Brett Simpson and Josh Kerr prevail in Round 2 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
America’s Brett Simpson defeated Australia’s Joel Parkinson, while Australia’s Josh Kerr defeated compatriot Bede Durbidge in the fifth and sixth heat of Billabong Pro Tahiti’s Round 2 respectively on Friday, August 26, at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti.
Emerging triumphant in the sudden-death Round 2, Simpson and Kerr secured their place in the third round, while bringing their rival’s title campaign to a premature end.
The two battles took place under extreme conditions, with over six-to-eight foot waves and strong winds prevailing at the event site, putting both the skills and experience of the world’s top surfers to test.
The fifth heat witnessed the second major upset of the day as the 26-year-old Simpson managed to outperform the current leader in the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour title hunt, Parkinson.
As the heat kicked off, the American went through a series of waves before locking a wave to show off some of the stylish tricks in his arsenal and earning 7.67 points for the effort. He soon added another 5.67 points to his account, climbing to a heat-total
of 13.34 points.
Parkinson got off to a slow start and was only able to catch his first business-wave in the dying minutes of the heat. Scoring 5.03 and 5.30 points off his final two waves of the heat, he finished with a heat-total of 10.33. The 3.01-point deficit forced
him to surrender victory to his American rival.
The following heat saw Kerr completely outclass his compatriot, Durbidge, as they battled for survival. Once the heat kicked off, Kerr wasted no time in asserting his dominance in the sudden-death battle. After scoring 7.27 points off his first business-wave,
he soon locked another wave to pull off a string of impressive manoeuvres to earn 8.33 points, finishing with a heat-total of 15.60 points.
Durbidge never got the momentum going as he chased his rival’s daunting total. Scoring 2.00 points off the first wave and 4.60 points off the second, he finished with a heat-total of 6.60 points. The disappointing effort resulted in his early elimination
from the competition.
The second round of Billabong Pro Tahiti had finally resumed on Friday after the event had stayed on hold for five consecutive days due to the forecast of huge swell approaching Teahupo’o. The event organisers intended to get the competition back in motion
once the anticipated swell arrived.
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