Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.ticketek.com.au or by calling 011 61 132 849 to charge by phone, or U.S. fans can watch the action on VERSUS this Saturday and Sunday, June 9 & 10th at 9:00 p.m. ET. The Jupiters Casino PBR World Cup will feature five teams of five riders each from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico, competing in two rounds per night throughout the three night competition. The top three scores for each team from each round will count toward the team’s final score. In the end, the team with the highest point total after the six rounds of competition will be the winner. With $100,000 in prize money available to the winning team, the competition will be fierce. Team strategy is important, therefore each team captain has hand-picked the riders who will compete for their country.
Representing the United States under 1995 PBR World Champion Michael Gaffney’s coaching will be 2004 PBR World Champion Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas); Brian Canter (Randleman, NC), Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.); Willy Ropp (Trenton, MO) and Cord McCoy (Tupelo, Okla.).
The other teams are as follows:
Team Brazil:
Rider/Captain – 2006, 2001 and 1994 PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil); 2005 and 2006 Reserve PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo Brazil); Paulo Crimber (Olimpia, Sao Paulo Brazil); Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Arce Brazil) and 2007 Tacoma Built Ford Tough Series event champion Renato Nunes (Buritama, Sao Paulo Brazil).
Team Canada:
Team Captain – 1983 World Champion Bull Rider Cody Snyder (Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada); Scott Schiffner (Stettler, Alberta Canada); Tyler Thomson (Black Diamond, Alberta Canada); Tanner Girletz (Cereal, Alberta Canada); Aaron Roy (Asquith, Saskatchewan, Canada); and Justin Volz (Charlie Lake, British Columbia, Canada).
Team Mexico: Rider/Captain – Rocky McDonald (Juarez, Mexico) the 2006 PBR Mexico Finals Champion; Gerardo Venegas (Juarez, Mexico); Hugo Pedrero (Leon, Mexico) – the winner of the PBR World Cup precursor, the Jupiters Townsville Troy Dunn International event; Adrian Ferreiro (Saltillo, Mexico) and Francisco Morales (Irapuato, Guanajuanto Mexico).
Team Australia consists of Brendon Clark (Morpeth, NSW); Jared Farley Kempsey, NSW); 2006 PBR Australia Champion Tim Wilson (St. George, Queensland); Ben Jones (Golbourn NSW); and Kevin Connolly. The team will be captained by 1998 PBR World Champion Troy Dunn.
“The best bull riders from all over the world will be in Australia this weekend competing for their countries during the PBR’s inaugural World Cup event,” said Randy Bernard, CEO of Professional Bull Riders, Inc. “Bull riders are by far the toughest athletes across the globe. To see the best of them competing for national pride in Australia this weekend will be explosively entertaining.”
The PBR World Cup will make its way across the globe, stopping in Brazil in 2008 and the United States in 2009. It will visit Canada and Mexico in the following years.
For more information about the Jupiters Casino PBR World Cup and its broadcast on VERSUS, please contact Denise M. Abbott at 719 471 3008 or visit www.pbrnow.com.
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