Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour 2010

Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Set To Find Best Surfing Family in 2010

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 November, 2009 : - - The legendary Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour has been confirmed for the coming summer of 2010.  Five major events will be held throughout New Zealand including one new event location and a change to the National Longboard Championships.

Renowned as one of the sharpest yet fun surfing tours in New Zealand, the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour is sure to have longboarders nationwide locking in dates to hit the beach and families climbing onboard to be part of the new twist in the competition - earning the title of best longboarding family in New Zealand.

2010 will see events being held at Mount Maunganui, Sandy Bay, Dunedin, Whangamata and Port Waikato. The 2010 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour marks the fifth year of existence and Hyundai, as the naming rights sponsor, continue to develop what is becoming an internationally recognised tour.

“This year we are looking for new kind of competitor – families, we want to find the best longboarding family in New Zealand.” commented Hyundai Marketing Manager, Darren Kirkland.

“Throughout the tour, families that enter the event will go into the draw to win New Zealand’s most popular diesel family wagon, the new Santa Fe facelift for a year at the end of the season.  This should further promote the fantastic family atmosphere that the tour is renowned for while still retaining that fiercely competitive aspect of the key divisions” added Kirkland.

To add to the growth of longboarding and stand-up surfing in New Zealand while also bringing more competition and excitement to the mix, the Whangamata leg of this year’s tour becomes the official Hyundai National Longboard Championships after the longboard divisions were separated from the National Champs for 2010.  In addition to this change, the Sandy Bay leg of the tour will be upgraded to a five-star event to sit alongside the Longboarding Nationals and the spectacular finale at Port Waikato. This year the Open Men’s Tour Champion will walk away with return flight tickets to Hawaii!

Current National Champion Daniel Procter (Gis) is looking forward to getting stuck into the tour come January.

“My approach has always been to focus on a performance driven motivation, rather then being success driven” said Procter.

“But for starters, I would like to defend my national title this year.  There are definitely high expectations to win the tour as well, after placing second to Burling this year, no pressure though”

Surfing New Zealand CEO Greg Townsend is thrilled about the 2010 tour and the pending summer of longboard activity.

“We have been inundated with tour queries from around the country” commented Townsend.

“The addition of Dunedin as a venue, the change to the Nationals and the upgrading of the Sandy Bay leg will add new elements to the tour and keep it fresh for all involved” added Townsend. 

Six divisions will be contested on the tour – Open Men, Women, Junior Men (under 18), Over 40 and Over 50.  Stand Up Paddleboarding will also make it’s debut on the 2010 tour at each and every event.

Two-time defending Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour 2009 Open Women’s Champion, Daisy Thomas (Chch), has dominated her opponents over the last two years winning seven of the ten events she has contested.  Thomas may take a back seat on the tour after “achieving the things I set out to achieve”.  However all things going well we will see Thomas putting up a fight at the events she does attend, in particular at the Dunedin leg in February.  “I think Dunedin is probably the most obvious spot as the waves tend to be a lot more consistent” commented Thomas on Dunedin being the only South Island destination on the 2010 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour.

Hyundai will continue to bring the relaxed family orientated surf event to the beach.  The longboard raffles will be back again in 2010 with proceeds from the raffles being donated to the local Boardriders clubs.  Initiatives such as this ensure that while having a competitive side to them, they also offer a lot to the host surf communities.

The complete calendar of events for the 2009 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour follows:

Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 1, Mount Maunganui – 2nd – 3rd January
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 2, Sandy Bay – 5th – 7th February
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 3, Dunedin – 20th – 21st February
Hyundai National Longboard Championships, Whangamata – 6th – 7th March
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 5, Port Waikato – 26th – 27th March

Entry into the events can be completed at www.surfingnz.co.nz under events.  Complete the entry process online or download entry forms and send them in.  The 2010 tour is expected to receive high entry levels so entrants will need to be in well before the cut off dates to assure themselves a slice of the action.

Past Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour champions are set out below.

Open Men
2006 – Michael Fitzharris (Gis)
2007 – Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2008 – Daryn Mcbride (Mnt)
2009 – Michael Burling (Gis)

Women
2006 – Pauline Pullman (Sandy Bay)
2007 – Anna Jolly (Piha)
2008 – Daisy Thomas (Chch)
2009 – Daisy Thomas (Chch)

Over 40
2006 – Brendon Young (HBay)
2007 – Michael Thomson (Rag)
2008 – Michael Thomson (Rag)
2009 – Lynden Kennings (WGM)

Over 50
2006 – David Storck (Piha)
2007 – Michael Thomson (Rag)
2008 – Viv Treacy (Whangarei)
2009 – David Storck (Piha)

Junior Men
2006 – Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)/Kirk Beyer (Wgtn)
2007 – Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)
2008 – Sam Guthrie (Mnt)
2009 – Sam Guthrie (Mnt)

Hyundai have been involved with Surfing New Zealand since 2004 and also sponsor the most prestigious event in New Zealand – The Hyundai National Championships.

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Ben Kennings
benkennings@surfingnz.co.nz. 

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