NAMPA, Idaho ― Idahoans get ready! This weekend, the Professional Bull Riders will be back in Boise.
On April 4-5, the PBR’s DeWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational, part of the 2014 Built Ford Tough Series stops at the Ford Idaho Center for two days with the much anticipated 15th appearance of the Top 35 ranked men in the world, including 2008 PBR World Champion and current No. 1 ranked bull rider Guilherme Marchi, and the best bucking bulls in the business, featuring Bushwacker.
Each night fans will experience more than two hours of the “toughest sport on dirt” with these bull riders facing off against foes more than 10 times their weight in power and brawn during 8-second battles where only one athlete will emerge victorious.
The bull riding action begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets range in price from $15 to $100 and can be purchased at the Ford Idaho Center Ticket Office, online at www.ictickets.com or via phone by calling 208-442-3232.
Five former PBR World Champions are expected to compete in Nampa –Silvano Alves (2011, 2012), Renato Nunes (2010), Kody Lostroh (2009)Marchi (2008) and Mike Lee (2004). Joining these men will be a few fan favorites: L.J. Jenkins, Douglas Duncan and Ben Jones; defending event champion Fabiano Vieira; and a host of brave new talent, including Chase Outlaw, Tanner Byrne and Gage Gay each looking to leave his mark in Idaho.
Fans also will get the opportunity to watch special invitees, four-time defending PRCA World Champion J.W. Harris and International Indian Finals Rodeo Champion Guytin Tsosie, compete alongside the PBR’s best in Nampa. These men received exemptions to join the Built Ford Tough Series at three events – Fresno, Calif., Boise, and Billings, Mont. With these invitations the PBR is continuing to showcase the best bull riders in the world.
Guytin Tsosie rides David’s Dream for 88.75 points at the 2014 Ty Murray Invitational.
The riders will face one bull each on Friday and Saturday evening. Following Round 2 on Saturday, the riders with the 15 highest cumulative scores will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round where they will compete on one additional bull. The overall event winner will be the rider with the highest combined score from all three rounds.
Friday night will include an added round of bull riding action – the PBR’s 15/15 Bucking Battle. During this special round of competition, the Top 15 ranked riders will compete against the Top 15 ranked bulls. Amongst them will be Bushwacker.
This will be the last opportunity for fans to see the two-time reigning World Champion Bull in action in Idaho. His owner, stock contractor Julio Moreno, announced Bushwacker’s retirement earlier this year. He will buck for the last time in Las Vegas at the 2014 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals. The Ford Idaho Center is the fifth stop on his farewell tour.
Joao Ricardo Vieira, the 2013 PBR Rookie of the Year, is the lucky rider who has been matched with Bushwacker. Vieira will have the opportunity to win $25,000 if he can successfully ride Bushwacker, the Bad Boy Mowers Bounty Bull, in Nampa. The two met earlier this year in the Bad Boy Mower Million Dollar Ride in Arlington, Texas. Vieira won the Iron Cowboy V title and, as the winner, was given the opportunity to ride Bushwacker for $1 million. However, after only 2.20 seconds the ride was over and Vieira was left brushing dirt off his chaps as Bushwacker was leaving the arena victorious yet again.
Last weekend, Jenkins found himself facing Bushwacker in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, but the matchup lasted less than two seconds.
This weekend Jenkins is looking at an opponent who, like Bushwacker, is always a contender for the PBR World Champion Bull’s title, Smackdown(Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Julie Rosen). Smackdown has been ridden three times by J.B. Mauney – the reigning PBR World Champion and once by Alves – the only two-time, back-to-back world champion. Robson Palermo – the only three-time PBR World Finals event winner – and Ricardo Vieira also have made the 8-second mark aboard him. None of these men scored less than 92.25 points. Jenkins has an opportunity for a great result if he makes the 8-second buzzer.
Fans will also see Marchi take on Chocolate Thunder (Bird Bucking Bulls) in this round. While Marchi has never met this 1,500-pound bull in BFTS competition, he has been ridden four times by some of the series best. In 2011, Douglas Duncan scored 90.75 points on him in Hartford, Conn., andSean Willingham scored 88 points on him earlier this year in Anaheim, Calif. Jordan Hupp (85.50) and Luke Snyder (81) have also been successful atop Chocolate Thunder.
During the 15/15 Bucking Battle riders will receive double the usual placement points toward the world standings, which is extremely important in the race to become the PBR World Champion. There’s also an additional $21,000 purse available in this round.
The 15/15 Bucking Battle will air on CBS Network Television on Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m. ET.
Only one man has won the Nampa BFTS event title more than once; 2001 Rookie of the Year and World Finals event winner Luke Snyder captured the title in 2008 and 2012. Other previous champions include:
2013: Fabiano Vieira
2012: Luke Snyder
2010: Silvano Alves
2009: Kody Lostroh
2008: Luke Snyder
2007: Sean Willingham
2006: Wiley Petersen
2005: Tater Porter
2004: Michael Gaffney
2003: Chad Lucas
2002: Reuben Geleynse
2001: Ty Murray
2000: Tater Porter
1999: Curt Lyons
The Ford Idaho Center will be the 14th stop of 27 on the 2014 PBR Built Ford Tough Series schedule. The season kicked off Jan. 3-5 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The season will conclude at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 22-26, when the 2014 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most points during the 2014 season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.
The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.
© 2014 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.