The
Professional Bull Riders (PBR) rumble into Auburn Hills for a two-day event at
The Palace of Auburn Hills, April 14 and 15. The PBR Built Ford Tough
Invitational is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. The
event will air at 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on OLN. (All TV times are
listed as Eastern Time.) Be sure to check your local listings.
The Built Ford
Tough Invitational is the 20th stop on the PBR's 2006 season of the
31-city elite Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler. The world's elite
45 bull riders will test their skills in a head to head battle with the top
bucking bulls in the business - all for a chance at the PBR's coveted
million-dollar bonus that comes with the PBR World Champion title. Through 19
events, the battle for the 2006 PBR World Champion title continues to
intensify. The point standings are packed with past World Champions, two-time
World Champion Adriano Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
and 2004 World Champion Mike Lee are
battling for the top spot on the leader board with only 131 points separating
the two. 2005 PBR World Finals Champion Guilherme
Marchi currently is number three with Jody
Newberry (Ada, Okla.)
moving into fourth by recently finishing third in Billings, Mont. Two-time World Champion Chris Shivers (Jonesville,
La.) is also a threat for the
2006 title. Shivers became the first man to earn $3 million in career totals
earlier this year with an event win in Charleston,
S.C. Other top contenders
appearing in Auburn Hills are 18 year-old sensation Travis Briscoe (Edgewood, N.M.) and Oklahoma
cowboy and current #18 in points standings J.W.
Hart (Cole Camp). Hart is known as the PBR's "Iron Man" holding the record
for the most consecutive events attended at 197. He's also qualified for 12
consecutive PBR World Finals.
The PBR Built
Ford Tough Invitational promises an up-close and personal look at the world's
greatest bull riders, the world's rankest bulls, and tons of dirt,
pyrotechnics, fireworks, and rock-n-roll excitement. Tickets start at just $20
and upgrade to $30, $50, and $100 and are available at The Palace of Auburn Hills Box
Office, all Ticketmaster
outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 248-645-6666 to charge by phone.
For more
information on the PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational or the PBR, please contact
Megan Darnell at 719-471-3008 extension 3173 or mdarnell@pbrnow.com.
About
PBR:
More than 104 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on NBC, OLN and on a
host of foreign networks across the globe. With over 500 hours of prime time
programming annually PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in
addition to attracting over one million live event attendees each year with its
multi-tiered event structure which includes the marquee Built Ford Tough Series
presented by Wrangler, the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Tour, the
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically
for entry level contestants. The PBR's governing board of directors is
comprised of renowned bull riders who have developed the event into a stand
alone sport which is experiencing unprecedented growth in global popularity.
The PBR is headquartered in Colorado
Springs, Colo., and
has over 600 athletes competing in more than 100 PBR sanctioned competitions.
