Aussies rampant on surf and turf as Dan Ross wins Relentless Boardmasters final

The Relentless Boardmasters World Qualifying Series 5 Star event in association with Vans 2009 finished Friday in 2-3ft light onshore conditions – with an Australian winner in Dan Ross.

Ross, the current WQS leader, from New South Wales, was up against Spaniard Txabr Renobales Trojaola with a huge crowd lining the shore, and over 20,000 spectators on the beach. Ross dominated throughout with Trojaola needing a combination of two scores to get ahead of the

Australian, but the waves off Fistral Beach collapsed in the last five minutes of the wave dancing denouement.

Ross is now the 2009 Relentless Boardmasters champion almost guaranteeing him his place on the World Circuit Tour for 2010. In the early heats of the day the remaining British surfers Alan Stokes, and Russell Winter, a former winner of the event, put in superb performances with Stokes knocked out in the quarter finals, the best

British result at the Boardmasters this year, and the local surfer’s personal best in this contest.

Tomorrow and Sunday will host the Relentless Aerial Assault contest, in which surfers are sent in slingshot fashion into the waves, propelled and powered by jet skis, hitting waves to boost maximum air and pull off aerial tricks.

Aussie Daniel Ross dominates day three of Relentless Boardmasters

The Relentless Boardmasters could be over by the end of Friday – two days earlier than in previous years – as organisers and surfers took advantage of superb waves and even classier performances by the athletes on Thursday off Fistral Beach, Newquay.

Excellent four to five foot (1.2 to 1.5 meter) waves saw the event’s leaders go one on one. While competition moved from the end of Round 2 through to Round 4 in high performance fashion, current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings’ big names were able to deliver another lesson of competitive surfing with massive scores being posted all day.

Australian Daniel Ross, 26, the current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings’ leader, from New South Wales, demonstrated why he has been leading the international contingent for a couple of months.

Opening his three-man battle with an excellent 8.50 point ride, Ross was able to clinch his win after his second to last ride, a 9.33 pointer giving him the day’s highest result of 17.83 points (out of a possible 20).

“It is really enjoyable to have fun waves here,” Ross said. “The crowds are usually good and we’ve had great waves since the start so I had a great time competing today. That result is already a keeper for me and going over the 14.000 point mark so regardless of what anyone says, it should be fine for me to get back [on the ASP World Tour].”

Indeed, the beach was packed and a picture. Ross, who has developed solid heats tactics and mental strength since he got back on the ASP WQS in February, showed he can be counted on in any kind of conditions, the renowned powerful big wave surfer taming the clean smaller waves easily.

“I am just doing what I can do and trying to have fun with it all,”

Ross said. “I’ve been working on my boards with Christian [Bradley] and it’s made a big difference. I am trying to stay fit and keep that power there and it’s been working well in the smaller stuff as well.”

Ross’s performances saw the Australian secure his quarter-final berth later in the day, his win over former ASP Top 45 member Eric Rebiere (Biarritz, FRA) in Round 3 guaranteeing the 26-year-old athlete a minimum of 1300 points counting towards his overall ratings’ point total.

Ross will now meet with event youngest competitor though renowned Hawaiian John John Florence (Oahu, HAW), 15.

Advancing through to the quarter-finals of the Relentless Boardmasters in association with Vans were current ratings’ No. 11 Joan Duru (Ondres, FRA), 19, and defending champion Wiggoly Dantas (BRA), the Brazilian competitor easily ousting British legend Sam Lamiroy (Newcastle, GBR).

Dantas, who has been rising heat after heat as a serious contender for his second successive crown, showed maturity and patience to get hold of the better waves, finishing the 25-minute encounter with an impressive 8.83 point ride to seal the deal.

“I am surfing well and it pleases me for sure,” Dantas said. “I feel a bit more pressure still but being in the quarter-finals is definitely already a good thing. I am just trying to approach my heats as if it was a free-surf and I hope I can keep it up tomorrow.”

Dantas’s solid run on Thursday took him through two rounds of competition, the 19-year-old rising talent posting 17.00 points (out of a possible 20) en route to the quarter-finals, a good confidence to remain focused on a big result to keep his ASP World Tour qualification hopes alive.

While Florence was securing his quarter-final berth for his best result to date in an ASP WQS main event, posting the event’s best wave score was former Relentless Boardmasters champion Antonio Bortoletto (Durban, ZAF), 29.

Bortoletto, despite losing in Round 4 to local boy and renowned British surfer Alan Stokes (GBR), scored the event’s highest wave ride here, a near perfect 9.60 point scorer earlier in the day to leave his mark on the 2009 edition at Fistral Beach, an event where he reached his career best in 2005.

“I feel confident in Newquay, definitely one of my favourite places,” Bortoletto said. “I was pretty stoked with the waves today. I have been staying home for the first half of the year and I am back in Europe and looking to get results. That 9th is a keeper.”

Aussies rise from the Ashes as Relentless Boardmasters enters Round 2

The ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 5-Star Men’s event, No. 5 of 11 on the 2009 ASP WQS European Series, completed Round 1 and eight heats of Round 2 by close of waves on Wednesday, in classic, consistent five to six foot waves at Fistral Beach, Newquay.

