Stunning performance puts Brett Simpson in Round 3 of Rip Curl Pro Portugal – 2011 ASP World Tour
The ninth stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Rip Curl Pro Portugal, kept the thrilling action running at the beach-break of Supertubos in Peniche, Portugal, as America’s Brett Simpson took on Brazil’s Heitor Alves and
Tahiti’s Michel Bourez in the 10th heat of Round 1 on Sunday, October 16.
The heat turned out to be a one-man show, with Simpson completely dominating the three-man battle through an outstanding performance, consequently clinching victory and advancing directly in Round 3. Alves and Bourez rounded out the second and third place
respectively, which got them relegated to Round 2.
With three-to-five foot waves breaking at the primary event site, the day promised a heavy dose of action as some of the best surfers from all around the globe mounted their surf-boards at Supertubos to compete for a place in the third round of the latest
elite tour event.
Pitting against the likes of Alves and Bourez in his opening heat of the competition, the 26-year-old Simpson was expected to walk away with top honours after taking his performance in the recent events into account. The other two competitors could not be
undermined completely, as both held the potential to make an extremely solid impact on their day.
As the battle for the Round 3 spot kicked off, Simpson wasted no time in making it apparent that he meant business. Quickly analysing and adjusting to the conditions, the American locked a wave to unload a string of impressive manoeuvres, posting an 8.43
on the score-board. He went on to catch yet another remarkable wave in the closing minutes of the heat, adding an additional 9.00 points to his account and moving to a heat-total of 17.43 points. The score served to keep him in the lead until the end and consequently
sealed the fate of the battle in his favour.
Commenting on the heat during his post-heat interview, Simpson said, “The tide is definitely pretty full this evening and I wasn’t expecting to get those ones that I did. With three guys and a small takeoff spot, you don’t want to be sitting there when the
waves come – you want to be able to paddle into them. I’ve had some close heats in the last few events, but am stoked to be putting some scores on the board and am keen for a result in Portugal.”
Alves and Bourez looked miserable out there in the middle. Both the surfers struggled to get their hands on a good wave and hence failed to get competitive scores. The Brazilian eventually finished in second place after collecting a 4.33 and 1.90 off his
top-two waves, while the Hawaiian rounded out the third position with a heat-total of 6.17 points.
The competition is far from over for Alves and Bourez as both the surfers still have a chance of making it into the third round by surviving their Round 2 heat.
For more updates on Round 1 of Rip Curl Pro Portugal, stay tuned to bettor.com.
Tags: