Brazilian pro-surfer Filipe Toledo compares notes with us about shredding waves and getting airborne on sandy bush tracks
There’s scared, and then there’s scared. A blind downhill on a gnarly off-road track gets the pulse racing. But have you ever peered upwards at a 5m wall of water?
When the opportunity to work on a project with Brazilian pro surfer Filipe Toledo cropped up, the sense of trepidation was more potent than a sinus stuffed with wasabi. Filipe is one of the world’s best surfers – and a bloke who carves fat 5m ocean breakers before breakfast. Literally.
Was he going to chop me up like one of those waves?
The surf was pumping at Margaret River
Upon meeting the bloke (who at the time of writing is the world’s number one ranked pro surfer *gasp*) that sense of foreboding vanished like the promises of a politician the day after his or her election win.
The Brazilian may be a boss on the water but an instant mate on four wheels. And when it came time to see if Filipe’s off-road abilities could match his heroic wave riding skills, he was putty in my hands.
There's something special about West Australia's south coast
Holy Toledo
For starters, Filipe Toledo is a real car guy.
“I really do love cars. Especially in America where I can have access more [makes and models],” grins the easy-going South American.
“In Brazil, it’s so expensive; crazy expensive to buy cars. Then you go to America and they’re like half the price!”
Taking a break during his visit to Australia while competing in the Margaret River Pro, the remarkably relaxed Toledo explains that his home garage in the Californian county of San Clemente (one of the most famous surf towns in the USA) is getting bigger.
The father of two has a tough-looking 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle as his weekend toy, a Toyota 4Runner “for the wife and kids” and Nissan NV van for surfing duties.
Do we spy waves on the horizon?
Are vans the new go-to surf-mobiles? With genuine enthusiasm, his eyes lighting up, Toledo explains how his van is full of old DVDs and surfboards and is used to trek to the beach, where he’ll spend the whole day in his down time.
The Jeep Wrangler I’ve rustled up for this (mis)adventure is familiar territory for the pro-surfer too as a global ambassador for the brand.
Filipe Toledo explains that he won – yes won! – a brand-new Jeep Wrangler in May 2018, after snaffling the best wave score at Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch (an super cool artificial wave farm) during the WSL Founder’s Cup.
Not a bad little spot, this one
“Before the van I had this car, the [Jeep Wrangler] Rubicon. Then the second kid came and it got a little small for me. But it was always a dream to have this car.
“I just love driving. It doesn’t matter if it’s a long road trip or down a short dirt road.
“Even driving RVs around, watching the sunset, cruising – it’s the best!” he laughs.
Off-road champion
Toledo finished the 2018 men’s surf tour in third place and clearly has the skills to be world champion. But I can’t help but wonder if he may have missed his calling as off-road champion, perhaps a rally ace a la Colin McRae?
Sure, the wiry Brazilian makes riding liquid caverns such as the gaping maws of Teahupo’o in Tahiti look easy, and effortlessly smashes out 360-degree rotors – soaring like a sea eagle – then lands them as smoothly as if he was skateboarding on a solid surface.
But Toledo knows his way around an off-road beast too.
Toledo was adept behind the wheel of the Wrangler 4WD
As one of the last true hardcore off-road machines available today, along with models like the Suzuki Jimny, Ford Ranger Raptor and Toyota LandCruiser, the Jeep Wrangler has loads of ground clearance – 242mm to be precise. No surprise ‘our’ new JL Wrangler makes short work of the more challenging sections of track tackled on the southern coast of West Australia.
Filipe Toledo’s confidence behind the wheel is reassuring, his finesse on the throttle as nuanced as his ability to get pitted in giant liquid kegs on the World Surf League tour.
The Wrangler’s 3.6-litre V6 engine pumps through an eight-speed automatic transmission driving all four wheels via the ‘Selec-Trac’ 4WD system and as we approach the beach, Toledo slots the two-speed transfer case into ‘4-low’ before a brief conversation concerning lowering the tyre pressures.
It felt like we were going in circles…
And then it’s time to let rip.
