Posted on September 08 2012
The Surf Race to Victory presented by LandShark Lager goes off in dramatic surf at Huntington Beach By Christopher Parker, SUPRacer.com 
September 18, 2012 (Huntington Beach, CA) - The Surf Race to Victory presented by LandShark Lager SUPCross series wrapped up late Saturday afternoon in awesome conditions at Huntington Beach. Plenty of pros had arrived in town ahead of the Battle of the Paddle, so there was a lot of talent on display. Plus with a decent swell pulsing along the coast, there was a LOT of carnage. Combine that with blue-sky, 34 degree (93 F) weather and you had a pretty fun day of SUP racing. Several of the world’s best lined up for the knockout sprint format, with everyone looking uber-stylish in the event’s signature blue crash helmets. Kody Kerbox, Connor Baxter, Byron Kurt and Brennan Rose took out the first round heats, with Kerbox in particularly fine form. On the women’s side it seemed to be a battle between Candice Appleby and Morgan Hoesterey, with the pair trading victories in the first couple of rounds. Before the semis and finals there was time for some SUP surfboard racing, which pretty much descended into chaos and carnage as solid swells rolled into Huntington. Meanwhile a couple of the Brackett kids braved the conditions (including a mean shore-break that was breaking over their heads) to compete in the junior’s race. Back in the pro event, Connor and Kody dominated the semis and were looking solid for the finals, while the old guard was being led by the likes of Anthony Vela and Byron Kurt. The veteran racers joined the final with Mo Freitas, Brennan Rose, Dan Hughes and Frenchman Eric Terrien. Much to the crowd’s delight, a huge set started rolling towards the coast just as the final got underway. By the time the paddlers were 50-100m out from the beach, right in the impact zone, the waves started peaking at 4-6ft and were looking set to clean up the entire field. Most of the guys had to sit back and wait for the white water to settle down, but Anthony Vela was going all out for the win… With his trademark energy, Vela sprinted like crazy through the zone and somehow made it over three set waves in a row, punching his board through each one as it broke over the top of him. 
Vela’s heroics paid off; he established a strong lead and held it for most of the race, though the field started creeping up to him on the final leg. However another set held back most of the guys on the final outward paddle and it looked like Vela was in the clear, but France’s Eric Terrien held his nerve to make it through unscathed and find himself just metres behind Vela. From there it was a two horse race, with Terrien catching up to Vela on the final buoy and both of them surfing the same wave all the way back to the shore. 
In a mad dash for the line, it was Eric Terrien who took the honours, just a couple of metres ahead of Vela. Some poetic moments of man love (aka bear hugs rolling around in the sand) between Terrien and Vela followed, before Connor Baxter crossed the line to claim third ahead of the over 40?s champ, Byron Kurt. The massively in-form Kody Kerbox was unlucky to lose his paddle on a rogue wave, ruining his changes and sending him on a binge eating session to ease the pain. Connor Baxter had his share of misfortune as well, snapping his fin near the start of the final. The fact he still managed third shows how much of a freak paddler he really is. Meanwhile in the women’s race it was Candice Appleby who survived the chaos and carnage to claim the cash. The Queen of the BoP held off a late charge from Halie Harrison and Morgan Hoesterey to defend her title and cement her place as one of the women to beat at Dana Point in a couple of weeks time. The Surf Race to Victory presented by LandShark Lager would like to thanks the following sponsors: Duke’s Restaurant, Boardworks Surf, Maui Jim Sunglasses, Truwest, Stand Up Paddle Company and Madrid Skateboards. 
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Surf Race To Victory presented by LandShark Lager RESULTS PRO MEN’S FINAL 1st: Eric Terrien 2nd: Anthony Vela 3rd: Connor Baxter 4th: Byron Kurt 5th: Brennan Rose 6th: Dan Hughes 7th: Mo Freitas 8th: Kody Kerbox
PRO WOMEN’S 1st: Candice Appleby 2nd: Morgan Hoesterey 3rd: Halie Harrison 4th: Talia Gangini 5th: Lucy Bell 6th: Suzy Strazzulla 7th: Terri Plunkett 8th: Diane Wenzel
Men’s 35-39 Champ: Anthony Vela Men’s 40-49 Champ: Byron Kurt Men’s 50+ Champ: Lance Erickson Senior Wahine Champ: Suzy Strazzulla Junior Champ: Josiah Brackett
Women’s Surf Design 1st: Candice Appleby 2nd: Annabel Anerson 3rd: Terri Plunkett
Men’s Surf Design 1st: Matt Hughes 2nd: Brennan Rose 3rd: Dan Hughes
Surf Race To Victory: SUPCross Series presented by LandShark Lager Final Standings MEN 1st: Eric Terrien (1000 points) 2nd: Anthony Vela (975 points) 3rd: Chuck Lynne (775 points) 4th: Ryan Helm (625 points)
WOMEN’S CHAMP: Candice Appleby (2000 points)
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