The second stop on the 2011 ASP World Title tour is a very special one. As the planet’s greatest board riders stop off in Victoria, Australia, for The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, they’ll also be celebrating the event’s incredible 50-year anniversary. To commemorate this golden milestone, we’ve got some more interesting figures for you…
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The Rip Curl Pro is the second major event (out of 11) on the ASP World Title calendar and also the second (out of seven) competition in this year’s ASP Women’s World Title events. The event is based at Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia, and the event winner is awarded the prestigious 'Bell' trophy. To get the competitors in the mood every morning before the first round of the day, the song Hells Bells by AC/DC is played.
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Originally started in 1961 and formerly called the Bells Beach Surf Classic, The Rip Curl Pro this year celebrates an astonishing milestone of 50 years. And according to event organizer Brooke Farris, it’s going to be a big one: "It's going to be a very exciting Easter at Bells Beach this April,” she says. "This year's event will really be a gathering of the tribe, with each of the world's best ASP surfers keen to etch their name in the history books by winning the anniversary Bell and most of our former competitors and past champions in Torquay to relive many of the amazing moments and stories they created over the past 50 years."
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American surfing legend and reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, Kelly Slater, is no stranger to Bells. He’s won the tournament four times (in ’94, ’06, ’08 and ’10) and is looking to follow up his 2011 season opening win on the Gold Coast with the anniversary gong. "The Bells trophy is probably one of - if not the - most sought-after trophies in professional surfing,” says Slater. “Anyone who has ever gotten a Bell has talked proudly of it. It’s like winning a World Title trophy."
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Red Bull-backed Australian surfer Mick Fanning posted his first elite tour victory as a wildcard at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in 2001. "Fifty years at Bells is huge,” says Fanning. “It has so much history and so many great surfers have won the Rip Curl Pro because it's one of the hardest ones to win."
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Reigning four-time ASP Women’s World Champion, Stephanie Gilmore boasts an impressive three Bells titles to her name (in ’07, ’08 and ’10) and is hoping to equal Kelly Slater’s record this year. "To have an event there for 50 years is good for surfing and good for the younger generation to be able to go there and compete and be able to experience the aura that's been there since the very beginning,” says Gilmore. “That's what makes the Rip Curl Pro really different from the other stops on the Tour."
The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by FORD will take place from April 19-30, 2011 and be webcast on the official Rip Curl web site.
Want more?
- Check out the Bells Beach event page
- Visit the official ASP World Tour site
- Go to RedBull.com’s surfing section
- Mick Fanning profile page
- Visit www.ASPWorldTour.com for more information
- Follow the Tour on Facebook
- ASP World Tour on Twitter
- Watch videos from the Tour on YouTube
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