2006 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast: Event Preview

The legendary Superbank running at full-tilt

After a solid 2 off from their hectic non-stop tour, the members of the 2006 World Championship Tour will start the whole process again when the Quiksilver Pro gets started on the Gold Coast of Australia. Scheduled to run within a waiting period of February 28 to March 12, this event annually gets the surfers and the rest of the world charged up to see who will make the early push for this years world title.

In 2005, we saw the fire lit under Aussie Mick Fanning as he answered all the doubters who said he would never recover from his devastating hamstring injury. Early reports out of the Gold Coast reveal that Mick is in full-on training mode and won't rest until he calls the ASP world championship his. And with the Quiksilver Pro being held in his own backyard, he has to be considered the favorite to win this event.

But don't discredit the rest of the field just yet.

Surfing in this event are also former Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast winners Kelly Slater, Dean Morrison, Joel Parkinson, and Mick Lowe. Don't put it past any one of them to make a chage at a break that they have already tasted victory at.

Who would be the most likely to do well at this event?

The Superbank has traditionally favored the regularfoots who have the ability to make tight arcing turns in the pocket without losing much speed. The locals such as Dean Morrison, Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson hold a distinct advantage over the rest of the field based on their water time at the break.

Who will make a surprise showing like Chris Ward did at the 2005 event?

It's hard to say that any one surfer will have quite the impact that Chris Ward did at last years event when he set the world ablaze with his runner-up finish. With his large array of wild airs and go-for-it mentality, Ward-o found the Superbank to his liking and the judges rewarded him accordingly. Other rookies that look poised to make such an impact at this right-hand pointbreak are Adriano de Souza and Bobby Martinez (Afterall, Martinez did grow up at Rincon - another epic right-hander).

Regardless of who wins, we are all assured of at least one thing: whoever wins this event will take the momentum of the 2006 WCT tour with him into the next event at Bells Beach. And sometimes, a little bit of luck and momentum is all you need to go on an incredible run and lock up a world title.

We want to know what you think about the 2006 Quiksilver Pro. Visit our Message Boards and tell us what you think.