Held in Hossegor, France from Sept. 20-30, the Quiksilver Pro will be the next opportunity for world title contenders Mick Fanning (AUS), Taj Burrow (AUS) and Andy Irons (HAW) to strike. Currently rated 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the Foster's ASP World Tour respectively, all three bowed out of the Boost Mobile Pro uncharacteristically early.
Burrow, who is the only surfer with two elite tour wins in his 2007 scoreline, knows his equal 17th result at Trestles is a throwaway (the surfers drop their two worst results of the year) and has now turned his attention to the beach breaks of South Western France.
"I just want to put my head down and aim for a win in Europe of course," Burrow said. "I'm definitely really devastated with the loss at Trestles, but yesterday kind of panned out pretty well, considering my result. Besides Kelly still being in the event, it's like this event never happened. It's really coming down to crunch time for someone to get on a roll, so I'm just looking to get loose in Europe."
Reigning and 8X World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) is the only surfer in the Top 10 still factoring in the Lower Trestles draw. With a win in California and a strong European leg, Slater knows that title No. 9 could be within his grasp.
"France has always been a good event for me and Trestles has always been a good event for me, so hopefully I come out of California with a good result and then I have a chance," Slater said. "In theory, if I get a really good result here in the USA, potentially a win, I could get back up into the lead in Europe. That would be a surprise to me since I haven't had a stellar year so far, but I turned it around in JBay and this week is shaping up to be a pretty good one."
Joel Parkinson (AUS) who was rated 5th prior to the Boost Mobile Pro, is the defending Quiksilver Pro France champion. World No. 3 Irons won the event the three years prior. The Foster's ASP World Tour ratings will be adjusted after the mainland USA event wraps up tomorrow, but one thing is certain, the race for the 2007 World Title is shaping up to be the most exciting in years.
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