The 2012 ASP World Title will be decided at the Billabong Pipe Masters.
BANZAI PIPELINE, Hawaii/USA (Friday, December 7, 2012) – The Billabong Pipe Masters, the final stop on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), will commence its waiting period tomorrow, December 8, 2012, and is projected to enjoy solid swell and great conditions over the opening days of the window.
Stop No. 10 of 10 on the 2012 ASP WCT, this year’s Billabong Pipe Masters will hold the honor of crowning the 2012 ASP World Champion. Heading into the final event of the year, three surfers remain mathematically in contention for the title: Joel Parkinson (AUS), 31, Kelly Slater (USA), 40, and Mick Fanning (AUS), 31.
Due to the altered format for the Billabong Pipe Masters, all three surfers will automatically be seeded into Round 3 of competition and finish no worse than Equal 13th (1750 points).
ASP WCT surfers’ year-end rankings are based off their top eight finishes from the 10 ASP WCT events in 2012.
As Parkinson is the current rankings leader on the ASP WCT, the following ASP World Title scenarios will be based on his potential finishes at Pipeline.
If Parkinson finishes 13th, 9th or 5th at the Billabong Pipe Masters:
- Slater needs a 5th or higher to take the 2012 ASP World Title.
- Fanning needs to win at Pipeline to take the 2012 ASP World Title.*
*Contingent upon Slater finishing 5th or Lower at Pipeline.
If Parkinson finishes Equal 3rd at the Billabong Pipe Masters:
- Slater needs a 3rd or higher to take the 2012 ASP World Title.
- Fanning needs to win at Pipeline to take the 2012 ASP World Title.*
*Contingent upon Slater finishing 5th or Lower at Pipeline.
If Parkinson finishes 2nd at the Billabong Pipe Masters:
- Slater needs to win at Pipeline to take the 2012 ASP World Title.
- Fanning cannot win the 2012 ASP World Title.
If Parkinson wins the Billabong Pipe Masters, he will take the 2012 ASP World Title.
Full ASP WCT possibilities for Pipeline can be accessed HERE
Although Parkinson has yet to claim a Billabong Pipe Masters, the current ASP WCT No. 1 has collected three Vans Triple Crown titles (2008, 2009, 2010) and feels very comfortable at the famed reef break of Pipeline and Backdoor.
“I’ve been coming to Hawaii for most of my life and it feels like a second home to me,” Parkinson said. “I stay right there at Off The Wall and surf Pipe whenever it breaks. It’s a special wave and I love to get barreled. At this point, it’s impossible not to think about the title race, but the best you can do is focus on the event in front of you. I’ve never won the Pipe Masters, and my goal here is to win the event.”
Slater, reigning 11-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 2, has won the Pipe Masters an incredible six times (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2008) and is universally-regarded as one of the best surfers ever at the Banzai Pipeline.
“There’s always pressure, mostly from myself, but I feel good heading into this event,” Slater said. “It looks like we have some good swells on tap for the window with really good winds. I love Pipeline and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mick Fanning, former ASP World Champion (2007, 2009) and current ASP WCT No. 3, spent the previous weeks recharging at home on the Gold Coast of Australia and comes into the Billabong Pipe Masters refreshed and ready for action.
“My only goals for this event are to have fun and get barreled,” Fanning said. “With regard to the title race, Joel (Parkinson) and Kelly (Slater) have to stumble and I have to do well to have a shot. I’m not worrying about what they’re doing, just focusing on my own event. To be in the running at this stage of the year feels great though and it should be an exciting few days ahead of us.”
In addition to being the title-deciding event this season, the Billabong Pipe Masters will also serve as the final opportunity for surfers to qualify for next season’s elite ASP WCT.
The 2013 ASP Top 34 will be comprised of:
- Top 22 ranked surfers on the year-end ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) rankings.
- Top 10 surfers ranked on the year-end ASP World Rankings (not including surfers qualifying in the Top 22 on the ASP WCT rankings).
- Two ASP wildcards.
The ASP WCT rankings are based off of the surfers’ best eight out of 10 results from ASP WCT events.
The current cutoff point on the ASP WCT rankings is 15,250 points, presently held by Matt Wilkinson (AUS), 24.
For ASP Top 34 surfers, their ASP World Ranking is based off their top eight results for the 2012 season from ASP WCT, ASP Prime and ASP Star events. They are only permitted to count their best three results from ASP WCT events.
The Billabong Pipe Masters offers a significant 10,000 ranking points for the winner and every ASP Top 34 surfer is still mathematically in contention for a qualification spot on next year’s elite tour.
Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pipe Masters, are calling for:
A good size WNW shifting NW swell is lining up for the beginning of the Pipe waiting period: building through the day on Saturday, strongest Sunday, and fading Monday. Looking further out, another WNW swell is possible around the 14th-15th.
Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Evan Valiere (HAW) Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Tyler Newton (HAW) Heat 3: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) vs. Kalani Chapman (HAW) Heat 4: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Flynn Novak (HAW) Heat 5: Yadin Nicol (AUS) vs. Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) Heat 6: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Billy Kemper (HAW) Heat 7: Adam Melling (AUS) vs. Bruce Irons (HAW) Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Jamie O’Brien (HAW) Heat 9: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) vs. Shane Dorian (HAW) Heat 10: Dusty Payne (HAW) vs. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) Heat 11: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) Heat 12: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Glenn Hall (IRL)
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. TBD Heat 3: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. TBD Heat 4: Alejo Muniz (BRA) vs. TBD Heat 5: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 6: Travis Logie (ZAF) vs. TBD Heat 7: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 8: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. TBD Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBD Heat 10: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 11: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. TBD Heat 12: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. TBD
BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) vs. TBD Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBD Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBD Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 7: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. TBD Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBD Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBD Heat 11: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. TBD Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBD
