Speaking from his state-of-the-art production facility in East Java, Indonesia, Mez commented: “We are stoked to have signed Jake to VS. I have been closely watching his progression over the last couple of seasons and Jake has graduated from the hot grom of yesterday to a solidified professional rider. He has benefited from his move to the West Side of Australia, which has enabled Jake to take his surfing to the next level. From riding fun wedges, to taming gigantic kegs in the outer ocean, Jake is the perfect candidate to push the boundaries for the next evolution of the VS project”

Jake’s first efforts as a VS team rider will be to tackle Hawaii’s famed North Shore. While on “The Rock”, Jake will unveil his new VS set-up at the first event for 2011 of the IBA Grand Slam Tour; The Pipeline Pro. With his breakthrough IBA victory in Ferrol, Spain last season, at only 21 years of age, Jake is a genuine World Title Contender for the 2011 Tour.

This year the VS Project takes on a different direction. With 2 of the foundation shapers of the project taking the next step in their respective careers, the dynamic of the shaper aspect has evolved. Todd Quigley heads up the shaping and design facility in Australia, where he will work closely with the 3 riders to develop and refine their boards. Nick Mesritz is taking on a more active role working closely with both Todd and the riders to provide expert knowledge in the areas of construction and material design. With Todd as head shaper, Mez running the VS production in Indonesia and the riders taking care of business in the water, this 1, 2, 3 synergy will undoubtedly deliver one of the most progressive bodyboard ranges in the world.

Designed and made in Area 71™ in San Clemente, California, the Limited Edition is the pinnacle of performance and represents the culmination of master shaper, Brian Peterson’s 25 years of experience.
Each of the 250 Limited Edition models is made in a custom-fashion with Brian overseeing every detail. The Limited Edition was designed using sophisticated CAD software, shaped on our state-of-the-art CNC machine and features D71’s new and patent pending, Charged™ Core Technology (utilizes positive-negative tension to create maximum projection).

Features ARPlank® beaded polypropylene (BPP) core with D71’s dual Projection Flex™ stringer system for maximum rigidity and strength. Also includes nose grips, D71’s unique grip-enhancing textured rail and Brian’s own speed-hull bottom with dual trim-tab crescent tail. All logos are old-school, Mylar stamped as a symbol of the Limited Edition’s “Made in USA” heritage.

Feb 12th-25th 2011
The revamped 2011 International Bodyboard Association (IBA) World Tour will be unveiled in February when the first Grand Slam gets underway at Pipeline in Hawaii with the IBA Pipeline Pro.

Pipe has long been the holy grail of International bodyboarding and a massive rollup of the world’s best is expected for the event. Like the roots of a family tree, Pipeline sits deep in the heart of Bodyboarding origins. Dating back over 30 years to Tom Morey’s first hand made performance bodyboards, through to today’s elite aerobatics, Pipe has been there and is regarded as the longest running world tour contest in history.

This year the contest will feature a Men’s, Women’s and DK Grand Slam all under the one umbrella. An exhibition Masters event will also be held.

“We have some amazing plans for this years event” said IBA Tour manager Terry McKenna.
The LIVE web-cast will be the most ambitious ever undertaken by IBA with multi-camera angles and replays just some of the features. Manny Vargas will again be the anchor for the web-cast and will also host a new TV documentary series that will follow all GSS events in 2011.

After the success of Fronton the team at Redbull Media House has again backed the event and viewers will be able to watch the action LIVE on www.redbull.com/tv  

The action will begin on February 12th with a two-day trial at Sandy beach on the South Shore. This event will allow for unlimited Women and Drop Knee riders and up to 64 Pro men.

From this, the Top 16 Pro men will enter the main event at Pipeline along with the top 3 Women and top 4 Drop-knee.

“These spots will be treasured” said McKenna.
“Just to surf Pipe with only three other riders is most bodyboarders idea of a dream.”

The event wildcards are as follows
Men
Locals -  Kainoa McGee & Jarret Lau
International – Alistar Taylor (SFA), & Jason Finlay (Aust)
 
Women - Lilly Pollard (Aust), Steph Pettersen (Brz), Claudia Ferrari (Haw)
DK – Mason Rose (Aust), Paul Roach (USA), Matt Lackey (Aust), Nick Trotter (Haw), Kainoa McGee (USA), Cassidy     Sonoda (Haw), Jacob Pembroke (Haw), Bud Miyamoto (Haw)
 
The event this year will offer both GSS (Grand Slam Series) and GQS (Global Qualifying Series) points to the riders.
In the Men’s division GQS points will start at the trials and carry through to Round 6.

From Round 7 the points will be GSS right up to the final.

Another feature of this year’s IBA Pipeline Pro will be a showcase of the rich history of the event with a special “Masters Final” featuring several former champions. This will see all past winners of the prestigious Pipeline Pro event competing in 2011.

Michael “Eppo” Eppelstun (Aust) Daniel Kaimi (Hawaii) Steve “Bullet” MacKenzie (Aust) & Ben Severson (Haw) will all take to the water in an exhibition that will take place on the last day before the Men’s final.

The event check-in will be on Friday 11th February in the Ehukai Beach Park and the trials will be held the following morning on the South side at Sandy Beach.