Television News

New season heads Down Under

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 12 November, 2009 : - - Fuel TV,  the only 24/7 action sports lifestyle network, is pleased to announce the premiere of season 6 of the popular 'Drive Thru' surf adventure series Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 8:30 pm ET/PT. The all-star crew will attempt to 'Drive Thru' both the East and West Coasts of Australia in search of the best waves.

This new season of “Drive Thru” features the return of regulars Pat O’Connell (star of “Endless Summer II”), Benji Weatherley (former World Tour competitor) and free surfer/recording artist Donavon Frankenreiter. Also returning is 1999 ASP World Champ Mark “Occy” Occhilupo, who made his “Drive Thru” debut last season for “Drive Thru: New Zealand.”

Hawaiian big-wave charger and former World Tour standout Shane Dorian rejoins the “Drive Thru” cast after six years. The crew is also joined by all-star surfers including three-time world champion Hawaiian Andy Irons; Australian Joel Parkinson, currently ranked number two in the world; and Australian Taj Burrow, currently ranked number seven in the world, for segments of the trip.

“As hard as it is to put together these trips, it is completely worth it in the end,” says Director Greg Browning. “I started the ‘Drive Thru’ series as a super low-budget thing with just a few of my friends and thanks to the partnership with FUEL TV, it has developed into a crew of all-star surfers with a budget to travel to the world’s most exotic surf locations.”

“’Drive Thru’ just keeps getting better. It’s as simple as that,” says Shon Tomlin, FUEL TV’s VP of Programming and Development. “In addition to a cameo by Andy Irons, this season really shines with Occy getting comfortable on camera, providing what I think are some of the most entertaining and funny moments throughout the six episodes in this series.”

The “Drive Thru” series is produced by 14 Day Productions for FUEL TV and is based around a two-week trip to a specific surf region with a small group of pro surfers. Past “Drive Thru” seasons have traveled to South Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, South and Central America and New Zealand.

The six-episode season of “Drive Thru: Australia” will begin airing Sunday, November 15, 2009, at 8:30pm ET/PT. Premier episodes continue on Sunday nights at 8:30 pm ET/PT, and each episode will also reair Thursday nights at 8:00 pm ET/PT in the SurfSpot programming block. Episodes will also be available for download from iTunes, and can be watched on www.fuel.tv and www.hulu.com.

About FUEL TV: FUEL TV is the only 24/7 action sports lifestyle network for skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, freestyle motocross, and wakeboarding. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, FUEL TV was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in 30 million U.S. homes. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Portugal. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV.

www.fuel.tv

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John Stouffer

Industry - Surfersvillage