GUINCHO, Portugal (Tuesday, October 21, 2008) – The Estoril Coast Pro, an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 6-Star event, got under way at the back-up venue of Guincho today, with Round 1 being completed in wind-blown two to three foot (0.5 to 1 meter) waves. Fourty-eight men started their Portuguese run in the tricky conditions with half of them joining the event’s top seeds in the upcoming Round 2 where local hero and current ASP World Tour No. 31 Tiago Pires (PRT) will surf first heat tomorrow morning.
With the outgoing tide affecting the waves, all competitors struggled to get some decent scores and France’s Simon Marchand and Australia’s Clancy Dawson were the only two surfers of Day 1 to find some vertical enough sections and secure solid heat results.
Clancy Dawson (AUS), 23, surfed in the second to last heat against long time leading Basque Junior surfer Marcos San Segundo (EUK) and posted the highest result of the day, a promising 15.84 point tally (out of a possible 20) to advance through to Round 2 where he will face current ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) No. 9 Gabe Kling (USA), Abdel El Harim (MAR) and Hodei Collazo (EUK).
"The waves were really messy for that first heat and it was tough to find any good wave," Dawson said. "It is still good to get a win and I really hope I can surf well in next heat. I know it will not be easy but I want to do good."
Dawson will need to step up against some of the world’s best performers in Round 2 but his solid win today is a great confidence boost.
"
It is always great to start off with a good heat," Dawson said. "
The waves are supposed to be much better so I hope I can get to surf good conditions against some good surfers. I am looking forward to it."
Frenchman Simon Marchand (FRA), 24, surfed in the second encounter earlier in the day and found his way through to Round 2 besting Klee Strachan (ZAF) to get his opportunity to surf against recent ASP WQS 6-Star Prime winner Nic Muscroft (AUS). Marchand, who ended up winning his first heat with a good 15.40 point score (out of a possible 20), started the year with a 2nd place in the opening European event last March and has been chasing a second good performance since then.
Tomorrow will see the start of all top seeds including current ratings’ No. 1 Nathaniel Curran (USA) and all many of the Top 15 soldiers all looking for a last big result to secure their ticket for next year’s ASP World Tour.
Tiago Pires (PRT), 27, first Portuguese ever to qualify for the ASP Top 45 and already a national hero, will meet former ASP European Junior champion Pablo Gutierrez (ESP), Bobby Hansen (NZL) and Round 1 qualifier Tahitian charger Hira Teriinatoofa (PYF) when Round 2 resumes. Pires, who placed equal 9th in last week’s ASP WQS 6-Star Prime event in the Canary Islands, is sitting No. 15 and needs to better an 875 point result to keep climbing up the ratings meaning he will need to place 17th or better to keep his re qualification hopes alive.
Being the final stop of the 2008 ASP WQS European Series and the last major event before the Hawaiian showdown, the 6-day Estoril Coast Pro will showcase world class action with forecast excellent conditions from tomorrow at the famous beach breaks of Carcavelos, renowned for delivering some of Europe’s best barrels when it fires.
