Adriano de Souza wins Billabong Costa do Sauipe event

Adriano de Souza : photo Eduardo Moody

Adriano de Souza "Mineirinho" wins with a spectacular recovery heat, against the current 2-times ASP WQS Tour brazilian Neco Padaratz at the Billabong Costa do Sauípe WQS. Both of them already had registered the best average heat points, during the semis, against the north americans Alex Gray and Brett Simpson - they finished in 3th place. 

Australian Adrian Buchan is still reigning the WQS ranking and Adriano de Souza is current #4 after the Billabong Costa do Sauípe WQS and Neco occupies 14th position now. Mineirinho took home a US$ 12,000 prize money, while Neco takes US$ 5,000 and the north americans US$ 2,700 each. The Bahia event was a very successful mark because of its excellent starting in the ASP calendar and it´s already confirmed for 2006. 

“Everything was perfect! A brazilian final and Billabong and Costa do Sauípe working very hard to come out with this wonderful event. We confirmed for 2006, same dates”, guarantee the Marketing and Entertainment Director of the Costa do Sauípe Resort, Marcos Alexandre Silva. 

Adriano de Souza started registering the new best average heat point record - 17,34 points out of 20 at the Billabong Costa do Sauipe WQS. Scoring 9,17 and 8,17 on his two best waves, Souza easily defeated young north american Alex Gray, who just got 10,23 points, but very happy with his best result ever. Brazilian Neco Padaratz, 28, also didn´t have any difficult to win against another young north american Brett Simpson, 20, totalizing 16,84 points, and scoring the second best average heat point of the whole comp. Simpson arrived in Brazil as the WQS ranking # 199 and goes back home in 93rd, while Alex Gray gets out of the 104th place, occupying the 41st position. Mr. Price Pro is the next WQS event, in South Africa, from  04th to 10th of July. 

The great Billabong Costa do Sauípe WQS final started right after brazilian Helloy Junior wins the Von Zipper Air Show, taking US$ 600 in a 360 aerial very high. Australian Shaun Cansdell won the Kustom Best Wave, with the best score wave - 9,57 - in the entire comp. He also took a US$ 600 prize money. 

The waves were still showing good formation today, but smaller than the other days, around 3-4 feet, with sets taking too long to come up. During the final, the first set raised up after 8 minutes and Adriano de Souza started leading scoring a 6 point wave, then got better and scored a 7 one, but Neco turned around in great style, riping a long right hander, getting an 8,17. 

Mineirinho then, started trying aerials to score higher points, but didn´t land on any of those tries, while Neco got the leading on another long right hander, scoring 6,5 this time. The young Souza need a 7,68 and kept trying unsuccessful aerials. The heat was going to the end and the tireless Adriano de Souza used an intelligent tactic. Neco got the priority and paddle onto a not very good wave, leaving Minerinho free to catch a long right hander, surfing harder this time, forgetting the aerial tries and recovering the leading, scoring an 8,67, winning for the first time a WQS world tour competition, by 15,67 vs 14,67 points. 

"It was my unique and last opportunity to force his priority losing, ´cause he was very concentrated at the end. But there was something telling me all the time that I was going to win the heat, so I believed! It took too long, but came out perfect" told Adriano “Mineirinho” de Souza. 

“The conditons were too difficult and I tried my aerials on five or six waves. So I decided to surf that last one doing good and hard turns and strong manouvers. I´m very stoked”, spoke Mineirinho, who is looking towards his WCT slot. 

“Two great events were on for me lately. I got third in Maldivas 6 star and now I win this one here in this wonderful place in Brazil. It was awesome and for me the ranking didn´t start yet. There is the European leg, which is very strong and five comps will be on, one after the other. And there´s also Hawaii, Sunset Beach with its dangerous waves. I´ve been there 5 times to practice and get used to them. I´ll try my best to get into the elite next year, but if that doesn´t happen, I must keep trying harder to make my dream come true. I´m very young and there´s a long road ahead”, spoke Souza who was the youngest ASP Pro Junior Champion of all times, in 2003. 

