PUEBLO, Colo. – After a 19-city inaugural season which launched in March 2014, the Professional Bull Riders BlueDEF Velocity Tour (BDVT) has become the second most important bull riding tour in professional sports.
A joint venture between the PBR and AEG, the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world, the BDVT now falls just below the PBR’s elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) and above the minor league Touring Pro Division in the hierarchy of PBR tours. As such, it will serve as the primary conduit to the BFTS, offering established and up-and-coming bull riders the opportunity to earn money and the valuable points needed to qualify for the BFTS and ultimately the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals.
“After a successful launch in 2014, the BlueDEF Velocity Tour is positioned to be everything we intended it to be,” PBR COO Sean Gleason said. “The tour will showcase the top bull riding talent in the world and be the definitive path to the Built Ford Tough Series.”
Under the PBR’s new points system, which went into effect on Oct. 21, all of the points won on the BDVT will now be factored into the PBR world points standings that determine the Top 35 bull riders in the world who compete on the BFTS.
Winners of each BDVT event in 2015 also will be guaranteed a minimum of one opportunity to compete at a BFTS regular season event in an attempt to win enough points to rank among the Top 35 bull riders in the world and earn a spot on the elite tour.
In 2015, the BDVT will also enjoy increased prize money, with total event purses starting at a minimum of $20,000.
This season, the PBR is also introducing the BlueDEF Velocity Tour Finals hosted by the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. As the last event of the BDVT season, the BDVT Finals will take place two weeks prior to the PBR World Finals each year and offer a total purse of $100,000. The Top 35 BFTS seeded riders in the world, as well as the top competitors on the PBR’s international tours (PBR Australia, PBR Brazil, PBR Canada and PBR Mexico), will be eligible to compete in this prestigious event.
The overall winner of the BDVT season will be the rider who earns the most world points at the BDVT level. He will receive $50,000 and qualify to compete at the PBR World Finals. The Top 3 performers at the BDVT Finals and the highest finishing international competitor will have the opportunity to compete at the PBR World Finals as well.
The BDVT brings the excitement and talent of PBR to additional cities across the U.S. to satisfy the millions of fans who enjoy PBR bull riding and support the more than 600 bull riders worldwide who are eligible to compete in the PBR. In 2015, the BlueDEF Velocity Tour will visit approximately 30 cities nationwide.
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