Haleiwa’s Mo Freitas wins the Ubatauba Pro, Brazil in epic fashion
Sunday 2 December
15 year old Mo Freitas from Haleiwa makes history
15 year old Mo Freitas makes history on the Stand up World Tour by storming to victory against Leco Salazar at the Ubatuba Pro presented by Art in Surf. From the outset, he demonstrated flawless rail to rail power surfing, dominating his heats all the way through to the man on man quarters, where he came up against current ratings leader Sean Poynter and won.
He then moved through to the semis and then finals, where he came up against 2 x Brazil event Champion, Leco Salazar. In one of the most intensely competitive heats yet on the Stand Up World Tour. Accentuated by the man on man format, the heat lead exchanged back and forth between Leco and Mo throughout the heat, as Leco Salazar linked together a perfectly ridden wave to post 10 points, which combined with an already posted 8 point ride provided a seemingly unsurmoutable lead over the young Mo from Hawaii.
However in the closing minutes of the heat, Mo found the right wave and strung together 3 of the most progressive and powerful turns of the event to post a near perfect score of 9.8, propelling him into the lead and securing the event win: incredible composure from this young star from Haleiwa and a sign of things to come. Mo now moves into 9th place overall on the Stand Up World Tour, with just the Location X Finals to go.
Leco Salazar puts on another impressive performance
Leco Salazar was one of the on form surfers throughout the event, demonstrating his trademark vertical lip climbs, speed, flow and great wave lecture. After beating 2 x World Champion Kai Lenny (Naish) in the semi finals, Leco was on a high, posting an 8 point ride in the opening minutes of the heat.
As Mo started to match his scores, he stepped it up and posted one of the only 10 point rides on the Tour so far, giving him a seemingly unbeatable position in the heat. In any other heat, this would be enough, but with Mo’s devastating form in this Brazil stop on the Stand Up World Tour, Leco had to settle for a very worthy 2nd place.
Leco now moves up to 2nd place in the overall ratings going into the FInal event of the year in the Caribbean, making the Title Race for 2012 the most exciting yet, with Leco, Sean Poynter (Starboard) and Kai Lenny all within a point or two of each other.
Kai Lenny on devastating form, but narrowly misses finals
Kai Lenny (Naish) seemed focused and on devastating form in every heat he competed in here at the Ubatuba Pro, narrowly missing out on the finals, falling to Leco Salazar in the semis, but winning the consolation final to secure his 3rd place for the event.
While Kai was hoping for the top spot, this 3rd place finish keeps him right in the running for the 2012 Title, within one point of Leco and a couple of points of Sean as we lead up to the most exciting Title Race yet on the Stand Up World Tour. One thing is for sure, Kai wants his 3rd World Title and he will not go down without a fight to the end. So watch as it all unfolds the week after next aboard the Moorings yachts in the British Virgin Islands. Stay tuned to www.locationxfinals.com
Local dark horse, Eric Miyakawa once again stands out
Local dark horse Eric Miyakawa from Guaraja once again puts on an epic performance here at the Ubatuba Pro presented by Art in Surf. With a display of crisp, fluid riding, Eric continuously linked together critical and smooth turns to earn his place in the semi finals, eventually falling to the on form Mo Freitas and having to settle for 4th place following the consolation final with Kai Lenny.
Nonetheless, an incredible performance from this talented athlete and a true representation of the sheer level of talent of the local Brazilian athletes. We look forward to seeing Eric at future World Tour events, both here in Brazil but also further afield.
Ratings leader Sean Poynter in 5th and maintaining lead
Despite falling short against Mo Freitas in the quarterfinals, Sean Poynter put on some impressive performances here at the Ubatuba Pro, securing a 5th place at the event and allowing him to maintain his ratings lead coming into the all important final event in the British VIrgin Islands.
