Six Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS) events remain before the million dollar title of Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion is decided. 1,707.25 points currently separate the top five contenders, and as most bull riding fans know, the Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS) doesn't resume action until June 24-25 in Dallas, Texas. So, in the interim, what are professional bull riding's elite doing during their down time and how are they faring in 2006 versus 2005? Each man has personal goals to achieve during the final six stops in order to keep the gold buckle within reach. A look at series points, riding percentages, and events wins can help fans unravel the mystery of who might be the next PBR World Champion.
Current world standings leader Guilmerme Marchi (Leme, Sao Paulo, Brazil), 23, has a 598 point edge on two-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil). While he has yet to earn an event championship in 2006, Marchi secured reserve honors in both Worcester, Mass. and Chicago, Ill. and has accumulated 7,244 series points and $112,581 in 2006 earnings. Marchi's current riding percentage of 58.73% is short of the 66.07% stat that he maintained at this juncture in 2005. Marchi is 678 points ahead of where he was last season at this time.
Marchi trailed Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) going into finals action last season, however 2006 could mean the gold buckle should he remain healthy and maintain his winning form through the final six critical events. Last season, Marchi achieved one top ten finish during the final six events of the season, however, caught fire when he arrived in Las Vegas. In what was only his second World Finals appearance, Marchi covered six of eight bulls attempted to earn the prestigious World Finals event title and $298,000. Marchi and Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) are the only two men among the current top five to have earned the PBR World Finals event title during their careers. Marchi recently competed at the J.W. Hart PBR Challenge Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour event in Decatur, Texas on May 20, where he finished second. He is also working on the filming of a Branson Tractor commercial.
Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil) is currently second in the series standings, but no one wants an unprecedented third PBR world title as bad, with the possible exception Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.). Shivers is the only other athlete in the PBR with a chance at three world titles. Moraes is ahead of last season's pace by 2,676 series points and his current riding percentage of 61.67% is the highest among the top five. His riding percentage is up from his career average of 59.29%.
Moraes, 36, seemingly never takes a break and has been traveling back and forth between his ranches in Texas and Brazil while organizing the PBR office that has been established in his homeland. "Flavio Junqueira and I are running the office so that has kept me very busy. I'm also trying to stay in shape by going to the gym and going to church everyday. I'm going to as many of the Challenger events as I can also."
Moraes lacks just $5,393.69 to cross the $2 million milestone in PBR career earnings. He is currently entered at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Tour events in Estero and Orlando, Fla., which means that he could easily surpass the earnings hurdle within the next ten days. Moraes earned his first event championship of 2006 right out of the blocks when he took top honors in Uncasville, Conn. in November, 2005. He has earned reserve championship honors at tour stops in Charleston, S.C., Fresno, Calif., Jacksonville, Fla., St. Louis, Mo., and Nampa, Idaho.
"I feel great, I'm a little bit tired due to all the activity and traveling back and forth to Brazil. I don't have to rest, I just keep changing activities. The highlight of my year has just been that I've had a good season. Not as good as I would like, but it's been good."
Moraes is optimistic about finishing the season strong and feels that the last quarter is normally good to him and is looking forward to the impending PBR World Finals. An immediate goal for his ranch in Texas this summer is to put together a herd of bucking bred cows in order start raising bulls. Moraes, whose children got out of school last week, is traveling home to Brazil at the end of May.
Number three ranked Mike Lee, 22, is one man who can't ever be underestimated. Lee has earned BFTS event championships in Kansas City, Mo., Anaheim, Calif., and Sacramento, Calif. to date, and will be looking for event titles during the latter portion of the season to add to his string of wins. Shoulder surgery kept Lee out of commission during most of the 2005 season and at this point last year he had just 298.5 series points. Despite the set back, Lee attended nine tour events at the end of 2005 and with the help of Challenger Tour earnings, earned a trip to the World Finals where he finished his season ranked number 36. Lee is looking for a repeat of 2004 when he became the only man in PBR history to earn both the PBR World Finals event title and PBR World Championship simultaneously.