It comes as no surprise when the Brazilian native navigates the beach with equal parts zeal and nuance, having recently shredded through snow in the USA in the new Jeep Gladiator.
“It was so sick. My first time driving on the snow. We had a race driver with us to give us tips and it was so fun.”
Clearly Toldeo’s a fan of low-friction shenanigans, so I naturally discuss a tilt at the Finke Desert Race with him, with yours truly in the navigators seat. Suffice it to say he’s got bigger fish to fry, but hey, the seed has been planted!
The new Jeep Wrangler 4×4 is very capable off-road
Life’s a (man-made) beach
After thoroughly wringing the Wrangler’s neck (in an eco-friendly manner, of course) and picking up some rubbish we found in the dunes (Seriously, Filipe took it back with us!), it’s time to hit the water.
Just as technology is changing how humans engage with vehicles, the same is happening in the surfing world, particularly with man-made waves.
I’ve always wanted to know what the best surfers in the world think about the emergence of high-quality wave farms, of which there are several undergoing construction in Australia. And Toledo knows plenty, having nailed a near-perfect 9.8 at the Surf Ranch, with three incredible aerial moves on one wave.
“It feels kinda weird but at the same time it’s mind-blowing,” he says of the Surf Ranch in California.
“It’s so perfect every time and so powerful too. Every four minutes there’s a wave; it’s not like the ocean but at the same time it’s very hard to surf.
“In the ocean, the waves push you forward. In the pool, as the foil comes, it almost pushes you inside the wave so you have to keep your speed up.”
Surfing will become an Olympic sport at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games and Toledo reckons artificial waves will help evolve the sport, both on the pro tour and for kooks like me.
“Oh yeah, definitely, with the Olympics coming and those kinds of things. I heard for Paris [2024 Olympics] they already want to do the wave pool.
“You know things are happening… It’s probably gonna be the future. It’s crazy.”
If we can teach Filipe Toledo to drive off-road, can he teach us to surf?
Time to shine!
Pro surfers are the unicorns of the elite athlete world. They travel the world surfing the best breaks, pushing the limits of what’s possible using only the power of nature’s fluid wavelengths – wind, tide and temperature. But as Filipe tells, being a professional athlete with big-budget endorsements, ambassadorships and competing in the top five of the WSL is no cake walk.
“I haven’t seen the kids in two and a half months. It’s crazy trying to balance all that.
“I took my wife to Bali for 10 days, to hang out,” he says, explaining how rare downtime is during the tour.
“Hey, don't give up your day job Feann! Haha!”
It’s a dangerous game too. He recounts how he got drilled on the reef at Teahupo’o in Tahiti in 2018, shredding his back and bleeding like an extra from Jaws.
“Its scary. It’s really scary… Probably one of the craziest waves I’ve ever got.”
He talks fondly of his son and daughter, and while he hopes they’ll be keen surfers he says he’d hate to be a pushy surfer parent, whether in a bid to relive his youth through his progeny or just to keep the Toledo legacy alive.
“My dad [Filipe’s coach] wasn’t like this to me, and I’m not going to be like this to them.
“We’re always on the beach, they’re gonna have the surfboard over there. If they wanna play, they play. But there’s no pressure. That’s what got me super passionate about surfing, because there was no pressure.”
And with that, he's off
What about teaching an old dog some new tricks?
Well, Toledo was initially very gracious, giving me a few pointers on how to improve my surfing… Before blasting off in the Wrangler again and telling me to stick to driving!
It certainly was a surreal moment, spending an afternoon with one of the world’s most talented pro surfers – an aerialist par excellence – and chewing the fat on a wide range of topics.
That Toledo’s a genuine car guy and pretty handy behind the wheel is impressive but the most poignant take out for me was his convivial nature. Many of the world’s best athletes tend to have considerable egos (and why not?!) which can make interviews challenging.
Not this bloke from Brazil.
Trepidation may have been the pervading emotion leading into this interview, but as we said hooroo, I walked away feeling stoked.
Keyword: Surf Wrangler: Filipe Toledo