The Rip Curl Boardmasters 2007 returns to Newquay’s Fistral Beach from 6-12 August with a stronger competitor and event line up than ever before. This year marks the highest level of surf, skate, BMX, Wakeboard and FMX ever seen in the UK.
First up is the Rip Curl Boardmasters flagship event, the 5 Star ASP WQS Rip Curl Pro Surf Event. This year sees, at this early stage, no fewer than 10 World Championship Tour (WCT) Surfers coming to Fistral to perform to the ever increasing crowd lined up on the beach.
So far names include 2001 World Champion CJ Hobgood, current World number 10 Kai Otton, Luke Stedman, Shaun Cansdell, Brazilian superstar Adriano de Souza, Aussie young guns Adrian Buchan and Ben Dunn, South African Royden Bryson, new boy Bernardo Miranda, Leonardo Neves, Dayyan Neve and Troy Brooks.
Add this to the new wave of young stars striving for WCT greatness and the event will be the best showcase of surfing in England. Names include Wade ‘Passion Pop’ Goodall, the Gadauskas brothers, Matt Wilkinson, Alex Gray and Dustin Barca.
Previous winners of the event are also returning including last years winner David Weare, Renato Galvao, and Russell Winter who is also joined by fellow Brits Sam Lamiroy, Alan Stokes, Johnny Friar, the Ash brothers and Rip Curl super grom Jayce Robinson.
Next up is the Davidoff Cool Water Wave women’s 5 Star ASP WQS Pro. This event in the past has seen the biggest names in ladies surfing including Layne Beachley and Lisa Anderson. This year sees the return of last years winner Claudia Goncalves as well as at least 9 WCT competitors. The Rip Curl Boardmasters has always supported the Ladies and with a turnout like this it is easy to see why.
WCT surfers confirmed so far include Mel Redman – Carr, Rip Curl’s Jessi Miley-Dyer, Rebecca Woods, Megan Abubo, Sam Cornish, Julia Christian, Amee Donohoe, Caroline Sarran and Rosanna Hodge. With a line up of this calibre it’s anyones event!
Moving onto skateboarding and the quality continues. The skate centerpiece of the festival site is the Vert Ramp and the Vans Summer Session. A $20,000 prize purse draws Europe’s best skaters to the event in what may be the highest profile vert comp in Europe. One skater, Terence Bougdour, has dominated this event, winning it for the last 3 years.
However expect aussie Renton Millar to really give him a run for his money this year as well as Euro greats Jussi Korhonen, Juergen Horrwarth, Pete King, Dave Allen and finally UK new boys Sam Beckett and Paul-Luc Ronchetti. These two have won every UK event in the last 5 months and are relishing the chance to take on the Euros.
An extra element joins the vert ramp this year in the shape of the Relentless No Half Measures Skate Session. During the week of the event 6 of the UK’s best up and coming vert skaters including Sam and Paul-Luc will be invited to skate every day and train/ride with a top skate pro leading up the Vans Summer Session.
Will this week help them make their mark in the mens event? The week will also include the Vans Under 16 Vert Comp giving the junior rippers a chance to compete. This will take place on Wednesday 8th August.
On to park skating and the Rip Curl Park Pro takes place on Thursday 9th August at Wooden Waves Skate Park. This event is attended by the cream of UK skateboarding and has previously been won by Ross McGouran and Darryl Cashman. This year the Vans pro team will end their UK tour at the Rip Curl Boardmasters, so look out for the members of the most famous skate company in the World, chilling in Newquay!
With skateboarding well and truly covered its onto 2 wheels and the Vans BMX demos on the Vert ramp back on the beach site. It’s not only vert thought as Eastpak will of course be present with their lovely mini ramp, giving you both skate and BMX demos every day. Riders such as Ronny Callow, Phil Aller, Ben Manual and the rest of the crew will be there strutting their stuff.
Next we move over to the Unleashed Music Festival Site, where aside from an insane music line up you will be able to see the UK’s best wakeboarders and Freestyle MotoX Riders. The Wakeboarders will be hitting the Vans Pool Gap, a mechanical winch to tow them across water, over a hard ground rail into another pool.
It’s a sick show and not to be missed! The FMX crew led by Gary Taylor will be performing their one of a kind show that includes the backflip. It really has to be seen to be believed! Well that pretty much sums up the sports at the Rip Curl Boardmasters 2007 and I think you will agree there is enough to keep even the most hyper action sport enthusiast happy.
