Did The Triple Crown Just Resurface Down Under?
WSL unveils the ‘Aussie Treble’ — the Temu version of the Hawaiian legacy series.
The WSL has just unveiled its latest creation: The GWM Aussie Treble — a three-stop leaderboard across Bells, Snapper, and Margaret River, where the top-performing man and woman get handed the keys to a shiny GWM Tank 300 — a Chinese SUV that looks like it really wants to be a Toyota Land Cruiser when it grows up.
Think of it as the Triple Crown’s twice-removed cousin. Less “conquer Hawaii’s deadliest waves,” more “win a car you may or may not be able to register back home.”
For those keeping score at home, the now defunct Triple Crown of Surfing was once the ultimate litmus test for CT preparedness, bookending the qualifying series with three events across Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipeline — waves of heft.
The Triple Crown stopped running in its classic live format for several reasons, among them: COVID, WSL’s schedule overhaul, Vans shifting toward a digital, content-focused format, and permitting pressures.
Enter the Aussie Treble, same concept, different accent. Instead of ‘lions and kittens’ battling at Pipe, we now have CT stars and hopefuls chasing boxy SUVs while Sally Fitzgibbons claps politely in the background.
To be fair, a AUD$50,000 car is a step up from a 50L cooler or a giant novelty check that takes three people to hold. But let’s be honest — if a Brazilian or American wins it, what are they supposed to do? Paddle it home?
Shipping that thing to Hawaii would cost more than Elon’s next PR nightmare.
Speaking of Elon — Tesla’s currently losing more value than a third-round exit at Pipe, thanks to his latest attempt to see if you can run a car company entirely on bad tweets and Nazi gesticulations. So, who knows, maybe GWM will actually be the next big thing. Stranger things have happened — like a world tour event in Abu Dhabi.
And WSL APAC President Andrew Stark is, of course, stoked:
“The WSL is extremely excited to welcome back three Championship Tour events to Australia in 2025 and celebrate this with the GWM Aussie Treble,” he said, as GWM execs stood just off-camera.
Look, it’s fine. It’s not a scandal, it’s not even that weird. It’s just… a bit funny. Like when your mate wins a meat raffle and realizes he has to carry a full leg of lamb through a nightclub.
The Triple Crown was about legacy. The Aussie Treble is about getting a car you might have to leave at the airport long-term parking lot.
Still — better than nothing.
And who knows? Maybe in 20 years, surfers will be reminiscing about the glory days of the Treble, while WSL rolls out a VR headset giveaway for the Metaverse Surf League.
Progress, baby.
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