In this unique, cross-over contest, participants show off their versatility and skills by competing in both a surfing competition on the Umhlanga coast and an MX race around the Springfield dirt race track. Points are given according to positions attained in the two contests and then those are added together to determine a contestant’s final ranking. The overall winner is the person who had managed to accumulate the most points.

In this case, the honours went to Plettenberg Bay boy Wihanne Kotze, who had a narrow win over Dylan Lightfoot to take home much of the R20 000 prize money and the title of 2010 Fox Surfer X champion.

The contest had kicked off on Saturday in idyllic surfing conditions. On Sunday, contestants were greeted by a powerful South Easterly wind and a shortened race course at the Springfield track. The wind made the race extremely challenging, with several crashes happening during the practice rounds.

But in the end, Wihanne Kotze’s performance during both events added up to victory in the Main Class, with Lightfoot in second place and Shaun Baker coming in third.

“Despite the challenging weather conditions at the track, this year’s Surfer X was as successful as we had hoped it would be,” said Jon Channing, Fox’s Marketing Manager. “The new format, with the introduction of the Pro Surf and Pro MX Class, made sure that all the races and heats were closely contested and provided more excitement for the spectators.”

The event was co-sponsored by Monster Energy and PS3.

“It was a bit stressful surfing two divisions,” Bianca said after the final. “Saturday wasn’t too bad, because I only had a couple of heats to surf, but making both finals [on Sunday] meant I had to surf five heats. So I had to really conserve my energy, especially with the Open final being the last of the day, because that’s the one everyone wants to win. Fortunately I was staying at the Suncoast Hotel, so I was able to go back to my room between heats and rest to maintain my energy levels through the day.”

By winning the Open division, Bianca managed to defeat defending champion Tarryn Chudleigh from Kommetjie, who came second. Chantelle Rautenbach from Melkbosstrand came third and Tanika Hoffman – also from Kommetjie – came fourth.

In the U20 finals, Bianca beat New Pier’s Kirsty Delport, reigning South African U18 champion Alice McGregor from East London (who came third) and Tarryn, who ended up in fourth place.

The U16 final was won by South African Junior Team member and Warner Beach native Sarah Baum. Sabrina Scott came second, and Emma Smith and Cara MacDonald tied for third.

The U14 youngsters who battled it out were Channelle Botha, who beat Gina Smith, Jordan Vanhoutte and Tahra Uren.

The Novice Division, open to girls who had never surfed a contest before, was won by Jelaine Hermitte, who managed to secure herself a year-long Roxy sponsorship. Jamie-Lee Glazer was runner-up, Holly Konig came third and Michelle Verreynne came fourth. We’re sure that we’ll be seeing more of these names in future!

According to her mom, Dawn Clark, an alleged drunk driver hit Heather’s car so hard that it was smashed into two pieces.
“At this stage we are not sure the full extent of her injuries or how it will impact on her surfing career in the long term,” IOL.co.za quoted Dawn as saying. “[She] is currently undergoing numerous scans and X-rays [at] the Hibiscus Private Hospital, in Port Shepstone, to determine the degree of her injuries. She has already had 22 stitches to her head. She is conscious, in a lot of pain, but is trying to stay upbeat.”

The alleged drunk driver was arrested after the incident and spent the night in jail.

Global Surf News reports that Heather has no medical aid. They’re urging anyone who is able and wants to help her with the huge medical costs to contact Surfing Souh Africa at surfingsouthafrica@gmail.com

Heather has been surfing professionally for 12 years. She is the only South African surfer to have won the prestigious Triple Crown of Surfing in Hawaii.

Good luck, girl. We wish you a swift and complete recovery!

For winning, 15-year old Davey earned R3,500, plus another R3,500 for the series win and a trip to France to take place in the Quiksilver King of the Groms world final event.

Beyrick scored the R5,000 winner’s cheque, an additional R5,000 for the series win, and a return air ticket to Hawaii, the Mecca of all surfing, for the 2009 winter season.

