3 December 2008 - The much anticipated Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour has been confirmed for summer 2009 with six events set to make for another exciting tour throughout the country. The competitions venture into their fourth year of existence and Hyundai, as the naming rights sponsor, continue to develop what is becoming a world renowned tour.

2009 will see events being held at Mount Maunganui, Piha, Sandy Bay, Christchurch, Whangamata and Port Waikato.

Surfing New Zealand CEO Greg Townsend says early interest expressed by surfers both in New Zealand and overseas is high, "We are getting enquiries about the tour daily" commented Townsend.

"These enquiries are not only coming from around New Zealand but also from the likes of Australia and Tahiti which shows that the Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour is gaining great recognition in longboard circles globally" added Townsend.

Darren Kirkland, Marketing Manager Hyundai Motors New Zealand says, "This being our fourth year of the sponsorship we're looking to make the competition better than ever and to reflect that we have upgraded two events to five star events."

The final two events being upgraded to five star events means more prize money and points on offer to surfers vying for precious national rankings.

Five divisions will be contested on the tour - Open Men, Women, Junior Men (under 18), Over 40 and Over 50. An addition in 2009 will be the inclusion of paddle races at each event. The paddle race has been a part of surfing events for many years and Hyundai will be reintroducing this fun concept to the tour. Be it stand-up paddleboards or the traditional prone style, the paddle races will give everyone the chance to claim some bragging rights in an out-and-out race to the finish line.

2008 Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour winner Daryn McBride (Mnt) is quietly excited about the upcoming events.

"The tour is looking great for the northern boys with the majority of the events being held in the upper North Island; I especially like the introduction of the Whangamata event, a great beach, that's nice and close to home" commented McBride.

McBride recently returned from the ISA World Surfing Games held in Portugal where he competed for New Zealand as the sole longboarder in the team. McBride placed ninth and his longboard skills demonstrated at the event had him rated up there with the best in the world.

McBride in-part attributes his good result to the strong Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour and he is adamant that the tour will produce future champions.

"I feel having a strong Hyundai Pro Longboard Tour with solid judging direction/criteria in place is really pushing the level of longboard surfing in New Zealand" commented McBride.

He went on to say, "Bonga Perkins (Haw) came out to New Zealand to contest two events on the tour. He got a fourth and a ninth on the tour, then last week he was crowned 2008 Oxbow World Longboard Tour Champion. That proves our surfers are now capable of mixing it up on the world stage, they just have to believe in themselves."

Hyundai will continue to bring the relaxed family orientated surf event to the beach. The 2009 events will be complemented with fun activities such as beach volleyball and the paddle races. There will also be barbeques at the beach to feed competitors and spectators alike.

The longboard raffles will be back again in 2009 with proceeds from the raffles being donated to the local Boardriders clubs. Initiatives such as this ensure that while having a competitive side to them, they also offer a lot to the host surf communities.