The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour wrapped up its final day of action in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. with five rounds of riding between the Pro Men and Jr. Pro Men divisions.
The Pro Men were first off the dock this morning for a 20-man quarterfinal, which eliminated half the competition, advancing only the top two riders in each of the five heats. The 10 semifinalists battled it out for one of four spots in the finals, with Andrew Adkison, Harley Clifford, Aaron Rathy and current Pro Tour titlist Phillip Soven moving onto the final round.
All four finalists threw down some impressive runs, but only Canadian ripper Aaron Rathy had two stand up passes to earn him his first Pro Tour stop win of his career. Clifford and Adkison rounded out the contest podium.
“I’m just stoked to get my first win, that’s all I can really say,” said Rathy. “It was a tough final, no doubt, but I had two stand up passes and came away with the win.”
With today’s win, Aaron Rathy now leads both the Pro Tour and the King of Wake standings lists.
Although Aussie Dean Smith didn’t make the finals today, the former Australian Pro Tour champ did ride away with the ROCKSTAR Best Trick Award for his massive Indy Tantrum Backside 3 off of the U.S. Air Force Kicker. The award is a $1,000 cash prize.
In the Jr. Pro Men’s division, ten amateur rippers hit the water in two heats of five for their semifinals, with only the top two riders in each heat advancing onto the final round. Phillip Aslinger, Steel Lafferty, Bob Soven and Aussie Mitch Langfield faced off in a heated four-man final with Soven taking the top spot. Langfield, Lafferty and Aslinger rounded out the finals.
With today’s win, Bob Soven claims his second Pro Tour stop victory of the season and continues his lead the Jr. Pro Men’s standings.
The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour now heads to Knoxville, Tenn., June 27 & 28 for the third stop of the Pro Tour. Additional venues for the 2009 Pro Tour, includes Fort Worth, Tex., Elizabethtown, Ky. and Sparks/Reno, Nev.