The final results of the event were:

Under 16:
1. Davey Brand (Kommetjie)
2. Michael February (Kommetjie)
3. Slade Prestwich (Scottburgh)

Under 20:
1. Beyrick de Vries (Umhlanga Rocks)
2. Chris Leppan (Umhlanga Rocks)
3. Brendon Gibbens (Kommetjie)

Jadson walked away with US$20,000 in prize money and 3,500 WQS ratings points for the win. With a heat score of 18.00 out of a possible 20, the highest score of the entire event, Andre proved the surfer of the event and deservedly took home the title.

In clean four foot conditions and a pushing tide, the Brazilian goofy-footer was in amazing form, blasting some inverted backhand vertical moves on his way to victory. After two early waves, Andre officially announced his intentions when he logged a 7.00 to take an early lead. Wright quickly answered back with a 5.00, but as Andre arrived back in the lineup he found himself sitting directly in the path of a heaving right. Flying off the bottom, Andre squared up and went vertically up the face to smash a huge
re-entry, sending kilo-litres of spray flying into the air. Racing down the line Andre then backed up his initial cracker with two additional turns to secure a near perfect 9.33 out of a possible 10 and leave Wright needing a combination of scores to usurp the Brazilian’s lead.

Not one to lie down, the plucky Australian paddled into a solid left-hander that walled up perfectly for him as he boosted a beautiful aerial move to pick up an 8.33 and close his required score down to 8.10. With just nine minutes to go Wright found a similar looking left and again boosted a huge 360 aerial, but unfortunately came unstuck on his second move, a vicious forehand layback, and scored only a 6.83.

In the 32nd minute of the 35 minute final, Andre put the nail in Wright’s coffin as he paddled into a big left and smashed two powerful forehand turns as the crowd on the beach showed their appreciation and the judges awarded him an 8.67 to effectively end Wright’s hopes of taking home the title.

“I’m really happy to have won this event,” said the elated victor after spraying the crowd with champagne, “and I’d just like to thank all my friends and everyone who was on the beach today supporting me. When I was out in the water I just concentrated on surfing as well as I could and I am really happy to have won such a prestigious event.”

Andre has been in great form the entire event, eliminating a host of big name surfer on his way to the final, among them world tour stalwart Victor Ribas (Brazil), superbly talented Kirk Flintoff (Australia) and Bluff local
Rudy Palmboom.

“I’ve had a great time here in Durban,” said runner-up Wright at the prize-giving, “and I’m super stoked to have made the final. This is the second final I’ve surfed against Jadson, so I guess now it’s one all buddy!”

Both semi-finals were close fought affairs with each of the winners only sneaking through on the siren. In the first semi-final new school standout Julian Wilson took on compatriot Wright. Starting off slowly Wilson was behind for most of the heat until a huge forehand 360 aerial saw the judges award him an 8.00 to push him into the lead. Needing a low six to take back the lead, Wright found a meaty looking left right on the siren, milking it all the way to the beach where he finished with his own 360 air to post a 6.33 and knock his 21 year old compatriot out of contention.

In the second semi-final Australian Matt Wilkinson found himself having to contend with an in-form Andre who had put on a phenomenal display of aerial surfing in the quarter finals to eliminate Ireland’s Glenn Hall. But as the tide pushed in, Andre changed tact and began using his rail as he carved some beautiful turns. Andre had a terrible start to the heat, breaking his board on his opening wave and losing time as he had to swim in and get a back-up of the beach. In the mean time Wilkinson went to work and began to build a lead over the unfortunate Brazilian.

Andre began his fight back but in the dying seconds Andre found himself in second and facing elimination. Needing a low score, Andre paddled into a medium size left-hander and carved it up all the way to the beach, ending in the shorebreak before stepping off his board and running on to the sand. When the commentator announced his wave score, a 5.23, enough for him to advance to the final, a clearly elated Andre punched the air with his board.

