2011 Malibu Boats Factory Pro Team

The Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Team got together late last summer to film this short video. Riders Chad Sharpe (@ChadESharpe), Kevin Henshaw (@KevinHenshaw), Phillip Soven (@PhillipSoven) and Olivier Derome (@OliDerome) joined skiers Will Asher (@WillAsher), Thomas Degasperi and Drew Ross behind their 2011 Malibu Boats. This video will get your competitive juices flowing with "Bring on the Competition" from R&R in addtion to inspired performances by these Malibu boat owners. Check it out!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Team Malibu | Factory Pro Team | Chad Sharpe | Kevin Henshaw | Phillip Soven | Olivier Derome | Will Asher | Thomas Degasperi | Drew Ross | water skiing | wakeboarding | ski boats | wakeboard boats

Video: An Evening Set with Kevin Henshaw

Kevin Henshaw from yan lecomte on Vimeo.

Team Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Rider Kevin Henshaw (@KevinHenshaw) shot this video of an evening set behind his new Wakesetter VLX wakeboard boat on his home turf of Clermont, Florida. The video was edited by Yan Lecomte. Check it out it's pretty sick! Thanks for sharing Kevin and Yan!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Kevin Henshaw | Wakesetter VLX | wakeboard boat | wakeboarding | Yan Lecomte | wakeboard video | pro wakeboarding | wakeboard boats

Henshaw Rocks Canada Wakesetter-style Ay!

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) just received this sweet video from Malibu Factory Pro Team Rider, Kevin Henshaw (@KevinHenshaw). Kevin did some riding in Canada last summer behind a variety of Malibu Wakesetters at different lakes and this short video clip will give you an idea of just how much fun he had.

Kevin's buddy Dustin O'Farrell shot the video and edited it for Malibu Boats. Dustin is a regional Malibu rider, sponsored by Malibu Marine Ltd. in Kelowna, BC, Canada. Dustin is also a member of the Canadian National Wakeboard Team. This kid's talented! Great job, Dustin!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Team Malibu | Kevin Henshaw | Dustin O'Farrell | Canada | wakeboarding video | wakeboarding | pro rider | wakeboard boat | Wakesetter | Malibu Marine | wakeboard team

Team Malibu Phillip Soven's Moby 7 Video

Phillip Soven's Moby 7 Video from Chad Sharpe.

Here it is... Teammate Chad Sharpe (@chadesharpe) posted the video he captured of Malibu's Phillip Soven landing the first Moby Dick 7. Yesterday we reported this history-making move and this morning we're linking to the video posted on Chad Sharpe's blog.

Chad shot this video from Kevin Henshaw's Malibu Wakesetter VLX on Lake Haiwassiee in Florida.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Phillip Soven | Chad Sharpe | Kevin Henshaw | wakeboard video | Wakesetter VLX | Moby 7 | Moby Dick 7 | wakeboard boat | Lake Haiwassiee | wakeboarding

Soven Lands a Whale of a Move Behind Malibu VLX

Last night we received word that Team Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Rider Phillip Soven (@PhillipSoven) landed a Moby Dick 7 behind Kevin Henshaw's (@KevinHenshaw) Wakesetter VLX. Kevin also rides for the Malibu Boats team. Phillip was riding with him in Clermont, FL yesterday afternoon when he harpooned the big fish... a Moby Dick 7!

A typical Moby Dick is a wakeboard move that combines a Tantrum with a handle pass backside 360. This move was co-invented by former Malibu Boats pro rider Brannan Johnson. (explanation provided by StokeCity.ca) The Moby Dick 7 that Phillip was the first to land yesterday joined a typical Moby Dick with an additional handle pass backside 360! That is a Tantrum plus 720 degrees of rotation. You have get pretty high to do all that. Leave it to the Wakesetter VLX wake to help make it happen.

Phillip Tweeted this reaction after landing the monumental move.
@PhillipSoven: Woooh just hit the first moby dick 7 behind henshaws @malibuboats vlx there's a reason I ride for them can't beat that wake!

Kevin just returned to Florida from a 3-month road trip and yesterday was the first time he put his Wakesetter VLX on the water since leaving. What a way to get back at it! His newly launched VLX pulled the first Moby Dick 7.

The guys did capture video of Phillip sticking this never before landed move. It should be posted on http://WakeboardingMag.com soon and we will link to it from the Malibu Boats blog. Congratulations, Phillip! We're so proud of you and you too Kev!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Moby Dick 7 | wakeboard move | wakeboard trick | Wakesetter VLX | Phillip Soven | Kevin Henshaw | Clermont FL | wakeboard boat | first ever

Team Liquid Force Wins Malibu Pro Team Challenge

The 3rd Annual Pro Team Challenge wakeboard competition presented by Monster Energy Drink and Malibu Boats took place Sunday, August 3rd at the Bow Lake Watersports Complex just North of Seattle, Washington. The site was beautiful and the weather was epic as two of the sport's premiere teams got set to battle head-to-head for a chance to take home the Malibu Cup Trophy and bragging rights as the best team in wakeboarding for the next 12 months. Team Liquid Force reigned supreme!

Check out the Malibu Pro Team Challenge photo gallery on WakeWorld.com.

New to the competition this year was the addition of wakeskating to the line-up. Also, the wakeboarding discipline was revised from a traditional contest pass to a more rider friendly freeride format. The rail jam discipline featured three obstacles; a 60-foot A-Frame, an 80-foot rooftop rail and the 50-foot Monster Energy C-Rail.

The event featured two-time defending champions Team Hyperlite led by the Bone Crusher, Rusty Malinoski. Rusty was joined by teammates Jimmy LaRiche and Jacob Valdez on wakeboard and Team Malibu's Brian Grubb holding things down on wakeskate. They were gunning for the 3-peat and they rode hard to defend their title against the challengers on Team Liquid Force. Team Malibu's Kevin Henshaw was the Team Captain for LF and he was joined by the always-animated Bob Soven and the face of wakeboarding in the Pacific Northwest - Mike Ennen. James Balzer was their wakeskater as they set their sights on de-throning the Champs.

The event kicked-off at around 11am with the wakeskate competition and Balzer was the first competitor to hit the water. Each rider would get two five-minute runs and would be judged on their best of the two. The conditions were perfect and the crowd was ready to see some pro-level skating. Balzer did not disappoint with a smooth run that included a clean wake-to-wake H/S Backside 180, T/S Backside 180 and several Indy shuv-its. Next up was Team Hyperlite's Brian Grubb, who Rides for Malibu Boats, the winningest skater in the history of the sport and always a threat to take down any competition he enters. Grubb was in his element behind the Malibu wakeboard boat that pulled the competition.

After the wakeskate competition, Malibu Boats pro team rider Chad Sharpe, who was driving the event, strapped on his board to ride for the crowd as we dialed in the tournament boat for the wake competition. Next up was the wakeboard freeride session and all of the riders were amped to show the enthusiastic Northwest crowd their best stuff. With each rider getting a five-minute run and no-limit or point deductions on falls, there was no holding back. The format gave each rider an opportunity to reach deep into their bag of tricks and try things normally not pulled out in a regular contest run. Bob Soven was the first rider to hit the lake and he opened his run with a HUGE one-handed Raley while pointing directly at the crowd…the crowd loved it!

Read more about the Malibu Pro Team Challenge Recap on WakeWorld.com.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Pro Team Challenge | Chad Sharpe | Brian Grubb | Kevin Henshaw | wakeskating | wakeboarding | rails | wakeboard boat | Wakesetter VLX | Wakesetter VTX | wakeboard tournament | Bow Lake | Liquid Force | Hyperlite