Feast claims first Grand Slam win at the Pipeline Pro

posted on 19th February 2011

West Australian Kim Feast had his maiden victory on the IBA World DK Tour when he smashed the field at Pipeline to win his first ever Grand Slam final. The lanky lad from Perth demolished his opposition with a polished display of tube riding in perfect 4-6 feet backdoor.

"I am so stoked" said Feast. "This is like a dream. To beat those guys in such good waves makes me even happier and I am not sure what to do from here. I was supposed to go to Uni this year after a year of globetrotting but now I have some decisions to make, actually a sponsor would help me make that decision with some support" he added.

The day started with some amazing waves rolling off the famed reef and the best riders in the world relished in the conditions.

"I really enjoy watching the Drop knee events" said IBA Tour Manager Terry McKenna. "Its like a hybrid of bodyboarding and surfing and adds a whole new dimension to the world tour."

In the opening rounds there were some major standouts.

Port Macquarie locals Damian King and Mason Rose looked comfy on the rights and both scored big with deep tubes and front-side gaffs.

Kianoa McGee was also impressive as he continued to prove his versatility as one of the worlds best watermen when he continuously dialed up set after set and played hide and seek with the judges.

Portugal's Rui Perriera also showed why he is regarded as one of the best European's with stylish positioning and controlled barrels.

The quarterfinals saw some of the more fancied favorites like Dave Hubbard (Hawaii) and Matt Lakey (Aust), Ardiel Jimenez (Canary Islands) exit the event as the conditions became inconsistent and wave selection became paramount.

The highlight was Ryan Hardy's 9-point cavernous barrel that had the crowd hooting.

The quiet achiever of the day was Miles Kauhaahaa (Hawaii) who constantly found the best waves and showed glimpses of brilliance to dominate all of his heats.

Semi finals are always tough but at Pipe in the first Grand Slam of the year they are complicated.

Kianoa and Amaury wanted to go front-side but the N in the swell meant that the rights were dishing up the higher scores and both were sidelined by the left foot forward duo of Feast and Bauer.

Dave Winchester and Miles Kauhaahaa dominated the second semi and Hardy and McMullin were left wanting. Winny scored the first perfect 10 point ride of the contest with a deep freight-train barrel at backdoor.

Legends Exhibition Final

At this point the DK crew were given a breather as the IBA walked down memory lane with a tribute to the rich history of the sport and the event.

The Legends final was a masterstroke that showcased a handful of bodyboarding icons from the 90's that had either won the event or played a major role in the development of the sport in a 30 minute final.

The following riders were selected:

Steve "Bullet" MacKenzie (Winner 1996)
Michael "Eppo" Eppulstun (Winner 1993)
Ben "Tube troll" Seversen (Winner 1986)
Pat "Noodle" Caldwell (Inventor of the el-rollo)
Hauoli "Martian" Reeves (Vibrant Hawaiian character)

These guys wound back the clock and old scores were settled as they traded blows and showed that they still have the skills that originally made them a household name.

Caldwell lead early and then the Aussie duo of Bullet and Eppo upped the ante with deep tubes and perfect positioning.

Ben Seversen made a late charge but a deep shack sealed the deal late and Bullet walked away the winner.

"I loved it" said Bullet. "Having my family here and surfing against the boys again was such a buzz and I hoped the spectators loved it as much as us."

Eppo was second, Seversen third Pat claimed forth and Hauoli fifth.

DK Final

This was a lighthearted lead in to an intense final and despite the surf being somewhat inconsistent Feasty grabbed two deep tubes to seal it.

Second place in the final went to the current world champion Cesar Bauer from Peru. Bauer was throwing tail and drifting through his now trademark tail whips but when it comes to Pipe the tubes are what scores big and that's what Feast concentrated on.

Third place went to Winny and forth was Miles.

It was a perfect start to the 2011 DKWT and sets up the possible final day of competition for Tuesday.

Stay tuned for another call at 6.30am tomorrow

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