FORMAT:
PBR USSTC Challenger Tour stop in Bismarck. $30,000 up for grabs!
TICKETS:
Tickets on-sale NOW!. Tickets may be purchased at Ticketmaster.com or at the PBR Offices (only up to two weeks prior to event). To charge by phone call 701-222-6492
or purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are priced at $15, $26, $36. For more information call 701-222-6492.
The Professional Bull Riders'
Upcoming Event Highlights
Event Notes
Stop numbers 32 and 33 on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Tour (USSTC) heat up two locales this weekend from the badlands region of the United States to the midwest. The DCB PBR Bull Riding Challenge invades Bismarck, N.D. on July 16-17th while the Thunder on Hooves USSTC Challenger Tour shakes up Thief River Falls, Minn. also on July 16-17th. Sizzling summer Challenger Tour action gives PBR bull riders a lucrative opportunity to earn coveted PBR bucks. The Challenger Tour will pay out an estimated $385,375 during the month of July alone as it visits various cities from coast to coast across the United States.
As an added attraction for fans and contestants attending one of the largest rodeos on record anywhere in the world, The Corral West PBR, which is not a part of the USSTC Challenger Tour, hits Gillette, Wyo. on July 17-18th. The PBR brings the best three and four-year-old bucking bulls in the nation to Gillette’s CAM-PLEX when the ultimate bull riding showdown kicks off the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) Finals. The unique format of The Corral West PBR gives young PBR athletes a chance to test their skills alongside seasoned bull riding veterans, not to mention the cream of the crop from ABBI bucking bull programs.
The PBR on OLN:
Challenger Tour action from Bismarck will be broadcast on August 21st at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN). For a complete listing of 2004 USSTC Challenger Tour events, Challenger Tour results and upcoming event preview highlights, please visit www.pbrnow.com.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for DCB PBR Bull Riding Challenge USSTC Challenger Tour are available at 701-222-6492 or ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices in Bismarck range from $14.75 to $35.75. The Bismarck Civic Center is located at 601 E. Sweet Avenue and the host hotel for the event is the local Ramkota Hotel, 701-258-7700.
Tickets for the Thief River Falls, Minn. Thunder on Hooves USSTC Challenger Tour event are available by calling 800-827-1629. The Pennington County Fairgrounds is located on Highway 59 North in Thief River Falls. The host hotel in Thief River Falls is the Best Western, 800-569-8123.
Tickets for the Corral West PBR in Gillette during the National High School Rodeo Association Finals are available by calling 307-682-8802 or 800-358-1987 and range from $12 to $35. The CAMPLEX in Gillette is located at 1631 Reata Drive, and there is no host hotel designated for this event.
Event Formats:
The format for all three PBR events consists of 45 contestants nightly culminating with a final round for the top ten contestants each evening. The total estimated payout in Bismarck will exceed $43,200 while the estimated purse in Thief River Falls is $38,700. Gillette’s estimated payout will exceed $24,225 in addition to the ABBI purse to be paid out to the champion bulls and stock contractors.
Former Bismarck USSTC Challenger Tour Event Champions:
o 2003 – Gerardo Venegas $14,799
o 2002 – Cody Custer $12,860
o 2001 – Jason Bennett $13,560
Former Thief River Falls USSTC Challenger Tour
Event Champions:
o 2003 – Cauy Hudson $12,247
o 2002 – Cody Custer $11,093
o 2001 – Chris McClure $9,968
o 2000 – Wiley Petersen $11,242
** Gillette is a first time PBR venue
For USSTC Challenger Tour event Media Credentials for Bismarck please contact Sarah Berger at 701-391-4433. For Thief River Falls USSTC Challenger Tour event Media Credentials, please contact Norris Thune at 218-689-557. For Media Credentials in Gillette please contact the NHSRA at 303-452-0820.
Where can you catch the top ranked PBR riders this weekend? As opposed to Built Ford Tough Series competition where the top 45 are on hand for the duration of the competition at each tour stop, USSTC competition allows bull riders the opportunity to travel to as many events as they can schedule as outlined below.
Rider Notes
#1 Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil) - With four BFTS tour wins this season and eleven top five finishes, Moraes has not relinquished the top spot in the BFTS point standings at any time during the 2004 season. Moraes has won money at all but three BFTS events and celebrated his most recent championship at the Pennzoil Invitational in Springdale, Ark. in mid-May. His season earnings total a whopping $273,562 and of the 52 bulls that he has attempted in 2004 BFTS action he has conquered 38 of them for an amazing 73% riding average. Moraes will travel to Thief River Falls Friday, July 16th, Bismarck on Saturday, July 17th, and Gillette on Sunday, July 18th. Moraes will face Double J Rodeo’s Broken Opportunity in Thief River Falls and will accompanied by brother Allan who recently capture a lucrative USSTC Challenger Tour title in City of Industry, Calif. Alan has drawn Double J Rodeo’s Three Alarm.
#3 Mike Lee (Paradise, TX) - Lee has ridden 31of the 54 bulls that he has attempted this season to achieve an impressive 57% riding average. Justin McBride and Lee have held down the 2nd and 3rd place positions in BFTS points consecutively since Atlanta on February 7th. Lee recently tied for a first place at the USSTC Challenger Tour of Naples held on June 18th and earned a fourth place finish worth $10,410 during the Cabela’s Classic held on June 12th and 13th. Though a fresh-faced athlete of only twenty, Lee is a veteran in the bull riding arena. Lee will compete in Bismarck on Friday, July 17th on Norris Dalton’s Eyebrows before traveling to Gillette on Sunday where his draw is yet to be determined.
#6 Mike Collins (Adair, OK) - Collins has yet to earn a top finish in Challenger Tour competition to date this season, however this weekend will mark only his third attempt in the PBR’s secondary league this season. Collins has earned money consecutively in BFTS competition this season enabling his ascent up the BFTS point standings within striking distance of the coveted million dollar PBR crown. Collins maintains a riding percentage of 46% in BFTS action. Collins will compete in Bismarck on Saturday evening and his draw is yet to be determined.
#7 Jody Newberry (Ada, OK) - Newberry has been out of commission since undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his right knee on April 28th. Newberry has been absent from competition since the Nampa Invitational on April 24-25th. Prior to his layoff Newberry boasted PBR earnings of $83,966 and has slipped only slightly in the BFTS point standings from fourth to seventh place and remains well within reach of a title shot. Newberry will compete on Friday, July 16th in Bismarck on Berger Bucking Bulls’ Husker’s Red before traveling to Thief River Falls for Saturday’s performance.
#8 Brendon Clark (Morpeth, NSW Australia) - Clark has ridden 24 of the 52 bulls that he has attempted this season on the BFTS tour for a riding average of 46%. The Australian sensation has three top five BFTS finishes to his credit this season and eight top ten finishes. Clark is hot on the USSTC Challenger Tour trail and will compete on Friday, July 16th in Thief River Falls aboard Joe Simon’s Fat Freddy, and then travel to Bismarck Saturday’s action and wrap up the weekend on Sunday in Gillette.
Printer Friendly
View as PDF.jpg)
