Michel Bourez claimed his maiden ASP World Championship Tour victory at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro with a herculean display of power and fortitude in the solid faces of the Surfer's Point righthanders.
The win vaulted Bourez nine places to No. 4 in the 2014 ASP WCT Rankings, heading into the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
2014 marks the Tahitian's sixth season on the elite ASP World Championship Tour and he has been closely-watched since the entire time, pegged as contender since the beginning. His physique, power and polish struck surfing pundits as the hallmarks of a man with world title potential.
All top-tier athletes acknowledge the importance of equipment in getting them to the podium and Bourez is no different. He started riding for Firewire Surfboards in 2009 and recently began working with North Shore shaper Jon Pyzel on his Firewire templates.
SHAPER: Jon Pyzel / Firewire
MODEL: The Flash
DIMENSIONS: 6'0" x 18.63" x 2.5"
FINS: Futures Thruster (EA Techflex)
TAIL: Squash
VOLUME: 28.2 Litres
MATERIALS: High-density foam and Epoxy with Parabolic Balsa Rails
ASP caught up with Pyzel after the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro for a download on the board and his feelings about being part of the winning shaping team:
"I'm super stoked MB won that thing! His board we made him was a (Firewire) version of my Flash model - the same design that (John John Florence) has been riding a lot in the past three years. I took a look at what he had been riding and then just designed a few different boards for him to try and get a feel for what would work best for him. That Flash is actually pretty different from what he had been riding for the past few years, so I wasn't sure if he would like it or not, but apparently he did."
"I am really stoked to see my designs being ridden by the best guys in the world, and to see someone jump on one and win his first ever CT event was pretty special. I know the guys at Firewire are really happy to have (Bourez) win one too! Having (John John Florence) and (Bourez) on my boards is a great feeling - both incredible surfers and both really good people. I'm super grateful and excited to be a part of the world's best surfing!" - Jon Pyzel (Pyzel Surfboards)
The next stop on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour is the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach from April 16 - 27, 2014
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Unmatched power in the West. Michel 'The Spartan' Bourez puts his Jon Pyzel/Firewire through the paces at Margaret River.
- WSL / Kelly Cestari
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Jon Pyzel/Firewire 'The Flash' Model: 6'0" x 18 5/8" x 2 1/2"
- WSL
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Futures fin setup with EA Techflex.
- WSL / Cestari
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Bourez on his way to the battlefield.
- WSL / Kelly Cestari
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Put that one on ice.
- WSL / Cestari
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The torque that won the West!
- WSL / Kelly Cestari
Magic Board: Pyzel Firewire 6'0" x 18.63" x 2.5"
WSL
Michel Bourez claimed his maiden ASP World Championship Tour victory at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro with a herculean display of power and fortitude in the solid faces of the Surfer's Point righthanders.
The win vaulted Bourez nine places to No. 4 in the 2014 ASP WCT Rankings, heading into the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
2014 marks the Tahitian's sixth season on the elite ASP World Championship Tour and he has been closely-watched since the entire time, pegged as contender since the beginning. His physique, power and polish struck surfing pundits as the hallmarks of a man with world title potential.
All top-tier athletes acknowledge the importance of equipment in getting them to the podium and Bourez is no different. He started riding for Firewire Surfboards in 2009 and recently began working with North Shore shaper Jon Pyzel on his Firewire templates.
SHAPER: Jon Pyzel / Firewire
MODEL: The Flash
DIMENSIONS: 6'0" x 18.63" x 2.5"
FINS: Futures Thruster (EA Techflex)
TAIL: Squash
VOLUME: 28.2 Litres
MATERIALS: High-density foam and Epoxy with Parabolic Balsa Rails
ASP caught up with Pyzel after the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro for a download on the board and his feelings about being part of the winning shaping team:
"I'm super stoked MB won that thing! His board we made him was a (Firewire) version of my Flash model - the same design that (John John Florence) has been riding a lot in the past three years. I took a look at what he had been riding and then just designed a few different boards for him to try and get a feel for what would work best for him. That Flash is actually pretty different from what he had been riding for the past few years, so I wasn't sure if he would like it or not, but apparently he did."
"I am really stoked to see my designs being ridden by the best guys in the world, and to see someone jump on one and win his first ever CT event was pretty special. I know the guys at Firewire are really happy to have (Bourez) win one too! Having (John John Florence) and (Bourez) on my boards is a great feeling - both incredible surfers and both really good people. I'm super grateful and excited to be a part of the world's best surfing!" - Jon Pyzel (Pyzel Surfboards)
The next stop on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour is the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach from April 16 - 27, 2014
Michel Bourez
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