Although the official ASP Banquet will take place on February 24, 2007 on the Gold Coast of Australia, the word is out that Bobby Martinez has earned the title of "2006 ASP Rookie of the Year." The hard earned title comes after Bobby Martinez proved himself on his first year of the prestigous tour by solidifying two victories (Teahpoo & Mundaka) and also a third place finish at event #1 on the Gold Coast.

Martinez who finished the year in fifth place on the final ratings blew minds when he began his stellar season with an astonishing third place at the Quiksilver Pro on the Gold Coast. He was ousted from that event by eventual winner and good friend Slater but the experience was enough for him to gain the confidence to claim two top tour events - the first at the infamous Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti and the second when he returned a blow to Slater by defeating him in the final of the Billabong Pro Mundaka in Spain.

"It's still quite hard to believe, 2006 just moved so fast with the tour, traveling and all the new events that I went to," said the ever-humble Martinez of his Rookie of the Year status. "As it is for every guy who makes it on the Foster's ASP World Tour, it's a dream come true to be here competing with the best surfers in the world."

And while the wins were sweet Martinez did encounter a few low points when things didn't go his way... So how will his 2006 learnings affect his 2007 campaign?

"I think I learnt a lot as a person and a competitor last year and hopefully I've matured with all the experience I gained from the ups and downs of traveling and competing on the tour," said Martinez. "Gold Coast, Tahiti, Fiji and Mexico were awesome events and I was lucky to get some good results. But from South Africa to France I kind of hit a slump, which can easily take away any competitors' confidence.

"Luckily I was with good friends on the road," he continued. "I traveled with the Hobgood brothers, my Reef team manager and a great buddy from home. Those guys really helped me out and helped me to stay confident and to just have a good time with it.

"I had fun year in 2006 but I still feel I made some little mistakes here and there and I am looking forward to trying a couple of different things in '07 and hopefully the results will come."

See the world's best surfers tackle the world's best waves on this year's Foster's ASP World Tour and ASP Women's World Tour beginning on February 27 on Australia's Gold Coast.

For the full tour schedule and 2007 surfer's list and more head to www.aspworldtour.com