The Estoril Coast Pro is web cast LIVE at
www.aspeurope.comROUND 2 UPCOMING HEATS
Heat 1: Tiago Pires (PRT), Pablo Gutierrez (ESP), Bobby Hansen (NZL), Hira Teriinatoofa (PYF)
Heat 2: Austin Ware (USA), Adam melling (AUS), Txaber Trojaola (EUK), Rowan Aish (NZL)
Heat 3: Nic Muscroft (AUS), Mike Losness (USA), Sam Page (AUS), Simon Marchand (FRA)
Heat 4: Phillip MacDonald (AUS), Hugo Savalli (REU), Anthony Petruso (USA), Klee Strachan (ZAF)
Heat 5: Daniel Ross (AUS), Paul Fisher (AUS), Eric Rebiere (FRA), Nicolas Von Rupp (DEU)
Heat 6: Nathan Yeomans (USA), Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY), Vincent Duvignac (FRA), Parrish Byrne (AUS)
Heat 7: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW), Patrick Beven (FRA), Christophe Allary (REU), Nick White (AUS)
Heat 8: David Weare (ZAF), Tim Boal (FRA), Stuart Kennedy (AUS), Borja Agote (EUK)
Heat 9: Patrick Gudauskas (USA), Damien Fahrenfort (ZAF), Gavin Gillette (HAW), Brandon Ragenovich (USA)
Heat 10: Yadin Nicol (AUS), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Owen Wright (AUS), Edgar Nozes (PRT)
Heat 11: Sunny Garcia (HAW), Joel Centeio (HAW), Brandon Jackson (ZAF), Ricardo Lange (DEU)
Heat 12: Travis Logie (ZAF), Ruben Gonzalez (PRT), Tonino Benson (HAW)
Heat 13: Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA), Romain Cloitre (REU), Alain Riou (PYF), Wesley De Souza (USA)
Heat 14: Adam Robertson (AUS), Dion Atkinson (AUS), Shaun Burrell (USA), Omer Bar (ISR)
Heat 15: Marlon Lipke (DEU), Dane Gudauskas (USA), Justin Mujica (PRT), Jason Miller (USA)
Heat 16: Greg Emslie (ZAF), Eneko Acero (EUK), Rudy Palmboom (ZAF), Cesar Rosa (PRT)
Heat 17: Nathaniel Curran (USA), Brian Toth (PRI), Clint Kimmins (AUS), Miguel Ximenez (PRT)
Heat 18: Shaun Gossmann (AUS), Glenn Hall (IRE), David Richards (ZAF), Dylan Graves (PRI)
Heat 19: Shaun Cansdell (AUS), Nathan Hedge (AUS), Jose Maria Cabrera (CNY), Josie Gravis (USA)
Heat 20: Drew Courtney (AUS), Blake Thornton (AUS), Luke Campbell (AUS), Iker Fuentes (EUK)
Heat 21: Gabe Kling (USA), Hodei Collazo (EUK), Abdel El Harim (MAR), Clancy Dawson (AUS)
Heat 22: Michel Bourez (PYF), Tanner Gudauskas (USA), Jean Sebastien Estienne (BLM), Marcos Sansegundo (EUK)
Heat 23: Leigh Sedley (AUS), Joan Duru (FRA), Travis Mellem (USA), Ola Eleogram (HAW)
Heat 24: Jay Thompson (AUS), Joao Guedes (PRT), Romain Laulhe (FRA), Alexandre Ferreira (PRT)
ROUND 1 RESULTS
Heat 1: Hira Teriinatoofa (PYF) 13.84 pts, Rowan Aish (NZL) 11.43 pts, Josch Scmeltzer (DEU) 7.27 pts, Adriano Marquez (PRT) 1.70 pts
Heat 2: Simon Marchand (FRA) 15.40 pts, Klee Strachan (ZAF) 10.60 pts, David Luis (PRT) 8.17 pts, Zach Plopper (USA) 7.50 pts
Heat 3: Nicolas Von Rupp (DEU) 11.70 pts, Parrish Byrne (AUS) 11.00 pts, Guillaume Mangiarrotti (FRA) 9.73 pts, Dallas Petersen (USA) 9.66 pts
Heat 4: Nick White (AUS) 13.50 pts, Borja Agote (EUK) 5.03 pts, Gonçalo Paula (PRT) 2.63 pts
Heat 5: Brandon Ragenovich (USA) 7.50 pts, Edgar Nozes (PRT) 7.44 pts, Haritz Mendiluze (EUK) 6.30 pts
Heat 7: Wesley De Souza (USA) 10.60 pts, Omer Bar (ISR) 10.47 pts, Pablo Solar (ESP) 7.57 pts, Fransisco Laranjinha (PRT) 4.10 pts
Heat 9: Miguel Ximenez (PRT) 12.17 pts, Dylan Graves (PRI) 7.43 pts, Chris Dennis (TTO) 5.43 pts, Fransisco Henrique (PRT) 3.67 pts
Heat 10 : Josie Graves (USA) 11.83 pts, Iker Fuentes (EUK) 11.66 pts, Ryan Payne (ZAF) 7.00 pts, Oli Adams (GBR) 5.30 pts
Heat 11 : Clancy Dawson (AUS) 15.84 pts, Marcos Sansegundo (EUK) 12.76 pts, Thomas Valente (PRT) 7.06 pts
Heat 12: Ola Eleogram (HAW) 11.00 pts, Alexandre Ferreira (PRT) 7.60 pts, Eduardo Fernandes (PRT) 6.30 pts
