After four very successful competition days, where we were able to run two full double eliminations, the prize-giving took place yesterday evening at the beach bar of the Melia Salinas, the high class hotel and one of the sponsors of the event. With action that has never been seen like this at other freestyle events, the organisers as well as the sponsors were more than happy with the outcome and are motivated to bring the event back next year and take it to the next level.
The final day at the EFPT Lanzarote was Sunday-funday. With howling winds of over 40 knots and big waves we’ve seen a supersession on the water with a very high involvement of the riders which was very good to see. First prize was a one-week stay for two persons in the Sorobon Beach Club Bonaire.
The competition format was ‘biggest move’ with a heat duration of 30 minutes, four riders of each heat would advance to the final.
Yentel Caers from Belgium
Antony Ruenes, Amado Vrieswijk (Severne/JP), Mattia Fabrizi (North/Fanatic), Jacopo Testa (RRD/RRD), Adam Sims (Sailloft/Patrik), Davy Scheffers, Marco Vinante (JP), Nic Hibdige and Bastian de Koning were in the first fleet. The riders were absolutely sending it as soon as the horn went off. Amado and Antony were throwing huge backies and pushloops whilst Jacopo Testa and Scheffers were fully going for double forwards, this also seemed to push the riders and we could even see young Brit Nic Hibdige going for his first double loop attempt. Amado was performing the way we are used to it and rotated through a big shifty as well as a double air culo on the way in. Ruenes, Vrieswijk, Scheffers and Testa had the four biggest moves and therefor advanced to the final round.
Jacopo Testa with a huge backloop
Already in heat number 2 with Tonky Frans, Antoine Albert, Adrien Bosson (North/Fanatic), Yentel Caers (JP/Neilpryde), Phil Soltysiak (Starboard), Marco Lufen (JP/Neilpryde), Rafael De Windt (F2), Testa Matteo and Dmitry Tertyshnyy (RRD) the waves were improving even more to sometimes mast-high sets. Local hero Tonky Frans was going through the biggest stalled forwards, perfect one-handed backloops and pushloops. Yentel Caers from Belgium who spent most of his winter in Capetown combined big air moves like a massive pasko 720, a shifty with a bit of a wet landing and a huge pushloop with air-kabis and other freestyle manoeuvres on the way in. Albert and Bosson both went for double forwards and could sail away from them. Bosson landed his first ever double-loop in the competition yesterday and fearlessly going for more in this supersession. Soltysiak from Canada proved his wave-experience with some decent jumps and even some wave riding on the way in. The sailors pushed each other on the water so much that even young Aron Etmon from Curacao tried a very big shifty attempt. Advancing to the final were Caers, Frans, Albert and Bosson.
Some airtime by Adrien Bosson
The final saw action that has never been seen on the European Freestyle Pro Tour. In the 30 minutes the riders were giving it all. Testa, Caers, Scheffers, Bosson, Vrieswijk, Ruenes and Albert were all going for double forwards. Scheffers, as well as Bosson, stuck several doubles over the massive swell that was rolling in at Costa Teguise. Albert impressed with his wave skills and also landed wave-360’s, tweaked pushloops and backies. Tonky, who calls this place his home spot now, landed huge backloops and backloop variations (one-handed, one-footed, clew first), massively high stalled forwards and paskos. Amado who looks like he really wants to win the super-session threw himself into double shifty and double loop attempts but unfortunately could not land them. Bosson impressed with his house-high and super clean backloops whilst the other Frenchie, Antony Ruenes landed incredibly high tweaked pushloops with perfect landings.
The top four of the supersession are:
1st Tonky Frans
2nd Davy Scheffers
3rd Antony Ruenes
4th Adrien Bosson
Looking back on an event, we think that it couldn’t have been greater in any way and action that has not been seen in this form at freestyle events before and hope to return to Costa Teguise in 2016.
The fleet of the EFPT Lanzarote 2015