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June 2006 Issue
Giant Killer
By Chuck Graham
With a huge win at Teahupoo and a solid =5th at Cloudbreak, Bobby Martinez suddenly finds himself a scant 93 points behind 7-time world champ and current ratings leader, Kelly Slater.
Martinez dominated the South Pacific, the fast, ultra hollow lefthanders suiting the goofyfooter's penchant for speed and tube riding. With a quarter of the 2006 tour now complete, the World Championship Tour rookie is a strong title contender that has to be reckoned with.
From the first horn in Tahiti, Martinez was in form through the final in the 4 to 6 ft. surf. He soundly beat Bede Durbidge (AUS) and Pedro Henrique (BRA) in round 1. In round 3 against Jarrod House (AUS), a heavy drop followed by a deep tube climaxed his win. In round 4, he snuck by former world champ, C.J. Hobgood by a point. In the quarters, Martinez went up against wildcard participant Danny Fuller (HAW). Appearing relaxed in the barrel, Martinez finished his highest scoring waves with some vicious gouges, propelling him into the semifinals against WCT veteran, Taylor Knox. Taking off deep in the pit, Martinez pulled into a barrel that most onlookers gave up on, but miraculously he squeaked out at the end, the difference maker to advance to his first final on the WCT.
Martinez met another young gun in the final, 2005 WCT Rookie of the Year, Fred Patacchia (HAW). It was anyone's heat, but patience paid off for Martinez, consistently finding himself in the best barrels and narrowly defeating his goofyfoot counterpart by 2/10 of a point. It was his first Foster's ASP Tour victory.
"I'm on cloud 9," said an elated Martinez on the ASP World Tour web site. "To have this win...I can't even talk...it just feels fake. I didn't know how I was going to do this year. To have a win has taken me by surprise. It's amazing!"
Someone who isn't surprised is Bobby's shaper, Al Merrick, owner/shaper of Channel Islands Surfboards. Even before Martinez set out on his rookie campaign on the WCT, Merrick was confident that man on man heats in good waves would bode well for Martinez, who honed his competitive edge with seven National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) titles as an amateur before succeeding on the World Qualifying Tour (WQS) in 2005.
"I'm excited for him and super pleased he's doing well, but I'm not really surprised by his results," explained Merrick. "I thought this was more his format (WCT) than the QS. I felt he would do really well and surprise a lot of people."
Martinez certainly has. He followed up his stellar performance at Teahupoo with a quarterfinal finish at Cloudbreak in the 2006 Globe WCT Fiji. Three to 6 ft. lefthanders were on offer, but Martinez struggled in his round 1 heat against winner Danny Wills (AUS), but came back strong in round 2 to thump Koby Abberton (AUS), solidified by a deep tube that scored a 9.93.
In round 3, Martinez beat Pedro Henrique (BRA). In round 4, he paid back Danny Wills, but in the quarters, Martinez ran into C.J. Hobgood again. This time, the Floridian got the better of the exchanges at Cloudbreak, and beat Martinez by a substantial seven points. Hobgood's brother, Damien won the 45 minute final, beating Shaun Cansdell (AUS). Kelly Slater withdrew from the event because of a rib injury sustained at Teahupoo.
Nevertheless, Martinez has solidified himself on the WCT, and will carry this momentum to the next event, June 20-July1 in Mexico.
"I think the guys on tour have a lot to fear, continued Merrick. "Man on man all plays into Bobby's hands. I think Bobby's idea is that he's not looking to see who he's surfing against, but the waves he's surfing. He's competing against himself."
Posted June 2006 Blue Edge Magazine. All rights reserved.
