KSP News:

Participants for the 2012 Wave World Championship Tour announced

Following the KSP World Tour Riders application process, which ended on March 1st, the IKA is pleased to announce the final line up of riders for the 2012 Wave World Championship Tour season run by the KSP Tour.

After the application period ended and an impressive number of 55 male and 18 female applications from all around the world were received, the formerly announced qualification procedure took place. Within that procedure the PKRA and KSP were each given the opportunity to choose their two male and one female wildcards respectively. During this time the IKA consulted with the national associations of countries from which more than one rider had applied in order to give them the opportunity to choose their top rider to be put forward for this year’s KSP tour. The riders were chosen by the IKA under the criteria of creating a slate with the highest possible riding level while also keeping the field of competitors on the KSP as international as possible. With some of the world’s top riders and a total of 18 countries in the slate, the 2012 world title race is going to be phenomenal.

Riders that have been selected to receive a KSP Tour Card will join the top 8 male and 4 female pre-qualified riders from last year’s wave world ranking as well as the KSP and PKRA wild cards and will have until April 15, 2012 to accept the tour license that will be offered to them directly from the KSP. Any licenses that are not accepted will automatically go back to the pool for national riders and the IKA and KSP will select the next rider on the list, either by nationality or other criteria as outlined in the qualification criteria.

The list of the 10 male and 5 female riders that have been selected to compete on the 2012 Wave World Championship tour and that will complete the slate of 22 male and 11 female tour riders reads as follows:

Marciel “Matchu” Lopes Almeida (CPV)
Luke McGillewie (RSA)
Jakob Appel (DEN)
Etienne Lhote (FRA)
Lee Harvey (GBR)
Paulino Pereira (POR)
Mark Moore (CAN)
Jan Marcos Riveras (DOM)
Cameron Biehl (USA)
Filippe Ferreira (BRA)
Kirsty Jones (GBR)
Jalou Langere (NED)
Ainhoa Garcia (ESP)
Maria Celina Guardati (ARG)
Milla Knesse Ferreira (BRA)

The above riders will join last year’s top 8 male and top 4 female riders:
Airton Cozzolino (ITA)
Mitu Monteiro (CPV)
Guilly Brandao (BRA)
Mauricio Pedreira (BRA)
Sky Solbach (USA)
Jesse Richman (HI)
Juan Pablo Diban (CHI)
Patri McLaughlin (HI)
Ines Correia (POR)
Marie Gautron (FRA)
Kristin Boese (GER)
Melissa Gil (USA)

As well as the selected KSP wild cards:
Grant “Twiggy” Baker (RSA)
Sebastian Ribeiro (BRA)
Ninja Bichler (GER)
And PKRA wild cards:
Keahi De Aboitiz (AUS)
Abel Lago (ESP)
Kari Schibevaag (NOR)

Local and one-event riders will be notified about the qualification process, as time draws closer to the relevant event, by the KSP and/or local organizers directly.