Star Studded Line Up Set For Sandy Bay

The Sandy Bay leg of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour has been bolstered by a star studded line up of surfers this year with the event becoming part of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Australasia Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) for the first time in 2011.

Twenty international surfers have been enticed to New Zealand for the event set to take place at Sandy Bay just north of Whangarei from Friday (4th - 6th February).

The Sandy Bay event is the first of four on the ASP Australasia Longboard Qualifying Series, the remaining three events being staged in Australia.




American surfer Taylor Jensen – the defending champion for the Sandy Bay leg
of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour scheduled to take place from Friday this
week (4th – 6th February).  PHOTOCPL




The ASP sanctioned Open Men's Division is bolstered by seven additional divisions to make the three day event a monumental gathering of longboard surfers from both sides of the Tasman.

The strong field of surfers will be led by defending event champion and current world number five Taylor Jensen, an amazing American surfer that is predominantly based in Australia. Jensen has frequented New Zealand several times before putting on a masterly display of surfing to win several events.

This year Jensen returns along with several of the best longboarders in the world to up the stakes and take home part of the $5,000 USD in prize money.

2009 ASP World Champion Harley Ingleby (Aus) and 2006 World Champion Josh Constable (Aus) will be in attendance to give Jensen a big run for his money.

Constable was the winner of the first event of the 2011 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour held at Piha in early January. Hopping the Tasman ditch throughout summer, Constable will be familiar with New Zealand waters. Ingleby is another surfer to have frequented New Zealand and taste tested the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour back in 2008.

Both Constable and Ingleby were part of the Australian team which controversially came second to Peru at the ISA World Surfing Games held in Peru in October last year. The two surfers finished second and third respectively at the event to help their team place second overall.

Other big names making their way to Sandy Bay include Dane Pioli (Aus), Mitch Surman (Aus) and Jarred Neal (Aus).

The event will also feature a raft of top New Zealand surfers with many hoping to get some home ground advantage in the first ASP Australasia Longboard Qualifying Series event of the year.

Current National Champion and ratings leader Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck) is one surfer who is contesting both the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour and ASP Australasia LQS. With two legs of the LQS coming up in quick succession in Australia, Kibblewhite will want to show he has what it takes to compete against the international talent currently in New Zealand.

Kibblewhite is joined by the likes of Dylan Barnfield (Ohope), Ant McColl (Mnt), Matt Cockayne (Auck), Phil Morris (Auck) and Leroy Rust (Dun) as the front runners for the event.

The high number of Australians being hosted in New Zealand has provided the perfect opportunity to stage a trans-tasman battle. When conditions prevail, the top five surfers from each country will go head-to-head in a tag team style event to see who reigns supreme. The crowd pleasing format has both teams given 50 minutes total for the five surfers in each team to enter the water and catch two waves in succession. The team with the highest accumulated points is victorious and will be awarded the trans-tasman trophy.

As part of the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour, the Sandy Bay leg also sees six other divisions being contested as well as the 'King of the Waves' stand up paddleboard race. All competitors will be competing for valuable rating points.

The high number of older surfers in the Far North has born an additional division for those over the age of 60. This will be the first time the division has been contested on the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour and will be a feature of solely the Sandy Bay leg.

Sustainable Coastlines will again partner up with Hyundai Motors New Zealand and IC Motor Group to clean up the coastline. Teams of volunteer rubbish collectors will scour the coastline and pick up marine debris. The clean up at the first event at Piha produced a whopping 850 litres of marine debris from Piha and the surrounding West Coast Beaches.

Action at the event takes place from 8.00am - 4.00pm daily at Sandy Bay.

Please see below for current ratings after two of five events on the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour.

Men's Longboard Top 10
1, Thomas Kibblewhite (Auck)
2, Matt Cockayne (Mngwhai)
3, Phil Morris (Auck)
4, Kelly Ryan (Gis)
5, Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
6, Ant McColl (Mnt)
7, Dylan Barnfield (Ohope)
8, Duncan Cameron (Mnt)
9, Michael Willman (ChCh)
10, Zen Wallis (Piha)

Women's Longboard Top 5
1, Shelly Jones (Auck)
2, Hannah Howard (Auck)
3, Hannah Joynt (Dun)
4, Daisy Thomas (ChCh)
5, Mischa Davis (Oratia)

Under 18 Men Top 5
1, Blake Barnfield (Ohope)
2, Matt Craig (Whtane)
3, Joseph Stewart (Whtane)
4, Hone Douglas (Whtane)
5, Tane Wallis

Over 40 Men Top 5
1, Brian Young (Orewa)
2, Michael Willman (ChCh)
3, Paul Browne (Orewa)
4, Mike Thomson (Rag)
5, David Storck (Auck)
5, Rob Bayes (Auck)

Over 50 Men Top 5
1, Viv Treacy (Ocean Beach)
2, Mike Thomson (Rag)
3, David Storck (Auck)
4, Grant Cochrane (ChCh)
5, Graham Bambery (Whitianga)

Stand Up Paddleboard Top 5
1, Daniel Kereopa (Rag)
2, Sean Hovell (Gis)
3, Arnie Armstrong (Rag)
4, Jeremy Stephenson (Auck)
5, Shane Murrell (Auck)

Stand Up Paddleboard Race Top 5
1, Daniel Kereopa
2, Jeremy Stephenson (Auck)
3, Sean Hovell (Gis)
4, Arnie Armstrong (Rag)
5, Shane Murrell (Auck)





The remaining events on the 2011 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour follow:

Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 4, 19-20 February, Mount Maunganui (4-star)
Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour Event 5, 4-5 March, Port Waikato (6-star)

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