Stop 2 of the Australian Liquid Force Rail Series saw everyone return to the beautiful waters of Cable Ski Cairns for another weekend of wakeboarding fun. 85 riders took advantage of the clear skies and excellent Far North Queensland climate to test their ability against their mates and visitors from down south and interstate. The events got underway on Friday afternoon with the Jet Pilot King of the Kicker and continued on Saturday with the Liquid Force Rail Jam. The Go Ride Flatwater Freaks contest on Saturday afternoon was extended to include an Amateur as well as Pro division in an effort to extend riders more opportunities to ride and to encourage groms to work on and improve their flatwater air trick skills.
As the centrepiece of the event, the Liquid Force Rail Jam always commands the most competitors with its unique format of “mate against mate” atmosphere where all the riders in the event are on the water at the one time. The competition is fierce but fun throughout all the divisions, from absolute beginners up to the world’s best pro riders. In the Pro Mens section of the Rail Jam the scores were a lot closer than the first stop at Bli with just 10 points separating the top 5. Jamie Neville and Matty Hasler both just missed a podium spot by 2 points. James Windsor rode like everyone knows he can for a 3rd place finish and Ethan Agius backed up his 3rd place at Bli with a 2nd in Cairns. But just 3 points clear of Ethan was the winner Mitch Langfield, reaffirming his position as the king of the rails. Riding a borrowed board and with zero pratice on the site Mitch schooled all the rails and now has back to back wins from the first 2 events.
Sophie Hogben also proved her win at Bli Bli was no fluke in the Pro Women with another solid and clear victory in Cairns. Her style and consistency on the rails has made her the one to beat in 2012. Angie Schriber took 2nd place with Lauren Mead in 3rd. In the hotly contested Under 17 Boys division Tony Iacconi also became a back to winner with a solid display of rail riding prowess from Nathan Turner and Mitchell Sheppard. Chris Flaxman claimed his first ever victory in Amateur Mens and Joe Fitzgerald had the “perfect” score in very competitive Under 13s boys division of 6, being a first place position on every rail.
Matty Hasler had a great weekend as he took first place in both the Jet Pilot King of Kicker Pro Division and the Flatwater Freaks. Angie Schriber showed the boys how its done by beating the allcomers in the Flatwater Amateur Division
The series continued to boast its fun filled atmosphere by encouraging all riders to have a go from beginners to advanced, from boat riders to cable riders, winchers and skaters.
Everyone had a great day out, riding with their mates and mingling with some of the top pro’s of the sport. Liquid Force instigated this series and its event formats 4 years ago and has this year welcomed supporting sponsors to help build its profile further and offer greater incentives to all the riders. These supporters include Jet Pilot, Go Ride, Indy Industries, Loose Kid Industries, Malibu, Nautique, Obrien, Phalanx, Ml, wake.com.au and X-Mini.
The Australian Rail Series will boast 5 stops in total this season and will award the year end titles of Australian Rail Champions in all divisions. The next stop as the series moves on will be at Logan Cable Ski on November 19 & 20.
A full listing of all results is included but for more information or to view all the video clips of the series please go to www.liquidforcewake.com.au or the Liquid Force Australia facebook page.
