Basque surfboard manufacturer Pukas finished third in one of the world's leading surfboard tournaments, Stab in the Dark, Stab magazine reported yesterday, Sunday, in the final episode of the 2021 edition of the event.

This is the second consecutive year that Axel Lorentz's shapes have reached the podium, last year they were placed second.

After 21 days of surfing with six-hour sessions and two months of filming, this year's chosen pilot, Taj Burrow, declared that the winner was Sharp Eye, in second place was Channel Island (last year's champions), in third place Pukas and in fourth, LSD, Luke Short Designs.

Towards the end of the episode, when Taj has to give the verdict, he looks at the mark and is surprised, and says: “Wow!” At first he is confused about whether the shaper was Cabianca, “the one who makes Medina’s boards” and then the production clarifies that it is Axel Lorentz. Taj says yes, he knows him.

“I actually liked this board from the moment I stood on it in the first session, it felt good straight away and made its way to the final. It’s a really good board; I thought it could be the winner but then these two were really strong at the end, so, good job Axel, it’s a beautiful board,” says Taj.

Pukas celebrated on their social networks and wrote: “A podium! That's the result, third place feels like happiness, like satisfaction, like we want to go surfing and celebrate. Out of a trillion board brands and shapers, it's no small feat to be on the list of the 13 chosen by Stab -being the only Europeans-.”

The brand reported that the model used by Burrow is the Tasty Treat and the measurements were: 5'7" x 18.75 x 2.26 x 24.9.

The peculiarity of this year's event was that since it would be surfed in Western Australia, the boards required were for perfect waves, with an average height of six feet.

In addition, for the first time the boards were delivered unlaminated and the job was commissioned to the San Diego factory Dark Arcs that used carbon fiber technology; it was the first time in history that no boards broke in the five years that the event has been running.

The Pukas brand had come in second place in the previous edition of the event.

Stab in the Dark Winners Gallery
2015
Pilot: Julian Wilson
Winner: Darren Handley (DHD)

2016
Pilot: Dane Reynolds
Winner: Jon Pyzel

2017-2018
Pilot: Jordy Smith
Winner: Jon Pyzel

2018-2019
Pilot: Mick Fanning
Winner: Britt Merrick

2020-2021
Pilot Taj Burrow
Winner: Sharp Eye – Marcio Zouvi

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