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2007 OAKLEY NEWPORT BEACH PRO PRESENTED BY JEEP® GEARS UP FOR BIG ACTION AND SOLID WAVES Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep featuring the Oakley Pro Junior The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS) 2-Star event, the second on the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep (an ASP North America Specialty Series), will run from September 18-23 at 56th Street in Newport Beach, California, and will feature an international field of 160 competitors vying for valuable ratings points and the $25,000 prize purse. Nathan Yeomans (San Clemente, CA), defending Newport Beach Pro and Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series Champion, is coming off some good results overseas and will look to defend his title against an onslaught of competitors at this season’s Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep. “I had a pretty good run here last year and beat some top guys in the final,” Yeomans said. “The win last year really gave me a lot of confidence and I went on to win the Macy’s California Trifecta the next month. I had a pretty good season in Europe so I’m really hoping I can take all that momentum and have a really good run through the rest of the year.” Shaun Ward (Huntington Beach, CA) will be the de-facto ratings leader in the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep following his finals finish in April’s Jeep Body Glove Surfbout. With the rest of the Surfbout finalists off competing on the elite Foster’s ASP World Tour, Ward will be the man to beat in Newport. “I had a really good result at Lowers last April so hopefully I can stay consistent in Newport,” Ward said. “There are so many good surfers in the event that it’s really anyone’s game. I think the guys from Huntington and Newport will have a little advantage because of our experience out there.” Brett Simpson (Huntington Beach, CA), aerialist extraordinaire and current No. 47 on the ASP WQS, will be another looking to apply his experience at 56th Street’s hollow sandbar to the Oakley Newport Beach Pro. “It’s so nice to have a major event at home,” Simpson said. “We’re on the road most of the year so to be able to come home and surf down the road is a great feeling. I always make it a point to surf this event when I’m home. The event probably won’t be going into my WQS rating this season, but it’s still a top-notch event. There are some really big names in it and it’s important to stay sharp before we finish up this season at the Coldwater and then in Hawaii.” Running in conjunction with this year’s Oakley Newport Beach Pro will be the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior, the second-to-last stop on the 2007 ASP North America Pro Junior Series. The event will prove a critical launching pad for surfers heading into the ASP Grade-3 Oakley Pro Junior in Santa Cruz next month, which will serve as the ASP North America Pro Junior Championships, playing a huge role in determining who qualifies for the Billabong ASP World Junior Championships next January. Cory Arrambide (Ventura, CA), current ratings leader on the ASP North America Pro Junior Series, is coming of a sensational victory at the ASP Grade-2 Oakley Pro Junior in New Jersey. Having already won an ASP Pro Junior event in Newport last season, Laramie’s experience and current momentum will make him the man to watch. “I’ve had a pretty consistent season so I’m going to try and use the same approach as I have been,” Laramie said. “The level of competition is so high at these Pro Junior events and it’s pretty hard to win them. Right now, I want to focus on my overall surfing and competitive approach and hopefully we’ll have a great event.” Wavewatch, official forecasters for the Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep, have called for a steady run of South swell throughout the waiting period with several days seeing head-high to overhead surf. For more information on the Macy’s Trifecta Surf Series visit www.catrifecta.com. |
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NEWPORT BEACH, California (Friday, Sept. 14, 2007) – The Oakley Newport
Beach Pro presented by Jeep is only days away, and the anticipation of
a solid South swell has the list of marquee competitors excited to get
competition underway.