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PBR Bucks Back into Bay Area

OAKLAND, Calif. – For the second consecutive year, the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series returns to Oracle Arena with the Kawasaki Strong Battle at the Bay.

Bull riding action begins at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, and 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. Tickets for the Kawasaki Strong Battle at the Bay start at $15 and are currently on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800.745.3000. For more information visit www.pbr.com.

Last year, Bay Area fans witnessed two-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves win his third BFTS event of the season as the lone rider to go 3-for-3 atop his bulls and extend his then-No. 1 lead in the PBR world standings. This year, Californians will have the chance to watch two-time PBR World Champion Bull Bushwacker buck in his home state. It will be his last regular season event before he competes for the PBR World Champion Bull title at the 2014 Built Ford Tough World Finals, Oct. 22-26 in Las Vegas. After the World Finals he will call an end to his five-year BFTS career and retire to his home in Oakdale, California.

The winner of the Kawasaki Strong Battle at the Bay will face Bad Boy Mowers Bounty Bull Bushwacker in a bonus round Saturday night following the Built Ford Tough Championship Round. A check for $50,000 will be awarded to the event winner if he successfully makes the 8-second whistle atop the athlete who ESPN The Magazine dubbed “The Baddest Body in Sports.”

Riders in the lineup for the Oakland event include Alves, the defending event champion and only back-to-back PBR World Champion (2011 & 2012), fan favorites Sean Willingham and Ryan Dirteater, as well as Gage Gay and Brady Sims, who are both vying for the Rookie of the Year title.

Five additional PBR World Champions are scheduled to ride alongside Alves, including defending World Champion J.B. Mauney, Renato Nunes (2010), Kody Lostroh (2009), Guilherme Marchi (2008) and Mike Lee (2004).

Alves will face Gator (Naccarato Bucking Bulls) in Round 1 on Friday night, a bull that bucked off Pistol Robinson earlier this year in Sacramento, California. Gator is 2-for-2 in his outs on the BFTS.

California Kid (Humpz and Horns/KMH Bucking Bulls) awaits last weekend’s event winner in Laughlin, Nevada, Lee on Friday night during the first round. This bovine athlete has a 92.31 percent buckoff rate after facing seven riders on the BFTS, with L.J. Jenkins being the only one to make the 8-second mark.

Current No. 1 bull rider in the PBR world standings Joao Ricardo Vieiratakes on White Out (Mindigo Bucking Bulls) in Round 1. White Out will be making his BFTS debut Friday.

Previous winners of the Oakland event are:

2013 Silvano Alves

2008 Guilherme Marchi

2002 Luke Snyder

All Top 35 bull riders will ride one bull each in Rounds 1 and 2 on Friday and Saturday. After Round 2 on Saturday, the Top 15 riders will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round for one more ride and a chance at the $30,000 event title.

Oakland is the 24th stop on the 2014 BFTS tour. 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 a $1 million bonus.

CBS Television Network will broadcast the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and the Bad Boy Mowers $50,000 Bounty Bull ride between Bushwacker and the event winner on Sunday, September 28 at 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. ET. Check local listings for the time in your area.

CBS Sports Network will carry Round 2, the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and the Bad Boy Mowers $50,000 Bounty Bull ride between Bushwacker and the event winner on Sunday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET. The broadcast will feature Craig Hummer providing play-by-play and color commentary from Ty Murray, while dirt-level interviews will be handled by Leah Garcia.

The BFTS is televised every week on the exclusive home of the PBR, CBS and 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.

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