IMBITUBA, Brazil (Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008) – Today is the first of a nine-day waiting period for the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro, the second to last stop on the 2008 ASP World Tour, and the action will commence in Imbituba, Brazil at 9am. Favorable four to five foot (one metre plus) conditions are on offer this morning.
Pancho Sullivan (HAW) has pulled out of the event while Adriano de Souza (BRA) has been sidelined by a twisted ankle – their last minute withdrawals brings the number of ASP World Tour surfers not competing in Brazil from 11 to 13.
DeSouza entered the 2008 ASP World Tour season shooting for a Top 10 finish. He is currently rated 5th and was eager to impress at home, but could not overcome a recent injury.
“
I’m not feeling good ,” de Souza said. I"
’m just getting better from a twisted ankle I injured in the Rio de Janeiro WQS, so I am not 100% which is very unlucky because I was looking to get a good result in Brazil.”
Former ASP World Tour surfers Raoni Monteiro (BRA) and Peterson Rosa (BRA) will replace De Souza and Sullivan. Twenty of the 48 surfers competing in the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro are Brazilian.
Bruno Santos (BRA), the wildcard who won at Teahupoo, Tahati earlier this year is also in the Hang Loose draw as a replacement surfer.
The event will be webcast live on
www.aspworldtour.com and
www.hangloose.com.br/wct2008/en/index.phpHang Loose Santa Catarina Pro Round 1 Heat Draw:
Heat 1: Taylor Knox (USA), Ben Bourgeois (USA), Fabio Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 2: Kieren Perrow (AUS), Royden Bryson (ZAF), Marco Polo (BRA)
Heat 3: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Tanio Barreto (BRA)
Heat 4: Kai Otton (AUS), Jay Thompson (AUS), Gustavo Fernandes (BRA)
Heat 5: Luke Stedman (AUS), Heitor Alves (BRA), Marcio Farney (BRA)
Heat 6: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Tiago Pires (PRT), Peterson Rosa (BRA)
Heat 7: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), Jano Belo (BRA)
Heat 8: Taj Burrow (AUS), Roy Powers (HAW), Carybean Heleodoro (BRA)
Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Damien Hobgood (USA), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Mick Campbell (AUS), Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 11: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Leonardo Neves (BRA), Pedro Henrique (BRA)
Heat 12: Chris Ward (USA), Travis Logie (ZAF), Hizunome Bettero (BRA)
Heat 13: Dayyan Neve (AUS), Jihad Khodr (BRA), Bernardo Miranda (BRA)
Heat 14: Tim Reyes (USA), Daniel Ross (AUS), William Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 15: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Aritz Aranburu (EUK), Simao Romao (BRA)
Heat 16: Ben Dunn (AUS), Ricky Basnett (ZAF), Bruno Santos (BRA)
