Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters To Begin Today

PIPELINE, Hawaii (Sunday, Dec.10, 2006) - With two to 2.5 metre (six to eight foot) plus waves charging into the famed arena that is the Banzai Pipeline, organisers of the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters will push the green for go button this morning and send out round one.

Today is day three of the waiting period which extends right up until December 20 and with the waves showing plenty of potential it will be like letting the horses loose as the best 45 surfers in the world from the Foster's ASP World Tour take on a host of wildcard outsiders.

The pressure will be on the "backend" rated surfers from surfing's top tour as the 3rd and 4th placed surfers in heats will be eliminated from the event thus scoring minimum ratings points and placing their 2007 qualifying hopes in jeopardy.

On the edge of the qualifying "bubble" as it is known, are those surfers ranked from 25 down. With the cut-off for next year's tour being slot number 27, today will make or break the careers of some of surfing's finest athletes.

While 25th Victor Ribas (BRA) has gained enough points in ASP's second tier tour, the World Qualifying Series (WQS) to make it into next year's elite comp, today will be testing for 26th through to 33rd - Pancho Sullivan (HAW), Mick Lowe (AUS), Darren O'Rafferty (AUS), Chris Ward (USA), Luke Stedman (AUS), Jake Paterson (AUS) and Nathan Hedge (AUS) - who are mathematically in with a requalifying chance with solid result to a win needed to leap frog back into contention.

Expect the sparks to fly!

Stay tuned to www.ripcurlpro.com or www.aspworldtour.com for the LIVE webcast, which will kick off shortly.

Today's draw:

Round One

Heat 1: Dean Morrison (AUS); Peterson Rosa (BRA); Toby Martin (AUS); Randall Paulson (HAW)
Heat 2: Phil MacDonald (AUS); Darren O'Rafferty (AUS); Pedro Henrique (BRA); Kalani Chapman (HAW)
Heat 3: Tom Whitaker (AUS); Victor Ribas (BRA); Davey Weare (ZAF); Tory Baron (HAW)
Heat 4: Bobby Martinez (USA); Shaun Cansdell (AUS); Adrian Buchan (AUS); Evan Valiere (HAW)
Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA); Adriano de Souza (BRA); Yuri Sodre (BRA); Makua Rothman (HAW)
Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS); Mark Occhilupo (AUS); Ben Dunn (AUS); Hank Gaskell (HAW)
Heat 7: Taj Burrow (AUS); Travis Logie (ZAF); Kekoa Bacalso (HAW); Dustin Barca (HAW)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA); Trent Munro (AUS); Heiarii Williams (PYF); Jamie O'Brien (HAW)
Heat 9: Mick Fanning (AUS); Danny Wills (AUS); Rob Machado (USA); Bruno Santos (BRA)
Heat 10: Andy Irons (HAW); Greg Emslie (ZAF); Ian Walsh (HAW); Nathan Carroll (HAW)
Heat 11: Taylor Knox (AUS); Mick Lowe (AUS); Jarrad Howse (AUS); Tamayo Perry (HAW)
Heat 12: Bruce Irons (HAW); Jake Paterson (AUS); Roy Powers (HAW); Solomon Ortiz (HAW)
Heat 13: CJ Hobgood (USA); Chris Ward (USA); Mikael Picon (FRA); Aamion Goodwin (HAW)
Heat 14: Bede Durbidge (AUS); Pancho Sullivan (HAW); Paulo Moura (BRA); Jamie Sterling (HAW)
Heat 15: Fred Patacchia (HAW); Luke Stedman (AUS); Marcelo Nunes (BRA); Reef Mcintosh (HAW)
Heat 16: Cory Lopez (USA); Nathan Hedge (AUS); Troy Brooks (AUS); Owen Wright (AUS)

Source: ASP

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