Lee is riding 58.1% of his bulls, which is slightly less than his overall career riding percentage of 58.6%. During the last six events held in 2005, Lee finished among the top 10 at four of them. If 2005 is any indication of how he will finish the season, Lee is a likely candidate to challenge the top spot by the time the World Finals rolls around. Lee is currently entered at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company Challenger Tour events in Sikeston, Mo., Estero, Fla. and Orlando, Fla. He recently finished among the top ten at the J.W. Hart PBR Challenge Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour event in Decatur, Texas on May 20 despite an injury to his wrist which was cast up until the event. Additionally, he is scheduled to instruct a bull riding school at the Lane Frost Arena at the Frost Family Ranch in Lane, Okla. at the end of June.
Lee spends an average of three to four days each week working out at the gym and has been seeing a sports medicine physician on a regular basis to rehabilitate various sore spots, including the recent wrist injury. Lee spends his "free time" working with his horses as well as upkeep on his property such as fencing and mowing. Lee enjoys spending time with his wife Jamie, fishing, swimming at the lake, and water skiing.
When not on the PBR trail, Sean Willingham (Summerville, Ga.) might be spotted with fishing pole in hand, trolling for bass. Willingham, who turned 26 on May 18, is enjoying the best season of his career. He has earned BFTS event championships in Tacoma, Wash., Reno, Nev., and Portland, Ore. to date. He has a total of four top five finishes and a 51.61% riding average to his credit to date. Willingham is 2,260.5 series points and $129,823 ahead of pace in comparison to 2005.
"I'm just very happy with the season I'm having and I'm working hard to do my job, which is ride bulls. I hope to finish up the season strong, stronger than I did last year." Willingham is definitely on pace to finish higher than number 14, which is the position he finished in in 2005.
"Basically, during the break I try to relax. So between fishing, wake boarding, and golf, that's what I do with my down time."
Willingham made a quick stop Cabela's in Kansas City to stock up on fishing gear on his way to Decatur, Texas where event promoter J.W. Hart had organized a bass fishing tournament for event contestants. "After the Challenger Tour event I plan to go home and then I'm going to head to Dale Jr.'s house (yes, that's Earnhardt) before the NASCAR race in Charlotte, N.C. with Luke (Snyder) and Matt (Bohon)." Despite the fact he shares a friendship with Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Willingham has yet to convince the speedster to try his hand at the sport of bull riding.
As for other immediate plans, Willingham has mapped out a few additional summer stops, "In July I'm going to enter three or four PBR events over the Fourth like Cheyenne, Bozeman, and Forsyth."
Of his expectations for the final six tour stops before the World Finals, Willingham's goals are clear. "I made the short go at two out of the last three events of the season last year, so I had two top 10 finishes but I'd like to do better than that this year."
Rounding out the current top five is PBR legend, Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.). Shivers has taken top honors in Phoenix, Ariz., Charleston, S.C., and Worcester, Mass. to date this year. Shivers is currently riding 49.02%, which is slightly below his career riding percentage of 51.82%. He is 1,491.25 series points ahead of where he was last year at this time. Having qualified for his eighth PBR World Finals in 2005, Shivers went on in 2006 to surpass the $3 million mark in PBR career earnings. Shivers finished 2005 ranked fourth overall, but like Moraes, he will be gunning for his third world title in 2006.
In the weeks before tour action resumes in Dallas, Shivers will be filming a Branson Tractor commercial in addition to working on his ranch. He also has plans to attend several team roping events, and will be headed to the beaches of Florida with his family as well as the family of fellow bull rider Mike White. Shivers is currently scheduled to compete at the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour event in Richmond, Va., which takes place June 16-17.
As always, the 6,500 points available in Las Vegas, October 27-November 5 create an infinite number of scenarios making the race as unpredictable as ever.
