Tracksmag.com quizzed former world tour surfer and FCS representative Richie Lovett on the FCS Manufacturers Cup’s ins and outs…

The FCS Manufacturers Cup series is a unique competition that offers surfboard manufactures of Australia a chance to compete against each other in the quest to be named the No. 1 board maker in OZ. Tracksmag.com quizzed former world tour surfer and FCS representative Richie Lovett on the comps ins and outs…

For those who haven’t heard of the FCS manufactures cup explain the concept and how it works?

The FCS Manufacturers Cup is run in conjunction with The Jim Beam Surftag Series. It was conceived to provide a fun competition for surfboard manufacturers to compete against each other. To put it bluntly, without surfboards there would be no surfing, so the idea behind running an event like this is to give something back to the manufacturers who support us by using our products. The event also gives them a great excuse to put down the tools, get out in the water and have a shot at winning some valuable beer money. In a way this competition determines which board manufacturer houses the best talent, from the team riders to the employees.

What about the format?

Unlike conventional surfing tournaments, which play upon individual results, the FCS Manufacturers Cup is a team event drawing upon the performances of four surfers, (2 employees and 2 team riders). The format provides a unique approach to competition. In relay style each surfer in the team must catch three waves and then return to the beach and tag the next surfer. Each surfer’s second wave is worth double points, which is appropriately called their ‘Power Wave’. Heat duration is one hour, with bonus points being awarded to the final surfer if they return to the tag area before the heat time runs out.

Joel Parkinson turned out in style for JS Surfboards.

No one is more core surf than those working in surfboard manufacturing. What have these salty dogs taught you?

You’re exactly right, 99.9% of surfboard manufacturers are hardcore surfers who got into the surfboard game so they could base their life around riding waves, and making great equipment to do it on. Whenever I walk into a surfboard factory the first conversation is usually about the waves, the tide, the early session or the latest comp… So to answer your question, they’ve taught us we should never lose the passion for surfing, and we should also strive to improve the surfing experience by making quality products and equipment for all surfers, from the novice surfers, right through to the 9 x world champion.  

As a pro surfer whose professional existence was me, me, me, what’s the appeal of team surfing?

For the most part, competitive surfing is a very individual sport, so it’s great to combine team camaraderie into this type of tag team competition format. Adding this ‘team element’ puts a whole new twist on things, it basically makes each surfer accountable for their performance. With that accountability, comes pressure, and that’s when things get interesting. Most people can handle pressure quite well, but when you have team mates relying on you to catch three good waves in 12 minutes, believe me when I tell you, some surfers totally melt and fall apart at the seams. There’s always a ton of suspense at the end of each heat as surfers struggle to get their waves and get back to the beach. The tag team format is also interactive with not only the surfers competing, but the spectators as well. It really does make for a fast and fun way to compete with your mates and work colleagues. On top of all this, some guys get a chance to compete against highly rated top-level pro surfers!

Being board shapers and glasses etc, do you find these guys have knowledge of what fins to use that surpasses the average Joe’s?

For the most part they do… Most guys who work on surfboards have a really in-depth understanding of how a surfboard works, which includes the influence of fins. The average Joe, as you called him, might know the basics of fin performance, however I doubt they would have the same understanding as someone who is around it every day. When I say ‘the basics’, I mean they understand that a bigger fin is going to perform differently to a smaller fin. That’s where FCS comes in… We do all the design, development and testing so the ‘average Joe’ is getting the right equipment to improve the way they surf. It’s comparable to the golfing industry whereby a company like Calloway invests a ton or product development and research into producing clubs for the weekend golfer so they can play the game better… When you delve a little deeper in to foils and flex, that’s when things start to get a little more complicated for someone who is not at the advanced level. As a general rule, the better the surfer, the more they understand their equipment. In saying that, most of the guys who build surfboards are great surfers, so you would expect they would understand the dynamics of fin performance.

Which teams are the teams to beat?

The Queensland teams are always pretty hard to beat, there’s good stock up there… Last year we had World Tour surfers like Parko showing up to surf for their surfboard sponsors, so the competition is always tough. Last years winners, Warner Surfboards, would have to be odds on favourite again tho. They have a really solid team. Brett and Shannon Warner are really great surfers and Beau Mitchell is one of the best team surfers in Oz. Throw in a team rider like Davey Cathels and you got yourself a winning team.

Last years Qld state winners from JS Surfboards.