The FPT event at Brouwersdam, held as part of the DAM-X Festival, began with the Open Fleet, the Pro Women’s single elimination and the first round of the Pro Men’s single elimination. At 08:00, the Men’s Open Fleet got underway, with four riders able to qualify for the Pro Fleet. The standard was high right from the start, with competitors including Davy Scheffers, Kiril Kirilov, Julien Join, Nick van Ingen, Primus Sorling, Luka Stomp and Rick Jendrusch. Conditions were very good throughout the day; although there were occasional showers, the wind remained steady.
Davy Scheffers dominated the Open Fleet, producing performances that rivalled the tour’s top scores. His heats were characterised by Air Kabis and the best combinations. The highlight of his performance was a switch Chachoo into Funnel Clock. In the final, Scheffers faced local rider Rick Jendrusch, whom he ultimately defeated. Luka Stomp and Primus Sorling secured the other two qualifying places for the Pro Fleet. Stomp produced a series of Air Funnels in his heats, whilst Sorling landed his first Double Culo in a competition, thereby booking his place in the next round.
Rick Jendrusch returns after nine years
Rick Jendrusch made a spectacular comeback in his home country after his career had been cut short in 2017 by an injury sustained at the EFPT DAM-X. The head of the Brouwersdam Surf Centre He was in superb form and made his way through the qualifiers as if he’d never taken a break. In his heats, he consistently landed big power moves, thrilling the home crowd. His return to competition turned out to be one of the biggest stories of the day. Although he lost to Davy Scheffers in the final, his performance marked a remarkable comeback at the very same venue where his active career had come to an end nine years earlier.
Huvermann to face Kloster in the women’s final
The Pro Women’s Single Elimination saw the usual favourites come out on top. Bijou Shahmirian and Živa Batis Both reached the semi-finals and demonstrated the progress they had made during their off-season training. Shahmirian consistently performed forwards in her heats, whilst Batis showcased a new arsenal of regular-stance power moves, including culos and konos. Both were eliminated in their semi-final heats. In the third-place play-off, Batis got the better of Shahmirian to secure third place. The final was a familiar clash: Maaike Huvermann versus Lisa Kloster. Despite waning wind conditions and rain during the final, both riders pulled off some impressive power moves and racked up points on their score sheets despite the more challenging conditions; in the end, Maaike Huvermann came out on top.
The first round of the Pro Men’s Single Elimination produced several close heats. Arne Jörn defeated Pier Bongianni with a decisive double Culo. In an all-Dutch clash, Tim Gerdes got the better of Bodhi Kempen after scoring 33 points in his heat. Yentel Caers was in fine form, scoring 35 points in his heat. The highest heat score of the entire day was achieved by Lennart Neubauer, who broke the 40-point barrier. The first round of the Pro Men’s Single Elimination could not be completed. The plan for the second day of competition is to finish the Pro Men’s Single Elimination, with the possibility of a subsequent Double Elimination.
All heats and results can be found at fpt.heatscoringpro.com
