Firebird Raceway to Host Action-Sports Event June 28-29
One of the largest and most exciting action-sports events to ride into Arizona in 2008 is the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour.

This event will feature the world’s top pro wakeboarders, performing rail tricks and aerial stunts, while maneuvering on the water at a speed of approximately 25 mph.

All the high-flying, rail-sliding, water-sports action is set to hit the Phoenix area at Firebird Raceway on June 28-29.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a season-long points chase toward the tour title and the Indmar Performance Award, a $10,000 cash bonus to the top points earner in the Pro Men’s Division and a $5,000 prize for the Pro Women’s Division winner.

The contest combines aspects of snowboarding, water skiing, and skateboarding. Riders strap themselves onto a wakeboard, which looks like a broader version of a snowboard. The riders are then pulled behind a boat as in water skiing, up and down the course at a speed of approximately 25 mph.

Riders Soar

Like a street course for skateboarding, the course is filled with ramps and rails for riders to “hit.” Riders also perform aerial stunts, soaring 20-plus feet in the air off the wake that the boat creates.
These moves are scored by a panel of judges, with the highest possible score being 100 points.

The field of top riders in the Pro Men’s Division includes reigning Tour champion Phillip Soven (Longwood, Fla.), 2008 Wake Games winner Rusty Malinoski (Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada), 2007 Rookie of the Year Adam Errington (Ullapool, Scotland) and 2005 King of Wake Josh Sanders (Nowra, Australia).

ESPN ESPY winner Dallas Friday (Orlando, Fla.) highlights the field of female riders. Friday will be joined by current women’s wakeboard world champion Amber Wing (Sydney, Australia), 2008 women’s Wake Games champion Nicola Butler (Cape Town, South Africa), and X Games gold medalist Emily Copeland Durham (Denver, Colo.).

Phoenix: Fourth Stop

The Tour’s trip to Phoenix is the fourth stop of the 2008 season. The Pro Wakeboard Tour will conclude in Reno, Nev., for the final stop of the year.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour is a two-day carnival of water-sports action. But not all of the action takes place on the water.
On land, fans will experience tons of great food and music, athlete autograph signings, chances to win free gear, and shopping at the most cutting-edge stores for water-sports equipment including boats, wakeboards, wakeskates, sunglasses, and the latest in wakeboarding and surfing fashions. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on all three days.

Tickets can be purchased at Firebird Raceway on June 28-29 for $10 (general admission), $5 (ages 6-12) or free (ages 5 and under). To purchase tickets in advance, visit www.prowakeboardtour.com. General-admission tickets are buy-one-get-one-free online only until June 27, 12 p.m. EST.

Watch From Home

To catch all the wakeboarding action from home, tune in to Fuel TV. For exact air dates, visit ProWakeboardTour.com.

Fuel TV is a 24/7 action-sports lifestyle network for wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX and freestyle motocross. A unit of Fox Cable Networks, Fuel TV was launched July 1, 2003, and is seen in 24 million U.S. homes. To subscribe to Fuel TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit fuel.tv.

MasterCraft is the exclusive tow boat for the Pro Wakeboard Tour, as it has been since the tour’s wakeboarding events began in 1992. Indmar Marine engines will provide the power for MasterCraft’s X Series line of competition tow boats.

WakeBoarding, published by Bonnier Corp., is the official magazine of the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour. WakeBoarding is the definitive source on all things wakeboarding, with expert coverage of professional instruction, gear, boats and the latest news.

The MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour has the support of the following sponsors: MasterCraft, Rockstar Energy Drink, Mona Vie, the U.S. Air Force, Indmar, Billabong, Hyperlite, CWB, Gator Boards, Ronix, Oakley, Reef, Cire, wakeworld.com and theliquidcircus.com.

For more information, contact Michael Weiss at Michael.Weiss@bonniercopr.com or call (407) 571-4874.