2007 OAKLEY NEWPORT BEACH PRO PRESENTED BY JEEP® HITS NEWPORT BEACH AND GOES LIVE TO THE WORLD SEPTEMBER 18-23

DANA POINT, Calif. (Sept. 5, 2007) – The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 2 Star Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep® will hit Newport’s famed 56th Street Break and go live to the world via webcast ( Sept. 18-23, 2007. The event, held in conjunction with the ASP Grade 2 Oakley Pro Junior and the 19th Annual Newport Beach Surf Championships, is lucrative stop number two on the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series presented by Jeep.

Up against a stacked field of seasoned and up-and-coming talent, Shaun Ward (USA) will continue his quest for the Macy’s California Trifecta Surf Series victory. Currently ranked number four in the Series after a fourth-place finish at the 2007 Jeep Body Glove Surfbout, Ward will enter the Oakley Newport Pro as the number seven seed. The complete top 14 seeds in ranking order are:

Yuri Sodre (BRA)
Brent Simpson (USA)
Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Dustin Barca (HAW)
Jesse Merle-Jones (HAW)
Nathan Yeomans (USA)
Austin Ware (USA)
Daniel Jones (HAW)
Cheyne Cottrell (USA)
Ryan Helm (USA)
Anthony Petruso (USA)
Shaun Burrell (USA)

Other notables in the contest include Brent Dorrington (AUS), Eric Geiselman (USA), Corey Arrambide (USA) and Nick Rozsa (USA) who are leading the charge for the Macy’s California Trifecta Oakley Pro Junior race and who will all surf in both the 2 Star and Pro Junior events. Oakley team rider Dustin Barca (HAW), Huntington Beach local and Vans Pier Classic winner Micah Byrne (USA) and Danny Fuller (HAW) will round out the field. Big-wave charger Peter Mel (USA) will pull double duty surfing in the contest and announcing for the webcast alongside David Stanfield.

As was proven last year, the Oakley Newport Pro is a pivotal stop of the Macy’s California Trifecta series which concludes at the O’Neill Cold Water Classic presented by Jeep in October. Last year’s race heated up significantly at the Oakley Newport Pro when Nathan Yeomans clenched a victory over then points leader Dustin Cuizon. Although the win didn’t give him the Trifecta Surf Series points lead going into the third and final stop, it gave him the fodder to pull off the win in the end with his strong finish in Santa Cruz.

The Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep features 160 top-level professional surfers, a field of 48 junior competitors in the Oakley Pro Junior as well as 144 amateur participants. The events not only display some of the WQS’s premier surfers, but also provide the community with a chance to explore and celebrate Newport Beach’s storied surfing heritage. Past events have attracted some of the biggest names in surfing such as three-time ASP World Champion Andy Irons (HAW) and World Tour stalwart Taylor Knox (USA), while also supporting a strong draw of local competitors.

Although the contest continues to attract numerous professional competitors, the amateur division remains an essential part of surfing’s growth and evolution, as up-and-coming stars and local heroes are given the chance to standout and prove themselves in their own backyard. The 19th Annual Newport Beach Surf Championships, hosted by the City of Newport Beach, awards a collection of prizes valued at $5,000. The competition focuses on the sport of surfing in the community and is open to competitors of diverse ages and abilities. Divisions include: Elementary; Middle School; High School; College Men’s; Men’s, Masters; Legends and Girls.

As a part of the ASP North American tour, the 2007 Oakley Newport Beach Pro presented by Jeep is supported by Oakley, Jeep, Macy’s, Jack’s and the City of Newport Beach. The event is pleased to have media support from Action Sports Group (ASG), publisher of SURFER, SURFING and Wavewatch, as well as FUEL TV, the action sports lifestyle network. For those who can’t make it, this year’s contest will be available to view online with streaming video and live scoring at www.NewportBeachPro.com.

For more information on the Macy’s Trifecta Surf Series visit www.catrifecta.com.