Connor Baxter wins the World Series Sprint Racing on Day 1 of the Ubatuba Pro
Sunday 28 April
Connor Baxter wins Day 1, the World Series Sprint Racing
Connor Baxter (Starboard) builds on his momentum in 2013 with a win on day 1 of the Ubatuba Pro Grand Slam, the World Series Sprint Racing. With a stacked field of athlete featuring amongst the world’s best paddlers, Connor was able to work his way through the heats, and keep ahead of arch rival, Kai Lenny (Naish) to take the all important win.
Today’s sprint course featured a triangle format, that tested the athletes speed off the start, buoy turns and acceleration towards the finish, providing a dynamic technical course for the competitors, but also a spectacle for the assembled and passionate crowds.
Kai Lenny settles for second but prepares for long distance Kai Lenny (Naish) puts on a strong performance in the sprint racing, but is unable to overtake Connor Baxter (Starboard) in the final, despite some tight buoy turns that saw Kai come right up on Connor. However, Kai Lenny is already preparing to get one back on his arch rival in the long distance race tomorrow, that will feature a 12km course that will follow the magnificent Ubatuba Coastline. Mo Freitas fires all cylinders to finish in an impressive 3rd Feeling right at home back here in Ubatuba after his win in the World Surfing Tour event here back in December, the young phenom Mo Freitas (Body Glove/Focus SUP) once again impresses the crowds and fellow athletes alike with a strong performance here at the World Series Sprints to take 3rd place behind Kai Lenny (Naish) and Connor Baxter (Starboard). Mo will be looking to consolidate on today’s result in the long distance tomorrow and then looking ahead to next week’s surfing, he will be hoping to repeat his last year’s historic performance with a view to a strong result in the prestigious Grand Slam overall standings (surf & race). Zane Schweitzer puts on another strong performance There is no doubt that Zane Schweitzer (Starboard) is on a roll this year after a tough year in 2012. After finishing in an incredible 4th place in Chile, Zane went onto win the Abu Dhabi All Stars with a win in the surf and 3rd place in the racing. Now here in Ubatuba, Zane once again shows formidable form finishing in a worthy 4th place in the star studded final. With this kind of momentum, you can expect great things from Zane this week in Ubatuba both in the racing and the surf. Kody Kerbox & Noa Ginella round up the Sprint Race Final The Hawaii dominated Final was rounded up by another 2 incredible athletes: in 5th, Kody Kerbox (Naish) continues his devastating form, while Noa Ginella (Naish) from Oahu’s North Shore earns his spot in the Final, having to settle for 6th. Both Kody and Noa are strong distance paddlers, so expect great things from these 2 young athletes as we go into day two of the Stand Up World Series here in Ubatuba. Barbara Brasil wins the Women’s World Series Division With a stacked Women’s Final, it is Barbara Brasil (Starboard) from Brasilia who puts on a dominant performance to secure victory here at Stop 2 of the 2013 Stand Up World Series. The competition in the women’s fleet was intense, as they battled for position throughout the course culminating in this strong finish for Barbara. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s action from the women here at the Ubatuba Pro Grand Slam, with the long distance race scehduled to kick of at 2pm. The Amateur divisions meet with a passionate following The extensive Amateur and Fun Race divisions met with a passionate and emotional crowd today here at Day 1 of the Stand Up World Series, as spectators cheered on the focused participants as they each crossed the finish line to dramatic applause. It was exciting to see such a strong and passionate response to the Ubatuba Pro World Series Racing event taking place for the first time here in 2013, and even more exciting to see the depth of developing talent on the rise in Brazil. There is no doubt that the country will become strong players in the racing world, as they already are in Surfing with World Champion Leco Salazar at their lead. Stay tuned to the live broadcast and Zane Schweitzer show Stay tuned to www.standupworldtour.com/brazil.php for the broadcast from Day 2 of the Ubatuba Pro Grand Slam, live from Praia do Centro. It will all start at 1.30pm with the Zane Schweitzer Show featuring local stand out Vinicius Martins (Starboard), Kody Kerbox (Naish) from Maui and Casper Steinfath (Naish) from Denmark, and lead right into the start of the World Series Long Distance Race at around 2pm (local time), so make sure not to miss the action live from Praia do Centro, Ubatuba A big thank you to our partners of the 2013 Ubatuba Pro
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