Jeremy Flores and Mick Fanning clear Round 1 of Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – Surfing News
France’s Jeremy Flores and Australia’s Mick Fanning claimed top honours in their respective Round 1 heats of the latest 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour event Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach that went down at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia,
on Tuesday, April 3.
Flores got the better of Australia’s Julian Wilson and Yadin Nicol in the seventh heat to make his way through into the third round while pushing his two rivals into the relegation round.
Brazil’s Gabriel Medina and his fellow countryman Jadson Andre succumbed to Fanning in the eighth heat, finishing in second and third position respectively to find themselves getting added to the relegation Round 2 while sending their Australian rival into
the third round.
Resuming their campaign for the latest ASP World Title at Bells Beach, the surfers came across clean three-to-four foot waves. The day promised plenty of action for the fans as the ASP Top 34 took each other on in three-man battles for the Round 3 spot without
the hassle of going through Round 2.
As the seventh heat got underway, Flores found himself struggling to find a decent score in demanding conditions. Going through a series of average-scores, the Frenchman locked his first business-wave to post a 7.17 on the score-board and soon followed it
up with a 5.93-point wave. The result heat-total of 13.10 points served to earn him victory, taking him through into the third round.
Wilson, 2011 ASP World Rookie of the Year, was forced to settle for runner-up place after scoring a 5.00 and 5.23 off his best-two waves for a heat-total of 10.23 points.
Nicol failed to do any better than his rival, finishing with a mediocre heat-total of 6.66 points, which comprised of a 3.93 and 2.73 points. The lacklustre performance by the two Australians led to their relegation into the second round.
The former two-time ASP World Champion Fanning managed to successfully seal the fate of the eighth heat in his favour after scoring a 6.83 off his first business-wave and following it up with a 7.93-point wave for a heat-total of 14.76 points.
The young Brazilian standout Medina finished in second place with a heat-total of 12.10 points, which included a 6.17 and 5.93-point wave, while his compatriot Andre finished third with a two-wave total of 9.80 points.
Both the Brazilians were forced to take a trip to the second round to have another go at earning a place in the third round.
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