BELLS BEACH, Victoria - Following yesterday’s near perfection of light offshore wind and solid swell, event organizers were greeted this morning with heavy wind and rain prompting a call for a lay day at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by Snickers.

Event No. 2 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach has completed Round 1 as well as the opening 12 heats of Round 2, and with improving weather and waves fore for the next two days, event organizers are confident in finishing in excellent conditions.

“We monitored conditions this morning for a couple of hours and the fores indicate that the next two days will provide us with the ideal situation for finishing,” Damien Hardman, Rip Curl Pro Contest Director, said. “We’ll be back at 7am tomorrow to make a call for a possible 7:30am start.”

Swellnet, official foreers of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, are calling for winds to improve and the swell to build over the next two days.

Yesterday saw the surprise elimination of reigning nine-time ASP World Champion and defending event winner Kelly Slater (USA), 37, as well as last year’s ASP World Runner-Up Bede Durbidge (AUS), 25, and current ASP World No. 2 Adriano de Souza (BRA), 22.

Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach officials will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am for a possible 7:30am start.

When competition resumes, veteran ripper Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, will take on replacement seed Jay Thompson (AUS), 25, in Heat 13 of Round 2.


RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 16.00 def. Mick Campbell (AUS) 11.00
Heat 2: Taylor Knox (USA) 16.93 def. Chris Ward (USA) 10.67
Heat 3: Kai Otton (AUS) 12.67 def. Dayyan Neve (AUS) 12.50
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 16.76 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.66
Heat 5: Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.16 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 15.27
Heat 6: Bobby Martinez (USA) 16.40 def. Tim Boal (FRA) 12.50
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 13.00 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.17
Heat 8: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.67 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.83
Heat 9: Adam Robertson (AUS) 16.10 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.84
Heat 10: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 12.57 def. Jihad Khodr (BRA) 9.67
Heat 11: Drew Courtney (AUS) 16.07 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.60
Heat 12: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) 15.60 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.47

REMAINING RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 HEATS:
Heat 13: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)
Heat 14: Tim Reyes (USA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 15: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Dean Morrison (AUS)
Heat 16: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. David Weare (ZAF)

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Taylor Knox (USA)
Heat 2: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Owen Wright (AUS)
Heat 5: Adam Robertson (AUS) vs. Tom Whitaker (AUS)
Heat 6: Drew Courtney (AUS) vs. Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 7: TBA
Heat 8: TBA