Durban’s favourite surfing son Travis Logie bowed out of contention in the quarter finals of the event as Australian surfers came to the fore and dominated the round. Fresh off a win in the Mark Richards Pro in Newcastle, Australia, Logie bowed out to a rampant Owen Wright (Australia) and was clearly disappointed at the defeat after showing great form throughout the event. Nevertheless, the fifth place finish saw the 29 year old pocket US$2,950 in prize money and 2275 points for his efforts, a substantial boost to his 2009 WQS campaign.

Logie had been one of the dominant forces through the course of the week, but found himself up against a rampant Owen Wright (Australia) in the first of the quarter finals. Wright has also been in great form this week, posting some of the highest scores of the contest in his lead up to the heat with Logie, and threw down the gauntlet in the quarters. Despite starting out the heat with a classic tube-ride, Logie came unstuck on several of his follow-up waves and was unable to answer back to Wright’s 15.57 heat score.

Another highlight of the day was the final of the Quiksilver Pro Junior which took place as a curtain-raiser to the main event’s final and saw Umhlanga Rocks surfer Kyle Lane take on Hawaii’s Kiron Jabour. Lane was
quick out of the starting blocks, finding himself in his element in the running four footers to take an early lead. Lane’s backhand attack proved too much for the young Hawaiian and as the timer ticked down Jabour found himself short of the South African’s 14.83 when the siren sounded. Lane’s win saw him walk away with US$2,500 in prize money.

“It’s been a nerve-wracking week waiting to surf the final,” said Lane after leaving the water, “so I just surfed and trained as much as I could and I guess it paid off in the end and I’m really stoked.”

The Quiksilver Pro Durban was contested by some of the world’s best surfers and carried the highest possible WQS rating and US$145,000 in prize money.

- Issued by Gorilla Creative Media on behalf of Quiksilver

Dorin Bambus and Barry Tuck

Surf conditions had deteriorated slightly but were very contestable with one-metre waves.

Contest director Wayne Beekman decided to postpone the finals after all the semifinals were run in order to wait for the higher tide in the afternoon.

The Pro final pitted Wesley Fischer (Berea), Mark Watts (Durban), Jaryd Houston (Cape Town) and Warren van der Merwe (Empangeni) against each other.

Wesley was on form, also advancing to the Factory 7 Drop Knee final in style, where he was joined by Stuart Bradford (Westville), Sean Tickner (Cape Town) and Aden Kleve (Kommetjie).  Spectators looked forward to the “Durban vs Cape Town Final”.

The Boys final was already decided on Saturday in an extremely good wedging shorebreak and saw the following boys battling it out: Murray van Vuuren (Millpark), Sebastian Koopmans (Melkbosstrand), Stephen du Preez (Bluff) and Ashley Wheeler (Margate).

The Ladies Final consisted of Tania dos Ramos (Bluff), Tiffany Higgins (Uvongo) and Nicky Dreyer (Uvongo).

The Masters finalists were Mike van Huysteen (Weltevreden Park), Kevin Williams (Uvongo), Karl Liebenberg (DBN) and Martin Otto (Uvongo).

Wayne Beekman (Uvongo), Jeffrey Davies (Durban), Steven Bahlmann (Uvongo) and Jaryd van Daalen (Wnklespruit) made up the Mens Final.

The Junior final saw a mixture of competitors from over the country, namely Bradley Moys (Shelly Beach), Iain Campbell (Westville), Aden Kleve (Kommetjie) and Terence Pieters (Uvongo).

But in the end, there could only be one winner in each category! Durban local Mark Watts took top spot in the Pro division in an awesome display of high risk manoeuvres. A huge crowd gathered on the beach as the sun rolled out perfectly from behind the dark clouds that drenched everyone earlier in the day.

But the ladies were first up. Tania seemed to have no trouble picking the better waves to claim 1st place followed by Tiffany Higgins and Nicky Dreyer in 3rd.

Conditions were difficult for dropknee with the rising tide and the wave shifting to the shorebreak. This didn’t seem to deter defending champion Sean Tickner from keeping his cool and retaining his title as the Factory 7 DK Champion. He was followed by Aden Kleve in 2nd, Stuart Bradford in 3rd and Wesley Fischer in 4th.

