Hyperlite team rider JD Webb landed a toeside 9 to win the 2010 Oakley Riot in front of a packed Nasimi Beach in Dubai. Chief Judge Aaron Rathy had the hardest job of the day separating the top three riders, who all landed extremely technical and well-executed double-ups. Webb’s Hyperlite teammate Rusty Malinoski took second and Liquid Force’s Shane Bonifay took third.
“The weather conditions make Dubai one of the best places to perform,” Webb says. And perform he did, beating the world-class line-up to take home the $6,000 first-place check. “The sun is guaranteed and Nasimi Beach is perfectly sheltered inside the Palm Islands. This venue is unbeatable for wakeboarding in the UAE,” says Emma Jones, Liquid Force and Hyperlite brand manager and event organizer.
Twenty-five amateurs took to the water in the morning to get everyone in the wakeboarding mood with Harry Cook taking the Men’s Open title and Vera Bacon the Women’s. The Pros then took it to a whole new level with legend Parks Bonifay first off the dock. Parks popped the handle on a double half cab roll, which set the tone for the rest of the day as each rider stepped up to push the limits.
“The week has been a great success again this year,” says Andrew Whiteman, Oakley Brand Manager for MENA. “Obviously the Oakley Riot is the reason the riders come, but we also arrange a few activities outside of the event to give them a taste of Dubai and what this city offers. Last year it was KTM motorcross in the desert. This year they went skydiving with SkyDive Dubai, go-karting at the Dubai Autodrome, played a bit of golf and went to Aquaventure Water Park at the Atlantis Hotel.”
