is a challenge.”

Pires will face Bobby Martinez (USA), 27, and Nathaniel Curran (USA), 25, in Round 1 of the Rip Curl Pro Search (traditional format).

Owen Wright (AUS), 19, wildcard into the Rip Curl Pro Search and current No. 3 on the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS), was a standout in April’s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, defeating reigning nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37, and ASP Dream Tour standout Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, as a wildcard. Since then, the phenomenal goofy-footer has gone on to secure his spot amongst the world’s best for 2010 and will use his wildcard in Peniche to measure himself against this year’s ASP Top 45.

“It’s a massive honor to be selected, amongst the many incredible riders on the Rip Curl team, to compete in this event,” Wright said. “At the beginning of the year, I put my head down and really worked hard at achieving my goal of qualifying for the Dream Tour and now that I’ve done it, it feels amazing. I really see this as an opportunity to get some practice in against the world’s best before being a part of the tour next year.”

Wright will take on Bede Durbidge (AUS), 26, and Chris Davidson (AUS), 33, in the opening round of the Rip Curl Pro Search (traditional format). Joining Wright as wildcards into the Rip Curl Pro Search will be Justin Mujica (PRT), 32, winner of today’s TMN trials, Bruno Santos (BRA), 26, winner of the 2008 Billabong Pro Teahupoo as a wildcard, and David Luis (PRT), 29, replacing injured ASP Top 45 member Jeremy Flores (FRA), 21.

For the first time in history, the world’s best female surfers will join the ASP Top 45 with the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Search running later in the waiting period. Event No. 4 of 7 on the 2009 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Search promises to deliver an exciting new dynamic into professional women’s surfing, and the current crop of ASP Top 17 are preparing for battle.

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 21, reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current ASP World No. 1, is ecstatic about the opportunity to compete in her first “Search” event and views it as a vital step forward to the progression of women’s surfing.

“It’s fantastic that Rip Curl have added the women to the ‘Search’ event this year,” Gilmore said. “Supertubos really has the potential to be a world class wave for us girls and I think that’s something that’s been lacking since we lost venues like Tahiti and Fiji. It will be great if we can get some solid waves to see what this new generation of girls can do.”

Eyeing her third, consecutive ASP Women’s World Title, Gilmore is locked in a brutal battle for this season’s crown against Silvana Lima (BRA), 24. Lima has won the previous two events, bringing her within 361 points of Gilmore, and is looking dangerous heading into the back half of the season.

“It definitely pushes my surfing and it’s what I need to stay competitively interested,” Gilmore said. “I think Silvana (Lima) has figured out the winning formula for her and she’s definitely someone on tour who is innovative and able to get big scores. I’m excited for the back half of the season and am happy to get back in the singlet.”

Gilmore will take on veteran Amee Donohoe (AUS), 28, and reigning ASP Women’s World Junior Champion Pauline Ado (FRA), 18, in the opening round of the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Search.

Surfline, official forecasters for the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Search, are calling for clean swell conditions on the opening day of the waiting period before tracking a sizeable swell indicating solid overhead waves for the primary venue of Supertubes as well as three-to-four times overhead for the backup locations of Balgas.

Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start. Event organizers will also make a call on which competitive format they’ll run, deciding between the traditional format and the elimination man-on-man format.

The Rip Curl Pro Search will be webcast LIVE via live.ripcurl.com. The Rip Curl Pro Search is partnered regionally by RTP, Eurosport, Fuel TV and ESPN Brazil, who will all be broadcasting live from Peniche throughout the event. For more information on these live television broadcasts, please visit live.ripcurl.com. For more information, log onto aspworldtour.com.

Check the Live Coverage 

RIP CURL PRO SEARCH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Damien Hobgood (USA), Tim Boal (FRA), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
Heat 2: Taylor Knox (USA), Heitor Alves (BRA), David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS), Ben Dunn (AUS), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 5: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF), Patrick Gudaudkas (USA)
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Chris Davidson (AUS), TBA
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), TBA
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA), Mick Campbell (AUS), TBA
Heat 10: Mick Fanning (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), TBA
Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Chris Ward (USA), Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Roy Powers (HAW), Dayyan Neve (AUS)
Heat 13: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Tim Reyes (USA), Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 14: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Josh Kerr (AUS), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 15: Dane Reynolds (USA), Greg Emslie (ZAF), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 16: Kai Otton (AUS), Dustin Barca (HAW), Drew Courtney (AUS) 

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO SEARCH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Rebecca Woods (AUS), Jacqueline Silva (BRA), Bruna Schmitz (BRA)
Heat 2: Melanie Bartels (HAW), Samantha Cornish (AUS), Alana Blanchard (HAW)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Amee Donohoe (AUS), Pauline Ado (FRA)
Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Megan Abubo (HAW)
Heat 5: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
Heat 6: Paige Hareb (NZL), Coco Ho (HAW), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF)

Previous reports:
# 1 : 2009 Rip Curl Pro Search to be held in Peniche Portugal
# 2 : Rip Curl Pro Search eyes solid swell for Peniche Portugal
# 3 : Coming soon
# 4 : Coming soon  

www.ripcurl.com
www.live.ripcurl.com
www.aspworldtour.com

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Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Media
Dave Prodan
dave@aspworldtour.com

Rip Curl International Media Manager
Dane Sharp
dsharp@ripcurl.com.au

Rip Curl Europe
Men’s Event Media Manager
Marie Pierre 
mdelanne@ripcurl-europe.com

Women’s Event Media Manager
Julie Pollet 
jpollet@ripcurl-europe.com

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