The Rip Curl Cup Returns !

After 11 years of awesome the Rip Curl Cup is back with a fresh format and new invitees, held at the same incredible wave, Padang Padang

 
Indonesia’s longest running and most prestigious event, the Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang draws competitors from all over the world, and this year is no different. In 2015 the waiting period has been cut to four weeks, the quality of conditions required to run has been ramped up from incredible to perfect, and the field has been reduced to 16 surfers, meaning heats will be man-on-man throughout and that competition can easily be run in one day.

The trimming of surfers does not mean a reduction of talent, in fact the opposite rings true as the new format is more appealing than ever. This year it’s an honour to welcome three-time world champion and Rip Curl team rider Tom Curren to the field. As well as starring in competition we will be running some great initiatives around Bali with the legendary Californian surfer so keep your eyes glued to the official website – live.ripcurl.com – for the latest updates on events and happenings.
Alongside Curren this year’s list of invitees also includes Hawaiian royalty and recent Rip Curl signing Mason Ho, who’ll be joined by long serving tour legend Damien Hobgood, Australian freesurfing superstars Jay Davies and Ry Craike, former winning of the Billabong Pro Tahiti Bruno Santos, and two absolute freaks of our sport and past Rip Curl Cup winners, Jamie O’Brien and Chris Ward. Rounding out the list of internationals are young Rip Curl stars Pat Curren (yes, Tom’s son!), former-finalist Jacob Willcox, and Caribbean kid on the rise Tim Bisso.

This year the Indonesian surfers selected for the main draw include four previous winners, Garut Widiarta, Mega Semahdi, Lee Wilson and Made “Bol” Adi Putra, legendary Balinese surfer and Taylor Steele movie star Rizal Tandjung, and last year’s finalist and former Asian champion Raditya Rondi. Rounding out the eight will be a Rip Curl wildcard who will be announced at the Event opening ceremony on the 1st August.

The reduction in numbers means the fight for a position on the home team is tighter than ever, and the trials for the Rip Curl Cup will be the toughest the local competitors have faced. This year the Rip Curl Cup trials will run on the best day of waves at Padang Padang, Uluwatu or Bingin from July 25th – 31st. Stay tuned to live.ripcurl.com for the latest, and see below for the heat draw for round one of the trials!

The official Rip Curl Cup opening ceremony will be held on August 1st at 4pm at Padang Padang Beach, formalities will include Balinese Offerings and Prayers, Traditional Balinese Kecak Dancing and meet and greets with the surfers.

The 2015 Opening Ceremony will also include a Wayang Puppet Show with revered Balinese Wayang Puppet Master – I Wayan “ Cenkblong” Nardayana.
The Wayang Puppet Show will feature the story of the Hanoman “White Monkey” who’s image is the main inspiration behind this years event artwork design by Bali based artist Ashley Bickerton.

The legendary Rip Curl Cup rooftop party will again take place at Rip Curl headquarters on Sunset Road, this time at the end of the window on August 28. Again, stay tuned to live.ripcurl.com for updates on the festivities, as more events and special occasions will be added to the lineup closer to the event window.

The Rip Curl Cup’s slogan is It’s On When It’s On, but now you can be the first know by Signing up to Event Alerts on the Website – get all your Rip Curl Cup updates sent straight to your phone.

This year sees the introduction of our new Dawn Patrol show, a twice weekly video catch-up with competitors showcasing the best freesurf action from the archipelago, in and around the waiting period. It’s going to be awesome so keep your eye on the website for all the latest.

We’re thrilled to see the Rip Curl Cup return, and we know that the world is excited too. The recipe is in place, all we need now is for Huey to send Padang Padang some cooking waves and this year’s Rip Curl Cup will be the best one yet!

WATCH IT LIVE – www.ripcurl.com