Oceanpaddler World Rankings - Dawid Mocke Consolidates Lead
Dawid Mocke extended his lead in the Oceanpadder World Rankings last weekend, coming fifth in the Steelcase Dragon Run. His lead is now almost unassailable with one race to go.
Steelcase Dragon Run
(Click here for Barbara Yendell's photos of the race)
The Steelcase Dragon Run, held last weekend in Hong Kong, saw what was probably the most competitive field in this year's series, aside from the Doctor which started the series off in Perth, Australia.
Apart from the Australia/South Africa rivalry, the stakes were heightened by the introduction of Epic Kayaks' new V14 surfski.
The weather conditions for the race were not ideal and the paddlers were met with light winds and muggy heat. Tim Jacobs displayed his extraordinary talent and tactical skill, declining to take part in the frantic charge for the Hong Kong Paddler Hotspot at the Nine Pins turning point, and saved his energy for his breakaway half-way through the race. He broke clear and was never threatened, crossing the line a half minute ahead of his nearest rival, South African Grant van der Walt.
The race for second place was far closer with van der Walt (Epic), dicing with fellow South African Hank McGregor (Fenn), both of whom overtook Cory Hill (Aus/Epic) in the last stages of the race. Dawid Mocke (Fenn) had a "flat" day and could only manage fifth having briefly lead the race earlier in the day.
In the end the top ten comprised:
| Name | Country | Division | Pos | Time | Ski |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Jacobs | AUS | SS1-MALE | 1 | 01:34:01 | Nelo - OceanSki |
| Grant van der Walt | ZAF | SS1-MALE | 2 | 01:34:30 | Epic-V14 |
| Hank McGregor | ZAF | SS1-MALE | 3 | 01:35:00 | Fenn-Elite SL |
| Cory Hill | AUS | SS1-MALE | 4 | 01:35:24 | Epic-V14 |
| Dawid Mocke | ZAF | SS1-MALE | 5 | 01:36:21 | Fenn-Elite |
| Sean Rice | ZAF | SS1-MALE | 6 | 01:36:26 | Think - Uno Max |
| Jeremy Cotter | AUS | SS1-MALE | 7 | 01:36:58 | Fenn-Elite SL |
| Matthew Bouman | ZAF | SS1-MALE | 8 | 01:37:23 | Epic-V14 |
| Jasper Mocke | ZAF | SS1-MALE | 9 | 01:40:20 | Fenn-Elite SL |
| Michael Booth | AUS | SS1-MALE | 10 | 01:41:13 | Think - Uno Max |
Tim Jacobs claims the 2012 Steelcase Dragon Run
Notable Notes
Ruth Highman cemented her spot at the top of the women's rankings, while junior Michael Booth moved up to 6th spot overall.
It's fascinating to see how the manufacturers are mixing it at the elite end of the field too. Nelo, Epic, Fenn and Think all featured in the top ten.
Leader Board
(Click here for the full rankings)
Rankings after the Steelcase Dragon Run
| Ranking | Name | Category | Country | Dragon Run, Hong Kong | TOTAL | Adjusted points to five races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series Category | A | |||||
| Points Interval | 3 points | |||||
| 1 | Dawid Mocke | Male | South Africa | 508 | 4079 | 2573 |
| 2 | Jasper Mocke | Male | South Africa | 496 | 5051 | 2564 |
| 3 | Jeremy Cotter | Male | Australia | 502 | 3525 | 2532 |
| 4 | Sean Rice | Male | South Africa | 505 | 2529 | 2529 |
| 5 | Dane Sloss | Male | Australia | 475 | 2988 | 2513 |
| 6 | Michael Booth | Junior | Australia | 493 | 2468 | 2468 |
| 7 | Federico Suarez | Male | Spain | 2461 | 2461 | |
| 8 | Mark Anderson | Male | Australia | 2449 | 2449 | |
| 9 | Bill Bain | Junior | Australia | 2418 | 2418 | |
| 10 | Michael Dobler | Vet | Germany | 2843 | 2393 | |
| 11 | Daniel Vilora | Male | Spain | 2383 | 2383 | |
| 12 | Roland Lebeau | Vet | France | 2339 | 2339 | |
| 13 | Gabe Newton | Male | USA | 2323 | 2323 | |
| 14 | Bill Barff | Vet | Tahiti | 448 | 2311 | 2311 |
| 15 | Franck Fifils | Male | Guadeloupe | 2263 | 2263 | |
| 16 | Ruth Highman | Female | Australia | 451 | 2219 | 2219 |
| 17 | Angie Mouden | Female | France | 394 | 2743 | 2052 |
| 18 | Cory Hill | Male | Australia | 511 | 1991 | |
| 19 | Dean Gardiner | Vet | Australia | 1990 | ||
| 20 | Joep Van Bakel | Male | Netherland | 1959 | ||
| 21 | Ryan Moffet | Male | Australia | 1833 | ||
| 22 | Agustin Blanco | Male | Spain | 1825 | ||
| 23 | Paul Eyquem | Vet | France | 1794 | ||
| 24 | Walter Bouzan | Male | Spain | 487 | 1754 | |
| 25 | Rolph Overvliet | Vet | Holland | 1686 | ||
| 26 | Pierre Ferrand | Vet | Tahiti | 1634 | ||
| 27 | Hank Mcgregor | Male | South Africa | 514 | 1517 | |
| 28 | Simon Van Gysen | Male | South Africa | 1512 | ||
| 29 | Bruce Taylor | Male | Australia | 1504 | ||
| 30 | Benoit Le Roux | Male | France | 1495 | ||
| 31 | Kim Bingham | Master | Australia | 382 | 1488 | |
| 32 | Matthew Bouman | Male | South Africa | 499 | 1478 | |
| 33 | Dean Beament | Vet | Australia | 472 | 1461 | |
| 34 | Luis Amado Perez Blanco | Male | Spain | 1445 | ||
