From August 12th to 22nd, the Nokia Lacanau Pro welcomes the best world surfers on Lacanau's beaches, in Gironde. The Nokia Lacanau Pro, which is a stage to the professional surfing World Championship endowed $ 155 000 , celebrates this year its 25th anniversary. Three major
competitions are to take place : the Junior Pacific Motion Pro from August 12th to 14th, which gathers the elite of European surfers under 21, the Women's Trophy with the world best women from August 15th to 21st and the Pacific Motion Pro, male competition from August 16th to 22nd . For the second consecutive year, the famous Finn mobile phone brand and the French surf wear brand join the event.

25 years of writing on the pages of Beach Culture

Created in 1979 by some forerunners of French surfing, the first edition took place under the name " Grand Prix Open de Lacanau ", the competition was called " Lacanau Pro" only in 1983 under the impulse of the ASP, ( professional surfers association ) created the same year.
Oldest of the European competitions it welcomes the elite of the world surfers such as Kelly Slater, winner in 1994, Mark Occhilupo, the youngest surfer to win the test in 1984, at the age of 17, but also Tom Curren, Martin Potter, Damien Hardman, all winners of the stage and consecrated world champion. The present President of the ASP, the Australian Wayne " Rabbit " Bartholomew, world champion in 1978 and 2003 in master category, also wan the Lacanau Pro 1980's edition, surfing, in final, two tubes in more than 3 metres high waves.
Real Roland Garros for surfing, the Nokia Lacanau Pro is the place to be for all the surfing fans and enthusiasts.

Emblem of the Beach Culture in Europe, the event attracts partners and sponsors, the Lacanau competition has contributed to the booming of surf wear, helping the greatest brands which have sponsored it for more than two decades ( such as Rip Curl, Ocean Pacific, Oxbow, Quicksilver,
Gotcha, Kanabeach, Town and Country and now Pacific Motion).

Nokia Lacanau Pro : Spearhead of women and junior surfing
in Europe

In 1987, the Nokia Lacanau Pro innovated ; it was the first European competition to welcome a stage of women's surfing. Called Women's Trophy, it gathered 16 surfers such as Wendy Botha, winner of this first test, rewarded a total prize money of $ 9000. In 2003, the reward of $ 25000 was to be divided between the 60 world best women surfers and for the Women's Trophy, a Brazilian woman tanked first. Silvana Lima eliminated in technical waves her fellow-countrywoman Maria Tita Tavares and the American Lynette MacKenzie and the Hawaïan Melanie Bartels.

The elite of European Surfers under 21 is to be present for the Junior Pacific Motion Pro from August 12th to 14th on the costal site of blue Medoc. Much more than a competition, this test endowed $ 5000 is a real spring-board for the new talents. The Australian Trent Munro, winner of the Junior Pro in 1997, triumphed at the Pacific Motion Pro in 2003, the highest ranked competition of Nokia Lacanau Pro. Far beyond the financial aspect of the prize money, the Junior Pacific Motion Pro offers the winner the possibility to challenge the best world surfers, qualifying him directly for the 16th finals of the Pacific Motion Pro.

The Pacific Motion Pro : a beacon test which scintillates every year

With a maximum 6 star-grade, and endowing a $ 125000 prize money, the Pacific Motion Pro, beacon competition of the Nokia Lacanau Pro, gathers the world best surfers in Lacanau from August 16th to 22nd. The 2003 edition was marked by the explosive surfing of the Australian Trent Munro who felt at ease in nice waves, 2to 3 feet high, which broke on the banks of the central beach. Attached to the test, the Australian Gary Elkerton, three times Master World Champion, participates to the event, enjoying a wild card which directly qualificates him for the 16th-finals "it is a great pleasure and it is very important for me to have a wild card in Lacanau, it was my first professional competition, in 1984 ".

The Guadeloupean Ugo Benghozi from the Pacific Motion Team also receives a wild card and faces the world best surfers, along with Eric Rebierre, the First French to be qualificated in the top 44.

Nokia Lacanau Pro : a fidelity without fault

Nokia, the famous Finn mobile phone brand, concerned in implicated itself in slips watery, associates its name for the second consecutive year to the Lacanau Pro Pacific Motion, textile specialist on the market of slips has also renewed its participation for the 2004 edition. Moreover, numerous media
such as Trip Surf, famous reference magazine, Europe 2, Sud-Ouest, Famous daily newspaper, MCM, Musical Channel and Sport +, the specialized sportive channel, follow with attention and interest the
Lacanau Pro, mixing authenticity and gratitude to the Beach Culture.

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