Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, two-time ASP World Champion, will look to re-ignite his 2012 ASP World Title campaign at the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
SUPERTUBOS, Peniche/Portugal (Tuesday, October 9, 2012) – The world’s best surfers have arrived to the sleepy, fishing hamlet of Peniche for Stop No. 8 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, held from October 10 – 21, 2012 at the infamous sand-bottom barrels of Supertubos.
Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, two-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 3, was the frontrunner for the bulk of the 2012 season, but fell from first to third on the elite ratings after an uncharacteristic Round 2 exit in France last week.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Fanning said. “I’ve never been in a Title race with so many people so close, it’s definitely something new. I stumbled a little bit and had an absolute shocker in France, but those things happen and you just got to try and bounce back. You know I enjoy it down here in Peniche, it’s a really cool place and hopefully we get good waves and have a good time. With how close that title race is right now, it’s a matter of having a look at what the other guys are doing and they all had good results in the last two events, so I just got to give it my all and hopefully I can be up there in the end and on that finals day I can do the best I can.”
Supertubos delivered phenomenal conditions for the 2011 installment and the event remains etched into the minds of the world’s best surfers.
“I guess what we saw last year of Supertubes was extremely World Class,” Fanning said. “That was the beautiful side of it, we saw the ugly side of it a few years ago, but I think that’s the good thing you never know what’s going to show up, but if it turns on it’s definitely up there with some of the best beachbreaks in the world.”
Fanning will take on compatriot Kieren Perrow (AUS), 35, and tube specialist Dusty Payne (HAW), 23, in Round 1 of competition.
Tiago Pires (PRT), 32, is Portugal’s first and only representative on the the elite ASP World Championship Tour.
“I think Portugal already has a tradition for World Class waves,” Pires said. “It’s not all about Peniche, but the whole country pretty much. I remember in 1999 at a European event up north: I woke up one morning and looked out the window and it just looked like Kirra. So there are good waves everywhere and it just proves that we have a very good country for surfing.”
Currently ranked No. 24 on the ASP WCT rankings, Pires is in need of a solid result if he is to maintain his position amongst the world’s best.
“I feel really good, as good as always,” Pires said. “I’ve actually been on a roll of bad results in the last few events but I feel like I’m surfing my best and I have nothing to fear. I have a history of bad results in Peniche so there’s nothing new if I do bad here. I’m really motivated to do well here this year, and I’ll try to take advantage of all this special energy coming from the public, the fans to maybe try to give something for our country to smile about nowadays..”
Pires will face Julian Wilson (AUS), 23, and Adrian Buchan (AUS), 30, in Round 1 of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
Magic Seaweed, official forecaster for the Rip Curl Pro Portugal, are calling for:
- NNW swell for the weekend looking likely for head+ surf.
- Large storm system sending pulses of more westerly swell for next week with a very very mixed, but positive, longer range outlook.
Event organizers will convene tomorrow morning at 7:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