With four days remaining in the waiting period and another promising swell forecast showing on the charts, event top seeds were eager to display solid surfing and secure a berth into Round 3 where the competition format will change to 3-Man heats.

The Relentless Boardmasters in Association with Vans 5 Star World Qualifying Series event has become a mainstay of the season, regularly drawing well over 10,000 spectators and sun-worshippers to Fistral Beach.

The 5 Star Pro Men’s World Qualifying Series event is the highlight and of the annual festival. The contest features some of the world’s finest surfers, battling their way towards the $120,000 prize purse.

Finding their way out of the building conditions were several event favourites including current ASP WQS ratings’ No. 1 Daniel Ross, former ASP World Tour competitor Eric Rebiere and rising Hawaiian star John John Florence, 17, all advancing through to Round 3.

Relentless Boardmasters defending champion, Brazilian Wiggoly Dantas was able to keep his chances up, the teenage Brazilian surfer advancing through to Round 3 with an average result but confidently leading his heat from start to finish ahead of ASP European veteran Ruben Gonzalez, 29.

“I am feeling great and surfed well enough yesterday and did okay today,” Dantas said. “The wind made it a bit harder though today but I am here to surf and get experience so not really thinking any further at this stage.”

Dantas, whose first and only ASP event win was in Newquay last year, is considered a favourite though he hasn’t had a great year so far.

“I have a little bit of pressure being the defending champion,” Dantas said. “But it is positive pressure as people expect you to do good so I will take it. I haven’t had any big results yet this year but I am confident things can happen fast and I would still hope to qualify for the ASP World Tour this year. I’ll go heat by heat and remain relaxed.”

With the conditions changing throughout the day, it became hard for competitors to score big and several top seeds of the 2009 event were left away from first and second places, having to accept an early elimination. Patrick Beven, Blake Thornton and young Frenchmen Romain Cloitre and Vincent Duvignac were among those losing on Wednesday.

Posting the event’s highest performance earlier in the day was Australian representative Matt Wilkinson, the 20-year-old athlete surfing in the last heat of Round 1 to make his intentions clear with an outstanding 18.07 point heat score (out of a possible 20) including a 9.57 point ride.

“I was pretty excited as I was expecting small and windy conditions coming to Newquay,” Wilkinson said. “It was four or five feet out

there and pretty fun so I am happy with that start. I found a pretty good wave at the start and it relaxed me a lot so I wanted for the fewgood sections and I knew I could let go to try and get a big score.”

Wilkinson, who broke the event’s records by displaying fantastic surfing with a mix of committed progressive turns and classic powerfulcarves at Fistral Beach, has been on The Grind for a few years now and is looking to qualify for the ASP World Tour this year.

“This year I have a few results under my belt,” Wilkinson said. “I am sitting seventh at the moment so a couple of big results could help mefind myself a spot in the ASP Top 45.”

With four heats remaining before Round 2 wraps up, the lasttwenty-four title contenders will be known by midday on Thursday and the much expected three-man battles shall bring intensity into the coveted event. Former ASP Top 45 member Leonardo Neves from Brazil will be first out on Thursday morning.

On Friday and Saturday nights, the exodus from the beach leads to the fields with bands and performers with music stages in both Newquay and Watergate Bay.

The Streets will headline the Watergate Bay site on Friday 7th Aug with the legendary Cypress Hill wrapping it up on Saturday 8th. Other performers include Calvin Harris, Roots Manuva andthe The King Blues.

Relentless gets under way in Newquay, Cornwall

Britain’s leading surf event was under way Wednesday off Fistral Beach, Newquay, with decent 3-4 ft surf, with Brits Alan Stokes, Matt Capel, Sam Lamiroy, Reuben Pearce and Mark ‘Egor’ Harris all through the early heats.

Five British surfers through to the round of 48 was the best collective result by UK surfers for several years.

The Relentless under way in Association with Vans 5 Star World Qualifying Series event has become a mainstay of the season, regularly drawing well over 10,000 spectators and sun-worshippers to Fistral Beach.

The 5 Star Pro Men’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) event is the highlight and of the annual festival. The contest features some of the world’s finest surfers, battling their way towards the $120,000 prize purse.

Last year, the top event prize was won by 18-year-old Brazilian sensation Wiggoly Dantas, his first ASP WQS title in the four to six foot waves at Fistral Beach in an all Brazilian final. Dantas returns this year, with a large contingent of Brazilians.

On the beach there are Skate and BMX events, while at neighbouring Watergate Bay, just along the coast, there is the return of the Adrenalin Zone with mountain bike demos fuelled by Relentless.

On Friday and Saturday nights, the exodus from the beach leads to the fields with bands and performers with music stages in both Newquay and Watergate Bay.

The Streets will headline the Watergate Bay site on Friday 7th August with the legendary Cypress Hill wrapping it up on Saturday 8th.

Other performers include Calvin Harris, Roots Manuva and the The King Blues.