Saturday, March 18, 2023
An international field of over 180 of Australia / Oceania and Asia’s best up-and-coming surfers have arrived in Newcastle for the Burton Automotive and Speaking in Colour Pro which is set commence tomorrow as part of the iconic Newcastle SURFEST.
The World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000 is the final event of the ‘22/’23 regional QS and will decide the regional representatives for this year’s Challenger Series. With 5000 points on offer for the winner’s, there is enormous potential for a rankings shake-up for both regions. At the end of this week’s event, the top seven men and five women from the Australia / Oceania region as well as the top five men and three women from the Asia region, along with a men’s and women’s wildcard from both regions, will find themselves with spots on the 2023 Challenger Series.
All eyes will be on this season’s front-runners Paige Hareb (NZL), Kobie Enright (AUS), Jarvis Earle (AUS), Alister Reginato (AUS), Ketut Agus (INA), Minami Nonaka (JPN) and Nanaho Tsuzuki (JPN) as they look to hold off the pack and retain their spots on top of the leaderboard.
Along with the next generation of Championship Tour (CT) hopefuls, the 2023 Burton Automotive and Speaking in Colour Pro have attracted some of Australian surfing’s biggest names, including former CT competitors Morgan Cibilic (AUS) and Bronte Macaulay (AUS) as well as perennial World Title threat Julian Wilson (AUS). Current CT competitor Jackson Baker (AUS) will look to go back-to-back at the Burton Automotive Pro whilst preparing for the upcoming Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
The 2023 Burton Automotive and Speaking in Colour Pro WSL QS 5,000 event will run from March 19 – 26, 2023.
