RIP CURL PRO SEARCH SAN FRANCISCO PREVIEW
Wildcards To Give Champ Run For his Money
Two wildcards have been announced ahead of the November 1st 2011 ‘San Francisco Rip Curl Pro Search’. Dillon Perillo and Dean Brady will pit their wits against the world’s finest. While Rip Curl won’t be holding any trials to offer local talent a shot, the surf community is still excited to see the Tour come to their city.
Rip Curl's talented wildcards, Dillon Perillo (left) and Dean Brady
Dillon Perillo and Dean Brady are two of Rip Curl’s young freesurfing stars, and have demonstrated significant talent to be chosen to go up against the finest. The event will see a revisiting of a healthy rivalry for Perillo where 2010 Rip Curl Pro Search ‘Somewhere in Puerto Rico‘ saw him bow out to Kelly Slater in round 1 and Taj Burrow in round 2. Perillo caught the attention of surf fans and enthusiasts with his style and progressive repertoire:
I’m excited to be competing in the Search for the second year in a row, especially since this year it’s in California—my home state—which makes me even more excited to surf my hardest and try to take down a few of the world’s best surfers.
For Dean Brady of Noosa Head, despite being the lowest seeded surfer – he will face Kelly Slater in the first round. And while the world No. 1 is poised to nab his 11th ASP World Title, Slater has fallen to wildcards in the past – think Sean Holmes at J-Bay, Julian Wilson at Snapper Rocks and Owen Wright at Bells.
Nonetheless the larger surf should be just what the doc ordered for the 25-year old, 6’5” Aussie:
I love free-surfing and getting paid to travel, but to be able to have a crack at the world’s best surfer is fantastic. All the pressure will be on [Slater]; he has another World Title at stake and I’ve got nothing at stake, so I’m pretty relaxed about it. Anything can happen in a heat and I’d love to beat Kelly to help Owen Wright win the World Title instead.
If Slater finishes in ninth place or better, he will clinch the event. The Rip Curl Search Pro runs Nov 1-12, 2011.
Check out the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco Preview here:
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