World Championship Tour contender Taj Burrow will headline a powerful Yallingup team in their title defence on their home beach when the Western Australian round of the Jim Beam Surftag is contested this Saturday.
Burrow, who ended the 2009 season ranked number four in the world after a stunning victory in the last event at Pipeline in Hawaii when he beat legend Kelly Slater in the final, will be joined in his club’s ‘A’ team by former pro Jake Paterson, classy aerial exponent Jay Davies, two-time reigning club champion Zak Ogram and rising teenager Sammy Tucker.
Margaret River won the Western Australian title the first four times it was contested but Yallingup have won the last three on the trot and according to team manager Shaun Wright the defending champions are not only looking to make it four in a row but are confident their ‘B’ team can finish second.
The Surftag format sees five-member teams square off in a relay style event with the top three teams from the Western Australian round progressing through to face the country’s best clubs in the Jim Beam Surftag Australian final.
The final is expected to witness elite ASP World Tour surfers including current World Champion Mick Fanning, Kai Otton, Burrow and numerous other elite competitors line up for their beloved clubs at Sydney’s North Narrabeen beach on February 13/14.
The event sees five-member teams given an hour in which each individual must catch three waves, with the second being a “powerwave” worth double points. All three waves for each surfer count in the scoring and bonus points are awarded for teams that finish before the 60 minute mark.
Another event on Saturday’s program will be the FCS Manufacturers Cup.
A competition for surfboard manufacturers, the event is run to a similar format to the Surftag series. Four man teams, made up of two factory employees and two team riders, will compete for the right to contest the national Manufacturers Cup final. The winning team will progress from the Western Australian event.
Saturday’s surfing will get underway at 9am and is expected to wind up around 3pm.
The next event in the series will be the Queensland Surftag event at Duranbah on January 15.
2010 Jim Beam Surftag Australian Series
23rd Oct Industry Challenge
29th Nov Women's Surftag
19th Dec VIC Qualifier
9th Jan WA Qualifier
15th Jan QLD Qualifier
23rd Jan NSW North Qualifier
30/31 Jan NSW South Qualifier
12/13/14 Feb Australian Final
