HOSSEGOR, France — The last nine heats of Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France were wrapped up at a mobile event site in nearby Capbreton yesterday. The first six heats of Round 2 were run on Sunday at La
HOSSEGOR, France — The last nine heats of Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro France were wrapped up at a mobile event site in nearby Capbreton yesterday. The first six heats of Round 2 were run on Sunday at La Graviere, Heat 7 was run before conditions deteriorated Monday, and the final eight heats were held in 4- to 6-footwaves at a beachbreak known as Santosha this morning.
Jeremy Flores beat Australian Shaun Cansdell in the first heat of the day.
Flores admitted to having some local knowledge under his belt.
“I’ve been surfing this wave since I was 8 years old, so I kind of know where the breaks are good,” Flores said in a release. “I think that Shaun might have stayed in the middle too much, but he still got some pretty good waves, he’s a very talented surfer. He won the biggest WQS event here in Hossegor, so I knew it was going to be a very hard heat. I just went out there and thought about my heat and nothing else.”
Flores, the only European surfer on the tour, has had a beach full of expectations to exceed and is feeling the weight.
“I do feel a little bit of pressure surfing here,” Flores said. “Everyone is expecting me to win, which is okay. I’m just trying to do my best. I’ve had a good year so far so it’s just a bonus every heat after. Every heat I make I still feel like I’m learning. That’s what I have to keep in my mind and not to get too nervous. It’s exciting for me, this whole experience, and to be here in front of my home crowd. I’d love to get a good result here to give back.”
Josh Kerr’s result was the highest of Round 2. Kerr is famous for the aerial prowess he let fly yesterday — his two huge aerial maneuvers heralded two huge scores, an 8.67 and 9.67.
“I did an alley-oop the wave before my 9.67 and the judges rewarded me with a good score,” Kerr said in a release. “I had had a slow heat before that wave. I knew they were my kind of conditions out there and I wanted to try and prove that. The next wave probably had the best ramp section I’ve had in a long time, I just tried to go huge and I pulled it so I’m stoked.”
Raoni Monteiro was another standout performer today. Monteiro was beating Kaua‘i’s Bruce Irons well before he sealed the deal with a 9.00 ride at the end of their heat.
“I was trying to focus that heat on catching a good wave,” Monteiro said in a release. “I had three good waves with three good scores. I got a 9.0 on my last wave so that really helped me. I feel really good right now because Bruce Irons is a really good surfer. It’s really hard to beat those guys.”
Kai Otton eliminated Adriano de Souza in the final heat of the round. Round 3 competition was called off just prior to Heat 16 of Round 2 paddling out.
Otton is currently rated 18th, and is the second highest rated rookie after Flores who sits in 9th. Both are gunning for ASP ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors.
A call on Round 3 was made early today at La Nord. Heat 1 will feature Australians Joel Parkinson versus Mark Occhilupo.
Kaua‘i’s Andy Irons is slated to surf against Australian Luke Munro in Heat 13.
