The inaugural 2006 Bali Freeride Nations Cup took place on September 2nd & 3rd on the shores of the Double Six Beach Seminyak. Following a upacara adat (blessing prayers) to all its participants, pilots, official partners and invited guests a dance featuring 200 dancers from an area north of Bali also welcomed those who attended.

The morning of the first day of competition was blessed by some good waves measuring 2 meters which was what all the competitors were hoping for. After a final riders meeting by the technical team from IFWA and all pilots competing the first heats for the Pro Stand Up class began.

Pro Stand Up
8 riders from South Africa, USA, Brazil, France, Morocco, Germany and Spain took stand to do battle. First on the mark was Thomas Gunther from Germany and Xan Sampaio (who is also a rider journalist) from Brazil. This pairing showed great determination to control the waves. At the end of the regulated 8 minutes both pilots had almost equal points. Next to follow on this heats are Gil and Pierre, Yacine and Eric followed by Zach Waddle and Michael Kruger. The crowd saw a variety of back flips, barrel rolls, one hander, can-can, side 180 and invert roll for the first time in Bali by these amazing pilots.

Pro Sit Down
This class featured 4 pilots from South Africa, Spain and France. Leading the pack was James Visser (South Africa's newly crowned champion) and his father Jimmy Visser who happens to own 8 world crowns. James was paired with Pierre on the first heats. James who also writes for SA Water Craft Magazine was in his element against Pierre. Following them was Bruno Rosello from Spain pairing with Jimmy Visser. Still with amazing waves holding the competition, the crowd saw an exciting array of tricks from them.

During the break of the heats the event organizer PT Bali Jaya Bahari Proevent did a wonderful job in keeping the event lively with booths from all official partners and music to keep the crowd entertained.

Second Heats Pro Stand Up and Pro Sit Down
The 2nd heats started in swelling conditions. Due to changes in the wind shift, both Zach Waddle and Xan Sampaio sustained injuries after attempting a variation of tricks and maneuvers. Amazingly both riders came out good on their injuries. The competition for the 2nd heats ended with the sit down class.

Event Report - Second and Final Day
The second day of competition started in the morning at 11am with the Pro Stand Up riders all ready and geared up. After the 1st day of competition Gil and Pierre followed by Eric were leading the group. James and Jimmy Visser plus Pierre were in that order for the Pro Sit Down Class. After a great 3rd heats the event had a brief intermission to entertain all sponsors and official partners. The crowds were treated with some amazing music and fashion show featuring the latest beach wear.

Finals
Superb waves again greeted the riders for the finals. After an hour on competition, both classes had their winners.

Final Results - Pro Stand Up Class
1st Gil Beurnier - France
2nd Pierre Maxient - France
3rd Eric Forney - France
4th Michael Kruger - Germany
5th Thomas Gunther - Germany
6th Yacine Sebti - Morocco
7th Zach Waddle - USA

Final Results - Pro Sit Down Class
1st James Visser - South Africa
2nd Jimmy Visser - South Africa
3rd Pierre Maxient - France
4th Bruno Rosello - Espanha

The event organizers PT Bali Jaya Bahari Proevent would like to thank the Ministry of Culture of Tourism, IFWA, the Riders and Government Supportors: Office of the Governor of Bali, KAPOLDA, The Mayor and Vice-Mayor of Denpasar, Bupati of Badung, Bali Tourism Board and the Bali Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KADIN) Media Partners: Metro TV, Visa Media, and Jari Jari Communications; and Official Partners: Singpaore Airlines, ESPN, Star Sports, The Seri Group, Bendega Restaurant, Maersk Logistics, Fullgaz, PWCTV, FXF Productions inc., Contiki Resort Bali, Court Yard Hotel & Apartments, Kind Villa Bintang / Juf Kind, PT Bank BPD Bali, Ryoshi, Bali Deli, Krisna Group, Lifestyle Magazine, Hong Kong, Paparazzi, and 66 Club.