As The World Tour Turns – No Tavarua?

Fortunately, for the WCT tour horses who’ve settled into a nice off-season slack session, the ASP’s planners have used their downtime productively and solidified the schedule for the Top 45’s next trip around the world. As always, this year’s itinerary has been adjusted to accommodate a few tweaks.

Globe Pro Fiji
Averaging two governmental overthrows per decade since the 1980’s, Fijian coups are apparently a dime a dozen. But with Fiji on several travel watch lists after yet another uprising in early December, the Globe Fiji Pro has been placed in a holding pattern. “We will continue to monitor the political situation in Fiji daily,” said ASP International CEO Brodie Carr. “At present, insurance issues due to the unrest in late 2006 have forced us into the unlikely position of having the Roxy Pro Fiji and Globe Pro on standby, but a confirmation of the outcomes of both will be forthcoming soon.”

Stay tuned to Surfermag.com as this situation develops.

Rip Curl Pro Search
One of the most ballyhooed events on tour, the Rip Curl Search will return this year in its third incarnation. After first going to well-known Reunion Island in 2005, the Search stopped “Somewhere in Mexico” in 2006, scoring a mouthwatering right point dubbed “La Jolla.” After effectively airing the web cast that launched a thousand flights on AeroMex, the Search will again head to an unnamed destination in 2007, this time landing in Chile. We understand next year the Search may be titled “Somewhere in South Oz.”

Billabong Pipe Masters
Held in recent years under the Rip Curl banner, the Pipe Masters has changed its title sponsor for 2007. Billabong is now at the helm of the most prestigious event of the season and, as such, will certainly lobby to have several of its team riders seeded into the event as wildcards. Also a presenting sponsor for the WQS Monster Energy Pipeline Pro, an event that seeds its top 16 finishers into the Pipe Masters, Billabong is currently working on a nice little monopoly. How this may affect the WCT season’s closing event, and how Billabong wildcards will influence a possible title race at Pipe remains to be seen.

Foster’s ASP World Tour Schedule

ASP Banquet Gold Coast, Australia Feb 24
Quiksilver Pro Snapper Rocks Qld, Australia Feb 27-Mar 10
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Vic, Australia Apr 3-13
Billabong Pro Teahupoo, Tahiti May 4-14
Globe Pro Fiji TBC May 20-21
Rip Curl Pro Search Somewhere in Chile June 20-July1
Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, South Africa July 11-22
Boost Mobile Pro Trestles, California Sep 11-15
Quiksilver Pro France Hossegor, France Sep 22-Oct 1
Billabong Pro Mundaka, Basque Region, Spain Oct 2-14
Nova Schin Festival Imbituba, Brazil Oct 29-Nov 7
Billabong Pipe Masters Pipeline Hawaii Dec 8-20

ASP Women’s World Tour Schedule

Roxy Pro Snapper Rocks, Australia Feb 27-Mar 10
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Australia Apr 3-8
Roxy Pro TBC Apr 21-26
Billabong Girls Praia da Tiririca, Itacare, Brazil Aug 20-27
Rip Curl Girls Festival Santander, Liencres-Spain Sep 4-9
Havaiianas Beachley Classic Manly Beach, Australia Oct 8-14
Roxy Pro Sunset Beach, Hawaii Nov 23-Dec 6
Billabong Pro Honalua Bay, Hawaii Dec 8-20

The 2007 Foster’s ASP World Tour Lineup

Kelly Slater (USA)
Andy Irons (HAW)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Taj Burrow (AUS)
Bobby Martinez (USA)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Damien Hobgood (USA)
Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Taylor Knox (USA)
Dean Morrison (AUS)
Tim Reyes (USA)
Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Cory Lopez (USA)
Bruce Irons (HAW)
Bede Durbidge (AUS)
C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Daniel Wills (AUS)
Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Chris Ward (USA)
Shaun Cansdell (AUS)
Travis Logie (ZAF)
Michael Lowe (AUS)
Luke Stedman (AUS)
Mark Occhilupo (AUS)
Pancho Sullivan (HAW)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Michael Campbell (AUS)
Ricky Basnett (ZAF)
Royden Bryson (ZAF)
Dayyan Neve (AUS)
Troy Brooks (AUS)
Neco Padaratz (BRA)
Josh Kerr (AUS)
Ben Dunn (AUS)
Bernado Miranda (BRA)
Gabe Kling (USA)
Victor Ribas (BRA)
Leonardo Neves (BRA)
Kai Otton (AUS)
Rodrigo Dornelles (BRA)
Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Luke Munro (AUS)

Replacements:
Trent Munro (AUS)
David Weare (ZAF)
Peterson Rosa (BRA)

2007 ASP Women’s World Tour Lineup

Layne Beachley (AUS)
Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS)
Chelsea Georgeson (AUS)
Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
Rebecca Woods (AUS)
Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
Silvana Lima (BRA)
Megan Abubo (HAW)
Rochelle Ballard (HAW) *
Samantha Cornish (AUS)
Jacqueline Silva (BRA)
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Melanie Bartels (HAW)
Amee Donohoe (AUS)
Caroline Sarran (FRA)
Roseanne Hodge (ZAF)