Red Bull Heli-Surf attracts world champ Mick Fanning

The 2007 ASP World Surfing Champion Mick Fanning will make a special appearance at Red Bull Heli-Surf next weekend to meet with the winners of the race. Fanning will be a VIP guest at the beach house retreat in the secret surfing location where competition winners will be staying as part of their exclusive prize.

Due to wild weather Red Bull Heli-Surf has been postponed to Saturday 9th February 2008 simultaneously in two spectacular Sydney beach locations - Manly and Cronulla. Hundreds of keen surfers from around Australia are anticipated to invade the beaches as they line up for the exciting event with one goal in mind - to prove their speed, skill and determination to win the ultimate prize of a lifetime.

This is the final call for all keen surfers, from amateurs to experts, to enter Red Bull Heli-Surf and hit the water running in a 'survival of the fittest' style surfboard paddle race. The first four to finish the race* will be the only surfers winched from sea to sky by the safety of the Red Bull helicopter and whisked away to spend a weekend of sun and surf in a top secret location hosted by extreme surfing legend, Ross Clarke-Jones!

In addition to surfing with Ross, staying in a beach house, and mingling with Mick Fanning you'll also get to demo some awesome new boards and then order your very own free custom surfboard! Sweet!

So be sure you don't miss your opportunity to make your dream a reality and enter the first ever Red Bull Heli-Surf for your chance to spend the weekend with two of Australia's biggest surfing legends, Ross Clarke-Jones and Mick Fanning! Online registration is still open via the official website, but be warned, spaces are limited so be sure to secure your place in the race early.

Red Bull Heli-Surf is free to watch and free to enter, so if you're 13 years or over and you have parental consent, head to www.redbull.com.au, follow the links to Red Bull Heli-Surf and register now!

RED BULL HELI-SURF TAKES OFF!

Grey skies and light rain did little to dampen the spirits of hundreds of keen surfers taking part in the Red Bull Heli-Surf paddle race at Cronulla and Manly on Saturday!

Strong crowds at both locations endured average weather to watch on as the eager entrants fought their way through the breaking waves at Elouera and Manly Beaches to the offshore finish lines situated 700 metres from the shore. The world-first surfboard paddle race attracted a large field of eager surfers aged 13 years and over.

The winner of the Cronulla Red Bull Heli-Surf race was local Mark Simpson, and right on his heels, was Ironman and self-confessed surfing addict, Ky Hurst, followed by the other two top placed competitors, Dean Simpson (Mark's brother) and Cameron Pyett.

The paddle battle was even fiercer at the Manly Red Bull Heli-Surf, with several surfers fighting hard for a winning place. In the end it was Johnno Stock from Curl Curl who managed to come out on top, followed closely by Simon Flood, young 15 year-old Harry Kindred and Adriaan van der Wallen from Avalon.

These lucky eight winning paddlers were winched from the sea by Red Bull helicopters hovering above the finish lines at both Cronulla and Manly, and flown to a secret location where they spent the weekend with Australian big-wave surfing legend Ross Clarke-Jones before being flown home in helicopters yesterday afternoon.

"The Red Bull Heli-Surf was a true test of paddling speed and endurance," said Clarke-Jones. "The difference between this event and other paddleboard races is that competitors could only use standard fiberglass surfboards that were no more than 6'6" (six feet and six inches) in length. These boards are made for riding waves but they're not ideal for paddling so it was always going to be a tough race."

In addition to spending the weekend surfing with and picking the brain of Ross Clarke-Jones, these surfers will receive clothing packs and new custom-made surfboards. The eight winners will also be flown to Victoria in March during the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach to meet and surf with the current ASP [Association of Surfing Professionals] World Champion, Mick Fanning.