| 35 | Leopold Tepa | Male | Tahiti | 1436 | ||
| 36 | Teva Mooria | Male | Tahiti | 1429 | ||
| 37 | Peter Grantham | Vet | Australia | 1410 | ||
| 38 | Nicholas Taylor | Master | Australia | 1369 | ||
| 39 | Garth Spencer | Male | Australia | 1366 | ||
| 40 | Richard Eadie | Vet | Australia | 418 | 1359 | |
| 41 | Luis Ventura | Male | Portugal | 1356 | ||
| 42 | Jose Gonzalez | Vet | Spain | 1334 | ||
| 43 | Stewart O'regan | Male | Australia | 466 | 1329 | |
| 44 | Jason Cunningham | Male | Australia | 430 | 1307 | |
| 45 | Adam Fahey | Male | Australia | 1304 | ||
| 46 | Andrew Crothers | Male | Australia | 1302 | ||
| 47 | Joe Glickman | Master | USA | 1283 | ||
| 48 | Greg Kendrick | Vet | Australia | 1265 | ||
| 49 | Mark Hardie | Vet | Australia | 1241 | ||
| 50 | Rowan Caren | Vet | Australia | 1219 |
The Races
So far there are 17 races in the World Series. Here they are, complete with dates and links to the event websites and the results so far.
| Date | Event | Where | Grade | Winner | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-Jan-12 | Fenn Cup | Sydney, Australia | C | Jeremy Cotter (Aus) | http://tinyurl.com/6u9ksdq |
| 15-Jan-12 | The Duel | Mandurah, WA, Australia | C | Jasper Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/7n7xubm |
| 21-Jan-12 | The Doctor | Perth, WA, Australia | A | Tim Jacobs (Aus) | http://tinyurl.com/6mv9mpy |
| 31-Mar-12 | King of the Harbor | Auckland, New Zealand | D | Jeremy Cotter (Aus) | http://tinyurl.com/ceeo96n |
| 21-Apr-12 | Defis Kayak | Guadeloupe | A | Dawid Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/bojdlew |
| 4-May-12 | EuroChallenge | Villajoyosa, Spain | B | Simon van Gysen (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/7a25kqx |
| 20-May-12 | Molokai | Hawaii, USA | C | Oscar Chalupsky (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/6txdb9z |
| 30-Jun-12 | Island Shamaal | Mauritius | B | Dawid Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/cq8k47k |
| 26-Jul-12 | ASKR | Norway | C | Jasper Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/d5j6z4g |
| 4-Aug-12 | US Surfski Champs | San Francisco, USA | B | Dawid Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/9b79nqs |
| 01-Sep-12 | Nelo Summer Challenge | Vila do Conde, Portugal | A | Jasper Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/8jelk7c |
| 08-Sep-12 | Maraamu Surf Ski Race | Bora Bora, Tahiti | C | Dean Gardiner (Aus) | http://tinyurl.com/9uytclv |
| 29-Sep-12 | Ohana Mana Cup | Sardinia, Italy | B | Jasper Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/8zuc7ld |
| 13-Oct-12 | Aegean Race | Attica, Greece | B | Jasper Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/97u5shd |
| 19-Oct-12 | Breizh Ocean Race | Quiberon, France | C | Jasper Mocke (SA) | http://tinyurl.com/9q72zc3 |
| 10-Nov-12 | Steelcase Dragon Run | Hong Kong | A | Tim Jacobs (Aus) | http://tinyurl.com/bpxy8vy |
| 16-Dec-12 | Cape Town World Cup | Cape Town, South Africa | A |
NB: These dates are subject to change. While I try my best to have the latest info posted, race organisers are prone to changing the dates. Before booking flights, go to the race website and contact the organisers to make sure that the dates are correct.... (And if they're not, please let us know so that we can update the calendar.)
Race Categories
The World Series races are categorized according to the level of prize money on offer. The categories are shown in the table below.
| Category | Event Prize Pool | World Series Prize Pool | Points Loading |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | $20,000+ | $500 | 20 |
| B | $10,000+ | $350 | 10 |
| C | $5,000+ | $250 | 5 |
| D | $3,000+ | $150 |
Example: An A-category event:
- Must offer an overall prize pool of $20,000 or more
- Must contribute $500 to the World Series prize pool
- Is given a 20 point loading (i.e. the winner gets 520 points instead of 500)
How the points work
The winner of a race gets 500 points (plus the race category loading e.g. the winner of a B category race gets 510 points)
The next place position gets 500 – the points interval for the race. The points intervals work like this:
| Competitors | Points Interval |
|---|---|
| 200+ | 1 |
| 150-199 | 2 |
| 100-149 | 3 |
| <100 | 4 |
Example:
An A category race has 120 competitors.
- The winner gets 500 + 20 = 520 points
- Second place gets 520 – 3 = 517 points
- Third place gets 517 – 3 = 514 points
Races to count
Each competitor’s five best results will count towards their World Series Ranking
Prize Pool
The series prize pool comprises
- The event contributions, which vary according to race category
- $500 from each of the participating manufacturers