WILEY PETERSEN CLAIMS HIS 4TH EVENT TITLE AND TAKES OVER THE #4 POSITION IN THE RACE FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE $1 MILLION-DOLLAR BONUS

Chris Shivers Maintains His Lead in the BFTS Tour as Justin McBride Regains His Second Place Standing Above Mike Lee, Wiley Petersen and Mike White

Scoring 88 points in both the first and the second round of the Little Rock Invitational, Petersen successfully covered Tony Sharp's bulls Ninja and Righty prior to giving a superb performance in the short go - ultimately claiming the event championship. However, moving up from fifth to fourth position in the race for the world championship doesn't appear to fluster the PBR powerhouse. "I keep my focus on Jesus and try not to let the pressure get to me," said Petersen.

"I'm just tightening up the race for the world title by taking one bull at a time."
In a feisty battle before thousands of fans in Little Rock, Justin McBride managed to take back the second place position by earning in the BFTS points standings behind PBR World Champion Chris Shivers by earning 139 points more than Mike Lee, who just last week had claimed the coveted position. Relentlessly challenging Shivers, McBride refuses to let up on his pressure on the world champion - vying for the right to claim the $1 million-dollar bonus to be awarded in November at the 2003 PBR Built Ford Tough Series World Finals presented by Las Vegas.

The list of top contenders at the Little Rock Invitational included Cody Hart, Brendon Clark, Jaron Nunnemaker and Tony Mendes. Mixing the results of the evening between proven world champions and newcomers, the world's top 45 bull riders proved once again that each of the 29 events on the elite $9.5 million-dollar Built Ford Tough Series tour provides the opportunity for each man to give his best performance on the world's top bulls, and equally seek the world title championship and the chance to win $1 million dollars in addition to their regular season earnings - and the race is on!

OTHER NOTES FROM THE LITTLE ROCK INVITATIONAL:

Dave Samsel attempted to ride Trevor Walker's bull Slim Shady for $15,000 in Round One on Friday night in the Mossy Oak Shoot. Because the ride was not successful, the bonus will increase to $20,000 for the Raleigh-Durham Open.

Injury update (courtesy of the HEALTHSOUTH SportsMedicine Team):
Jesse Schellhamer sustained an injury to his pelvis and will have x-rays this week - he is doubtful for Raleigh-Durham.
Billy Robinson received a concussion and will be out until Nashville.

RESULTS FROM THE LITTLE ROCK INVITATIONAL (UNOFFICIAL AS OF 5/3/03):

ROUND ONE: 1/2) Jaron Nunnemaker, Willits, Calif., 89.5 points on Tony Sharp's bull Ratchet, and Dave Samsel, Dublin, Texas, 89.5 points on David Bailey Rodeo Co.'s bull Super Cool, each $2,340; 3) Tony Mendes, Jensen, Utah, 89.0 points on Keith Strickland's bull Hot Spot, $1,170; 4) Ednei Caminhas, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 88.5 points on Classic Pro Rodeo Co.'s bull Fandango, $780; 5/6) Wiley Petersen, Fort Hall, Idaho, 88 points on Tony Sharp's bull Ninja, and Brendon Clark, Norpeth, NSW, 88 points on Gene Owen Bucking Bulls' Big Ticket, each $390.

ROUND TWO: 1) Brendon Clark, Norpeth, NSW, 90 points on Gene Owen Bucking Bulls' Happy Ending, $2,730; 2) Luke Snyder, Raymore, Missouri, 89.5 points on Trevor Walker Bucking Bulls' Kelly's Cat, $1,950; 3/4) Cody Hart, Gainesville, Texas, 89 points on Bradford/Brown/Williams' bull Troublemaker, and Justin McBride, Elk City, Okla., 89 points on Herrington Cattle Co.'s bull Coyote Ugly, $975; 5) Wiley Petersen, Fort Hall, Idaho, 88 points on Tony Sharp's bull Righty, $468.

BUILT FORD TOUGH CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: 1) Cody Hart, Gainesville, Texas, 93 point ride on David Bailey Rodeo Co.'s bull Super Cool, $2,730; 2) Wiley Petersen, Fort Hall, Idaho, 92 point ride on Herrington Cattle Co.'s bull Maximus, $1,950.

TOTAL SCORE IN THREE ROUNDS AND TOTAL EVENT MONEY EARNED: 1)Wiley Petersen, 268 points, $29,868; 2) Cody Hart, 182 points $17,765; 3) Brendon Clark, 178 points, $10,620; 4/5) Jaron Nunnemaker, 176.5 points, $6,293, and Tony Mendes, 176.5 points, $5,318.

BUILT FORD TOUGH SERIES POINTS (AS OF MAY 3, 2003): 1) Chris Shivers, 5729 points; 2) Justin McBride, 4988.5; 3) Mike Lee, 4901; 4) Wiley Petersen, 4766.5; 5) Mike White, 4274; 6) Owen Washburn, 3873; 7) Ross Coleman, 3526; 8) Ednei Caminhas, 3380.5; 9) Tony Mendes, 3310.5; a