Sean’s surfing is looking crisp and as the Title Race intensifies, we are looking forward to the most climactic final showdown ever for the Stand Up World Tour in the Caribbean as it all comes down to the wire and the 2012 World Champion is crowned. WIll it be Hawaii, the US or Brazil who ends up victorious? You can watch it as it unfolds at www.locationxfinals.com
Justin Holland, one of the most ‘on form’surfers of event
Justin Holland (Starboard) from Australia turned out to be one of the most on form surfers of the event here in Ubatuba, showcasing performance stand up paddlesurfing at its best. Despite his impressive form, he failed to find the right waves in his quarterfinal heat, having to settle for 5th place for the event, which is already an impressive result and boosts him up to 5th place overall in the 2012 rankings.
Justin, is motivated and surfing well and promises to be a real threat at the Location X Finals starting on the 11th December.
Art in Surf’s Ian Vaz turns heads at Itamambuca Beach
Art in Surf’s Ian Vaz flew the flag for the Vaz family and made it all the way to the quarter finals, impressing both judges and crowds alike with his complete and polished surfing. As a result of his performance here in Brazil, Ian has now earned his place in the Location X Finals in the Britih VIrgin Islands and has proved himself as a real threat on the Stand Up World Tour.
Meanwhile, his brother Caio had a disappointing 3rd round heat, narrowly missing out on advancing, but nonetheless, maintaining his Top 10 positioning (7th overall) going into the Location X Finals.
Robin Johnston has to settle for 9th, but 4th place overall
Despite a disappointing Round 4 heat where he quite simply didn’t get the waves, Hawaii’s Robin Johnston (Mistral) is still in a strong position in the overall standings, currently lying in 4th place overall.
Coming into the Location X Finals, Robin’s experience and skill will come to good use, as aboard the Moorings yachts, the event will provide the most diverse competitive environment for the athletes, testing their ability and versatily at every step.
Stay tuned to www.locationxfinals.com
Kate Brandi makes a statement at the Ubatuba Pro
In conjunction with the men’s division of the Stand Up World Tour here in Ubatuba, we ran a women’s event that showcased some of the most impressive performances yet from the women. As expected, Ubatuba local Aline Adisaka put a strong display of performance riding, but had to settle for second place behind Kate Brandi who put together some of the most radical surfing we have seen yet in any women’s heat on the Stand Up World Tour.
As we prepare for a more official women’s series in 2013, there is no doubt that this is not the last you will hear of this incredible Brazilian talent. Stay tuned for official releases regarding the women’s division of the 2012 Stand Up World Tour.
The Ubatuba Pro proves to be an overwhelming success
The 3rd successive year for the Stand Up World Tour in Brazil provided some of the most amazing surfing yet on the Stand Up World Tour, from a stacked and highly competitive trials event, to a main event that saw the evolution of the sport hit new heights and one of the most fiercely fought out and high scoring finals yet.
Ubatuba proved to be one of the most beautiful locations yet on the Stand Up World Tour and we would like to express our most heartfelt thanks to the people of Ubatuba, the region and the magnificent Surf Association for all their support in making this event a reality. We are so excited at the prospect of returning to Ubatuba in 2013, a destination that is a highlight for the Stand Up World Tour.
We would also like to thank our other partners, Fluir Stand Up Paddle, Waves and SUPClub website, as well as our presenting parners Art in Surf and WG for all their support in making this event happen.
Next up: the Location X Finals in the British Virgin Islands
Coming up next, the Moorings presents the Location X Finals in association with FInlandia Vodka and Starboard in the beautiful Virgin Islands. WIth an innovative and groundbreaking mobile format aboard a flotilla of 5 Moorings yachts, the Location X Finals will take the World’s Top 16 plus 2 wildcards off to this magnificent island chain in the Caribbean for an unforgettable moment for the sport of Stand up Paddling. Watch the presentation of the Nation’s Teams by clicking here: Nations Teams – Location X Finals
With the most intense Title Race yet for the 2012 Stand Up World Tour, the unique and intimate nature of the boat trip event and the prestige of the World’s best battling it out for the Championship Title, this will be an event you don’t want to miss. Make sure you tune in to the DIgicel Live broadcast from the 11th – 19th December at www.locationxfinals.com
In the meantime, a big Mahalo goes out to our Stand Up World Tour Patrons: Starboard, Naish, Rogue SUP, Imagine, Coreban, Mistral, JP Australia, Bic SUP, Puka Patch, Art in Surf and Fanatic.
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