The win pushed Fanning up to second place in the WCT rankings. However, there will no doubt be a lot of jockeying to see who plays second fiddle to Kelly Slater, who has already won his 8th world title. Slater didn't bother to show in Brazil, and understandably so. Although the drama of a world title chase won't be the case in the WCT finale at Pipeline, there's certainly the intrigue of who will finish second in the standings, who will qualify for next year's CT (the top 27 CT surfers qualify for 2007), and the potential for a Slater/Irons showdown at Pipe is always worth a gander.

Martinez could find himself in second if he comes up big on the North Shore. Irons has to be steamed after his loss in Brazil, and now finds himself two points behind Martinez in the current standings. Martinez moved up from 6th to 4th, well within striking distance of second place. Irons, for his part would love another Pipeline Masters title on the mantle to salvage what has to be a disappointing year for him.

2006 WCT Current Standings

1. Kelly Slater (USA) 7824
2. Mick Fanning (AUS) 6638
3. Taj Burrow (AUS) 6480
4. Bobby Martinez (USA) 6350
5. Andy Irons (HAW) 6348
6. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 6240
7. Damian Hobgood (USA) 5774
8. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 5138
9. Taylor Knox (USA) 4880
10. Dean Morrison (AUS) 4856