Kevin Williams won the Masters division thanks to some combo manoeuvres. Martin Otto came second, Karl Liebenberg came in 3rd and Mike van Huysteen took 4th place.

The Boys division was hotly contested but in the end it was Stephen du Preez who walked away with the title, followed by Murray. Sebastian was 3rd and Ashley took 4th.

Wayne Beekman was the favourite to win the Mens finals, since he has won the event numerous times before, but in the end he was beaten out by Jeff Davies. Jaryd van Daalen came third and Steven Bahlmann fourth.
The Junior final looked more like a Pro final the way these guys put it all on the line to take top spot, but Bradley Moys took the top spot with his clean air roll spins.
The Pro final is always kept for last as this is the elite division where the big prize money lies and competition is very fierce. All 4 competitors rode as best they could in the shorebreak conditions but ultimately it was Mark Watts who claimed victory with his no holds barred attitude to become the 2009 Wimpy/Rossi Pro Champion.

The Surf M’Ocean Best Trick of the contest went to Jaryd Houston for a massive backflip on the 1st day of competition, earning him R500 cash.

A special inspirational prize was handed out to 6-year old local Alex Nutt who entered the Boys division and showed massive determination and courage.

The even was generously sponsored by Wimpy Margate, Rossi Board Co, Lizzard, Factory 7, Surf M’Ocean, Criss-Cross Security, Face Forward Studio and Johnny Rockets.

The Association of Surfing Professionals Grade 2 junior event is due to take place from April 17 – 26 2009.

With a generous prize pot of $10 000 (about R91 000) and several points up for grabs, the contest is attracting every major name in South African junior surfing, as well as an impressive line-up of international surfers.

Leading the local contingent will be South African junior team top seed and one of the most dominant forces on the local junior surfing circuit, Nick Godfrey of St. Francis.

Dale and Dane Staples, defending champion Klee Strachan (of Winklespruit) and Kyle Lane (of Umhlanga) will also be part of the action.

Mike Frew, Lizzard’s Marketing Manager, says “Lizzard is stoked to once again be able to put on a WQS rated surf event together with Nandos”. Frew is hopeful that the event will see South Africa’s top surfers performing in quality waves as “the month of May sees early winter swells and consistent offshore winds making it prime season for waves in Durban.”

North Beach has become a favourite venue for this event, and Frew says this is because “the natural amphitheatre of North beach means spectators can get a good look at some world class surfing.”

The Lizzard Nandos Pro occurs just after a big WQS event in Scotland, and just before another in the Maldives, which means that most of South Africa’s top surfers will be in the country.

Early favourites for the event include surfers such as Travis Logie, Royden Bryson and Ricky Basnett, as they are all top WCT competitors trying to get back onto the Championship tour. South Coast charger and Lizzard sponsored rider Gavin Roberts will be hoping that his experience as a former WQS campaigner will give him an edge. Antonio Bortoletto, who is arguably one of the most talented surfers in Durban’s waters, will also be a threat due to his intimate knowledge of the conditions at North Beach.

Other Lizzard riders who will be hoping to shine in their sponsor’s title event include Klee Strachan (Warner Beach), Shawn Dennis (Durban), Jacob Mellish (Somerset West), Dave Richards (Kommetjie), Matt Pallet (Durban) and Mark Shepperson (Umdloti).

For more information on the contest, Lizzard products, team riders and more
check out Lizzard Surf’s website. During the event, the site will feature videos, heat scores, results, pictures and news uploaded directly from the Lizzard site office at North Beach. Co-sponsors for the event are Bokomo, Nestle Pure Life Water and Bavaria. The entire event will be organised by Nerve Events.

About Lizzard: Established in 1991, Lizzard is a clothing, accessories and footwear brand with roots in authentic surf culture. From offices in Durban (South Africa) and Burleigh Heads (Australia), products are distributed to 27 countries globally. Lizzard supports independent and core retailers. Lizzardsurf.net showcases the latest ranges, making it easy to find products and to locate the nearest stores or distributors worldwide.