Top form for Christie at Backdoor Pro

charging through: Ricardo Christie took out the Backdoor Pro in Taranaki at the weekend with a 17.14 total score. He posted an impressive 8.0 on his first ride. Picture by Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine

SURFING by Jack Malcolm

RICARDO Christie has won the Backdoor Pro presented by Billabong in Taranaki over the weekend.

In just his second competition of the year Christie cruised to victory, earning the two highest heat totals of the day in the semi-final and finals.

Surfing both heats with reigning national champion Billy Stairmand, Christie scored a 17.14 total to advance to the final, where he finished his campaign with a 17-point heat.

Christie posted an 8.0 point ride on his first wave of the final before playing the waiting game to close out the final.

“I got the first wave in the final and saw a few mediocre ones came through, but I wanted to be smart in the heat. I had watched all day and it was consistent, so I knew there would be other big set within the next 15 minutes and I would get the opportunity.”

That patience paid off with a nine-point-ride in the dying minutes of the heat to clinch the win for Christie, his first national title since 2018.

Gisborne’s Chris Malone also made it to the semi-finals in the open men’s division before being knocked out in a razor-thin heat.

Malone scored a 14.17 total to finish fourth in the heat behind Waihi Beach’s Levi Stewart, who won the heat with a 14.7.

Finn Vette continued his strong run in the U18 boy’s division with his third win of the season.

He earned the victory with a 15.6 heat score in the final, converting on the long right-handers with a varied backhand attack after having surfed through five heats of the Open Men’s and Junior Divisions through the day.

His sister, reigning national champion Saffi Vette, did not make it to the final of the open women’s division, falling just 0.2 points short of qualifying in her semifinal.