Neco Padaratz : photo Eduardo Moody

Neco Padaratz got disappointed with Souza´s recovery and destroyed his surfboard after getting out of the water, cutting his right hand. At the podium he commented Adriano de Souza victory. “That was a particular unleashing and I hope everybody keeps putting him up, ´cause of his winning as a great man and surfer, pushing all the limits as he did in the end. I also want to congratulate the event staff, Billabong, Costa do Sauípe, the people of Bahia and mainly Mineirinho, ´cause when I thought everything was on me, he did what everybody saw in the water today”, exalt Neco. 

“The waves were very hard, we kept paddling during the whole heat almost, trying to find the best ones. Finding the right wave today was a fundamental thing to do. He did that and deserved to win the comp. I hope he keeps going up with his work to get as soon as possible his WCT slot. We, in the elite, are always cheering up for our brazilian friends, to enlarge the brazilian group. The "gringos" don´t want that, but we´ll get there and Mineirinho is gonna be a great reinforcement for Brazil. After all, the important thing is that everybody got happy. Thanks Bahia, "axé" Bahia and I´m so glad to be where Brazil started its origins”, finished Neco Padaratz. 

The Billabong Costa do Sauipe WQS is the 14th event of the World Qualifying Series, a 5 star rating, with a US$ 100,000 prize money, sponsored by Costa do Sauípe and Billabong, co-sponsored by Von Zipper and Kustom, and support of the Bali Surfwear Store, Star Point, Central Surf, Overboard, Bleat Surf Shop, SP Surf, Mahalo, G-Zero, Surf Trip, KYW Boardstore, Uluwatu Surfstore, Federação Baiana de Surf (FBS) - Bahia Surfing Federation -, organized by ASP South America and coverage by official medias Zona de Impacto Sportv Channel, Transamérica FM radio station, Fluir Magazine and waves.terra.com.br 

João Carvalho – ASP South America Media Officer
Translator: Emerson Miranda

RESULTADO DO BILLABONG COSTA DO SAUIPE WQS:
1)- Adriano de Souza (SP) - US$ 12.000 e 2.000 pontos
2)- Neco Padaratz (SC) - US$ 5.000 e 1.720 pontos
3)- Alex Gray (EUA) - US$ 2.700 e 1.460 pontos
3)- Brett Simpson (EUA) - US$ 2.700 e 1.460 pontos
5)- Adrian Buchan (AUS) – US$ 1.700 e 1.220 pontos
5)- Ben Bourgeois (EUA) – US$ 1.700 e 1.220 pontos
5)- Alain Riou (TAH) – US$ 1.700 e 1.220 pontos
5)- Dunga Neto (CE) – US$ 1.700 e 1.220 pontos

RANKING WQS – 14 etapas:
01: Adrian Buchan (AUS) – 6.568 pontos
02: Shaun Cansdell (AUS) – 5.907
03: Gabe Kling (EUA) – 5.878
04: Adriano de Souza (SP) – 5.801
05: Daniel Redman (AFR) – 5.546
06: Eneko Acero (ESP) – 5.240
07: David Weare (AFR) – 5.102
08: Yuri Sodré (RJ) – 5.043
09: Bernardo Pigmeu (PE) – 4.805
10: Neco Padaratz (SC) – 4.628
11: Pancho Sullivan (HAV) – 4.448
12: Glenn Hall (AUS) – 4.423
13: Jesse Merle-Jones (HAV) – 4.371
14: Marcelo Trekinho (RJ) – 4.330
15: Roy Powers (HAV) – 4.200
16: Adam Robertson (AUS) – 4.094
17: Bobby Martinez (EUA) – 4.092
18: Ben Bourgeois (EUA) – 4.071
19: Luke Hitchings (AUS) – 4.065
20: Eric Rebiere (FRA) – 4.054

Source: Global Surf News

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