Hang Loose Pro

ASP 5- Star Men's WQS Event
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
February 9 - 15, 2009

Live Coverage |  Results/Photos/Videos etc

February 15, 2009 : - - Brazilian Bruno Santos is the new 2009 Hang Loose Pro Contest Champion, Santos paddled out in two to four foot (1 meter) barreling waves at Cacimba do Padre Beach three times today, beating the defending champion of the event Brazilian Raoni Monteiro 15.40 to 8.67 in the great final, Santos who is one of the best barrel riders in the world finished the day with the title and the lead of 2009 ASP WQS Ranking.

In a the great final, Monteiro opened the heat with an excellent score of 8.67 points, than Santos emerged from a deep left-hand barrel to earn a near-perfect 9.90 and with fifteen minutes to go, Santos was in second with the priority.

With a set approaching, Santos took the first wave in an effort to get the lead, but Monteiro also paddle for the wave and committed a paddle interference, losing his second best wave and his chances to win the final. After that Monteiro also scored a 7.67 and a 7.07. In the last 10 minutes Santos snuck into a small barrel on the wave, earned a 5.50 and won the heat.

"The way I like, I always pray to get barreling waves in the contests, and we had perfect waves in five days of surfing" vibrated the winner of the 2009 Hang Loose Pro Contest. Before the final, Santos won the second semifinal against Brazilian Marcelo Trekinho (who got the second and last 10 point ride of the event) and the quarterfinal number three against the young surfer Ian Gouveia (16).

"I think I had luck too. The waves came to me and Monteiro made some mistakes today. Noronha is my favorite event of the year and this is the place that I most like to go back every year and win here was great, I really happy with that" said Bruno, who earned $ 16,000 dollars for the victory and took the lead of the 2009 ASP WQS ranking with the 2,000 points received.

With the result today. Monteiro moves to ASP WQS No. 3. The final was Monteiro’s second final in the Hang Loose Pro Contest in a row, he won the event in 2008. Despite having an amazingly consistent campaign in the event, Monteiro was unable to claim the victory but started the year with a great result at Cacimba do Padre. Monteiro was gracious in defeat – giving credit to Santos for his impressive surfing throughout the event.

Raoni began the day winning the opening heat of this Sunday against his good friend Leonardo Neves, then we took out of the event Brazilian Marco Polo, who surfed the first 10 point ride of the 2009 Hang Loose Pro Contest. "I have no words" regretted Raoni. "Everything was going so well, but someone had to win. I came close to the dream of winning here two times but I was unable to use the priority well”.

“Bruno ripped this week, he got perfect waves and deserved win, congratulations to him. But I still really happy with my result and started the year with the right foot, I took another trophy to home even without sponsorship, to show everyone that Raoni Monteiro still there wanting to compete and to get back to represent Brazil in ASP World Tour next year" said Raoni.

After completing 10 years of success on the WQS, the goal now is to transform the Hang Loose Pro Contest in Fernando de Noronha in one of the stops of the ASP World Tour already from next year. "We will try by all means to make an ASP World Tour event here next year, we have the endorsement of the Government of Pernambuco, of the main sponsor Hang Loose, of the administration of Fernando de Noronha and here is a place that meets all the requirements”.

“We had fantastic waves throughout the week, today even a little smaller the barrels were there, then we will work to give the deserved value to this event, one of the most traditional surfing events of the world in this beautiful place which is Fernando de Noronha" said Geraldo Cavalcanti, president of the Northeastern Association of Surfing (NSA) and one of the organizers of the Hang Loose Pro Contest since he moved to the state of Pernambuco in 1996, until in Noronha in 2000.

The director-president of the Hang Loose, Alfio Lagnado, who works as contest-director in the event also confirmed its intention: "It is the dream that we will continue to battle. If not next year, we will try again, again…. The event this year was unforgettable, the place is fantastic, a wonderful natural beauty and believe Noronha has everything you demand for an ASP World Tour event. Everyone saw a show of surfing from the first heat to the end and congratulations to all surfers, judges, and everyone who were involved in the success of this event”."

Hang Loose Pro Contest Final Results:
Final: Bruno Santos (BRA) 15.40 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 8.67

Hang Loose Pro Contest Semifinal Results:
Heat 1: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 14.74 def. Marco Polo (BRA) 13.87
Heat 2: Bruno Santos (BRA) 17.16 def. Marcelo Trekinho (BRA) 8.67

Hang Loose Pro Contest Quarterfinal Results:
Heat 1: Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 13.36 def. Leonardo Neves (BRA) 12.73
Heat 2: Marco Polo (BRA) 12.17 def. Marcio Farney (BRA) 9.43
Heat 3: Bruno Santos (BRA) 17.50 def. Ian Gouveia (BRA) 13.93
Heat 4: Marcelo Trekinho (BRA) 11.37 def. Bernardo Miranda (BRA) 11.06



Current WQS Ratings After Event #3


1     Santos,Bruno     BRA     2000
2     Goodrum,Darrell     USA     1925
3     Monteiro,Raoni     BRA     1750
4     Selman,Manuel     CHL     1631
5     Neves,Leonardo     BRA     1531
6     Farney,Marcio     BRA     1525
7     Curran,Nathaniel     USA     1500
7     Polo,Marco     BRA     1500
7     Trekinho,Marcelo     BRA     1500
10     Silva,Jean da     BRA     1425
11     Cormican,Aaron     USA     1313
12     Miranda,Bernardo     BRA     1300
12     Gouveia,Ian     BRA     1300
14     Jones,Blake     USA     1125
15     Carneiro,Savio     BRA     1100
15     Galvao,Renato     BRA     1100
15     Henrique,Pedro     BRA     1100
15     Paulino,Pablo     BRA     1100
15     Silva,Andre     BRA     1100
15     Tamberg,Patrick     BRA     1100
21     Teriinatoofa,Hira     PYF     1075
22     Lopez,Cory     USA     1069
23     Toth,Brian     PRI     1025
24     Burrell,Shaun     USA     1006
25     Bourgeois,Ben     USA     975
25     Simpson,Brett     USA     975
27     Merle-Jones,Jesse     HAW     919
27     Moreda,Alejandro     PRI     919
29     Carmo,Davi do     BRA     900
29     Guedes,Joao     PRT     900
29     Bettero,Hizunome     BRA     900
29     Lima,Sergio     BRA     900
29     Ribas,Victor     BRA     900
29     Brown,Charlie     BRA     900
29     Toledo,Filipe     BRA     900
36     Ettinger,Brad     USA     825
36     Yeomans,Nathan     USA     825
36     Reilly,Brent     USA     825
39     Martinez,Magnum     VEN     781
40     Belo,Jano     BRA     700
40     Costa,Alexandre (Costinha)     BRA     700
40     Costa,Danilo     BRA     700
40     Coutinho,Odirlei     BRA     700
40     Ferreira,Ricardo     BRA     700
40     Gouveia,Fabio     BRA     700
40     Grillo,Danylo     BRA     700
40     Neto,Dunga     BRA     700
40     Romao,Simao     BRA     700
40     Felix,Messias     BRA     700
40     Mendes,Jesse     BRA     700
51     Heilman,Jesse     USA     694