Maxing Mexpipe

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"This event will go down as one of the all time greatest contests" - IBA Tour manager Terry McKenna. The AGIT/Turbo Zicatela pro in Peurto Escondido was one of the most anticipated stops on the new look IBA world tour and it certainly lived up to expectations with the first four rounds of the event going off in decent sized waves and the strong field making the most of the bowls and barrels. Then the Mexican Pipeline really turned it on for the final day of the waiting period, quarterfinal one was greeted by a 10-12ft swell and an offshore breeze. As thousands of people from around the world tuned in to the RedBull Tv live stream the competitors faced off against each other and the mounting swell in arguably the best waves ever at an IBA event. The final came down to Ryan Hardy and Jeff Hubbard, both veterans of the winners podium vying for their second win on the tour, Hardy: "The waves today were so big and perfect, it's pretty much as big and good as a beachbreak can get." © 2013 IBA world tour

With the conditions much bigger than previous rounds the decision was made to use a jet ski assist system to make sure competitors could make the most of the 30 minute heats, the Peurto Lifeguards did an amazing job keeping the riders in the right place whilst dodging massive sets. Jeff Hubbard was in the right place at the right time and used his trademark aerial attack to put himself ahead for the majority of the 40 minute final. Hardy took his time and picked out a peeling right, a spin under the lip and a big roll to finish put him neck and neck with Hubb with eight minutes on the clock. It all came down to who would get one good wave to finish the job, Hubb was in position for a big bumpy right and managed to launch a clean invert and land it smoothly on the face for the winning score. © 2013 IBA/Sasha Specker

Jared Houston arrived early in Peurto to prepare for the event and acclimatise to the conditions, writing in his blog at the start of August he said: "I want to put it all on the line and not hold back, surf to my strengths and hold on for dear life!" This attitude won him a place in the quarterfinals and a chance to surf some of the heaviest beachbreak waves in the world with only Frenchman Pierre-Louis Costes and a couple of jet ski riding lifeguards for company. Unfortunately for Jared he couldn't find the waves and with a minute left in his heat he put on a show for the hundreds of spectators on the beach and on-line, pulling into a huge closeout set. Knowing what he was in for he raised a triumphant claim and scored a 3 for effort but failed to progress. © 2013 IBA/Sasha Specker

The IBA tour has gone from strength to strength this year with events held in some of the most challenging waves in the world, after Pipe kicked the season off in February with average conditions the focus on world class venues has paid off at every stage since. At the half-way point in the year the world tour has never enjoyed as high a profile amongst everyday bodyboarders and the elite alike, attracting more viewers all the time and promoting the sport in the waves which it deserves. We can look forward to seeing more moves like this from current championship leader Jeff Hubbard in the second half of the season, a quick look at the current top ten rankings reveals a close race which may well come down to a showdown at the final event at Fronton in December. Current IBA Top Ten: 1.Jeff Hubbard(HAW)6220 PTS 2.Guilherme Tamega(BRZ)5550 PTS 3.Ryan Hardy(AUS)5384 PTS 4.Mark McCarthy(ZAF)4940 PTS 5.Magno Oliviera(BRZ)4840 PTS 6.Pierre Louis Costes(FRA)4680 PTS 7.Jared Houston(ZAF)4620 PTS 8.Amaury Lavernhe(REU)4580 PTS 9.Dallas Singer(AUS)4540 PTS 10.Ben Player(AUS)4480 PTS www.ibaworldtour.com © 2013 IBA/Sasha Specker

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