Two-time ASP World Champion won his first heat of 2013 at the Breaka Burleigh Pro today. Pic ASP/Will H-S
Burleigh Heads/Australia: Thursday February 7 2013: It was a relaxed two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) at Burleigh Heads today as he put the competition rash vest back on for the first time in season 2013. He then went onto a comfortable Round 4 heat win in the ASP 4-Star Breaka Burleigh Pro.
“This is a good warm-up for the season ahead – Burleigh is a fun wave and it’s breaking well this week so it suits my preparation” said Fanning.
“I’m feeling good right now and ready for a big season ahead, my body and boards are good and I had a great time on-tour last year.
“I’m looking to improve on last year’s ranking for sure – by two places!” Joked Fanning who finished a close 3rd on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour.
Fanning put on his typically fast and dynamic display to take an easy heat win and advance to Round 5 ahead of Newcastle surfer Ryan Callinan who advanced in second place on a score-line 14.27 to 13.47.
In tomorrow’s Round 5 clash Fanning will face young up-and-coming Australian Matt Banting who was one of the stand-out heat winners today posting an impressive two wave heat tally of 16.86.
Owen Wright (AUS), the current ASP world number 11 ranked surfer and number two seed at this event was also impressive posting the day’s third highest heat score of 16.90 to win through.
Wright believes he’s better prepared than ever for season 2013 having worked on his fitness and board designs extensively over the past three months.
Wright will face New Zealand’s Billy Stairmand and French surfer Joan Duru in Round 5.
Sunshine Coast 18-year-old Jack Duggan continued his fairy-tale run by again advancing through to Round 5. It’s Duggan’s first ever ASP World Tour event and he used his aerial skills to post a solid heat tally of 14.50 to advance in second place behind fellow Queensland surfer Lincoln Taylor.
Duggan will need to maintain the momentum tomorrow when he faces three World Championship Tour surfers in Kieren Perrow, Bede Durbidge and Jay Thompson in possibly the toughest heat in Round 5.
Former ASP World Championship Tour surfers Jay Thompson and Daniel Ross both dominated their heats with Ross responsible for the highest heat tally of the event so far when he demolished his opponents with a 17.50 combined two-wave score.
The final heat of the day saw Alejo Muniz score big with a 9 and an 8 point ride defeating young Australian Cooper Chapman.
Ideal conditions at Burleigh Heads with clean and long peeling performance waves look like maintaining right through to the finals on the weekend which should see massive crowds line the headland to watch many of the best surfers in the world.
There’s a good chance girls round four will surf tomorrow which includes world number two Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and world number four and five ranked surfers Tyler Wright (AUS) and Courtney Conlogue (USA).
Breaka Burleigh Pro Round 4 – Round of 64
Heat 1: Kieren Perrow (Aus) 14.40, John Cummings (Aus) 13.87, Luel Felipe (Bra) 9.94, Nick Squiers (Aus) 9.10
Heat 2: Jay Thompson (Aus) 13.83, Marco Fernandez (Bra) 11.46, Peterson Crisanto (Bra) 11, Jose Ferrera (Prt) 6.64
Heat 3: Lincoln Taylor (Aus) 16.13, Jack Duggan (Aus) 14.50, Jerome Forrest (Aus) 13.67, Blake Thornton (Aus) 11.26
Heat 4: Ricardo Christie (NZ) 14.46, Bede Durbidge (Aus) 14.43, Ty Watson (Aus) 13.50, David Van Zyl (Aus) 13.50
Heat 5: Maxime Huscenot (Fra) 14.23, Adam Melling (Aus) 13.33, Dean Bowen (Aus) 12.77), Paul Cesar (Fra) 7.87
Heat 6: Santiago Muniz (Arg) 16.84, Caio Ibelli (Bra) 16.80, Heitor Alves (Bra) 16.10, Shane Holmes (Aus) 10.33
Heat 7: Matt Banting (Aus) 16.86, Mitch Crews (Aus) 14.60, Matt Lewis-Hewitt (NZ) 13.16, Tim Macdonald (Aus) 8.20
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (Aus) 14.27, Ryan Callinan (Aus) 13.47, Wade Carmichael (Aus) 10.30, Nathan Webster (Aus) 10.07
Heat 9: Owen Wright (Aus) 16.90, Nick Vasicek (Aus) 11.60, Rafael Teixeira (Bra), Kelly Norris (Aus) 8.24
Heat 10: Billy Stairmand (Nz) 15.66, Frederico Morais (PRT) 15.47, Arashi Kato (Jpn) 12.23, Mark Occhilupo (Aus) 9.47
Heat 11: Daniel Ross (Aus) 1750, Davey Cathels (Aus) 13.67, Glenn Hall (Irl) 13.26, Kaito Ohashi (Jpn) 10
Heat 12: Brent Dorrington (Aus) 16.37, Joan Duru (Fra) 16.17, Heath Joske (Aus) 11,Hiroto Ohhara (Jpn) 6.23
Heat 13: Matt Wilkinson (Aus) 15.43, Corey Ziems (Aus) 14.63, Vasco Ribeiro (Prt), Shane Campbell (Aus) 11.34
Heat 14: Thomas Woods (Aus) 15.04, Chris Friend (Aus) 13.73, Cahill Bell-Warren (Aus) 13.26, Jack Freestone (Aus) 13.20
Heat 15: Dion Atkinson (Aus) 16.14, Stu Kennedy (Aus) 13.73, Dale Lovelock (Aus) 11.56, Kenta Hayashi (Jpn) 10
Heat 16: Alejo Muniz (Bra) 17.00, Cooper Chapman (Aus) 13.20, Hairil Anwar (Ind) 7.70, James Wood (Aus) 7.20
HIghlights – below
Watch it live: HERE
