The 10th Annual Battle On Bull Mountain in Tidioute, Pa. highlights an action-packed Fourth of July weekend for the Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division which also has stops in California, Minnesota, Oregon and Texas.
The TPD is the minor-league tour of the PBR, where both established veterans and newcomers to the professional ranks compete against some of the most famous bucking bulls. The TPD gives riders the opportunity to compete in PBR-sanctioned events while earning money to qualify for the elite Built Ford Tough Series, which is comprised of the Top 40 bull riders in the world. Every five events on the BFTS, the bottom five riders (based on points) are dropped from the BFTS and the Top 5 riders (based on money earned) from the TPD are allowed to move into the BFTS.
TPD events get underway on Wednesday at the 75th Annual “Best of the West” Fourth of July Rodeo in St. Paul, Ore. Bull riding begins at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Paul Rodeo Arena with tickets beginning at $10 and available at http://www.stpaulrodeo.com/tickets/pbr-tickets.html or by telephone at (503) 224-4400. The field will include several BFTS riders including Oregonians Ross Coleman of Molalla, Ned Cross of Midland and Cody Campbell of Summerville, and Brendon Clark (Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia). Clark announced his engagement to Allison Renz on Friday and celebrated by winning the TPD event at Greeley, Colo. on Saturday while Campbell finished first in the TPD event at Binford, N.D. on Saturday.
The Battle On Bull Mountain is Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Hickory Creek Wilderness Ranch. Tickets are $14 for children and $25 for adults and there is a three-day pass available for $65 for adults and $35 for children. Tickets can be purchased by telephone at (814) 484-7266. Friday will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night and there is a fireworks show on Sunday. The field includes 2008 PBR World Champion Ednei Caminhas, 2004 PBR World Champion Mike Lee and 2010 national college bull riding champion Jeff Askey from Beech Creek, Pa. Stock contractors providing bulls include Jeff Robinson and Mark Reed.
There are two events in Texas as the TPD visits the VFW in Wimberley on Friday at 7 p.m. and the Edwards County Fairgrounds in Rocksprings, Texas for the Slick Rock Challenge at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Tickets for Rocksprings can be purchased by telephone at (830) 683-3112.
The first of two scheduled Touring Pro stops in Minnesota will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Park Rapids. Bull riding begins at 6:30 p.m. each day at the Double J Rodeo Grounds. Tickets begin at $11.50 and can be purchased at http://www.parkrapidsbullride.com and by telephone at (218) 732-3381.
Fans in Lancaster, Calif. will be able to enjoy the PBR and a fireworks show on Sunday beginning at 6 p.m. at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds. Tickets begin at $20 and can be purchased at http://www.avfair.com and by telephone at (661) 575-9800.
Scoring 92 points in the final round on Saturday, Sevi Torturo (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) finished with 178.5 points to win the Mike White Invitational in Lake Charles, La. It is the second TPD event win of the month for Torturo. Markus Mariluch (Elko, Nev.) scored 90.5 points in the final round to finish second with 174 points followed by Caleb Sanderson (Kissimmee, Fla.) with 173 points.
The elite BFTS is having the deepest title race in history and there have been 15 different winners through the first 20 events. The BFTS is currently on its summer break and will return on July 16–18 for the Express Classic in Tulsa, Okla., presented by Cooper Tires and brought to you locally by Troy-Bilt and Blue-Emu.
There are 12 riders in the Top 20 of the BFTS standings who have won an event. The multiple-event winners for 2010 are Austin Meier with four wins and Renato Nunes and Valdiron de Oliveira with two wins apiece.
The BFTS standings lead has changed nine times and there have been six different riders at the top in the first half of the season. J.B. Mauney has been ranked first three different times while Austin Meier and Renato Nunes have each held the top spot twice.
Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Event Results:
Mike White Invitational PBR Enterprise Rent-A-Car Touring Pro Division
June 25–26, 2010 at Lake Charles, La.
- Sevi Torturo, Burnt Hills, N.Y., 178.5 points
- Markus Mariluch, Elko, Nev., 174 points
- Caleb Sanderson, Kissimmee, Fla., 173 points
San Antonio PBR Touring Pro Division
June 25, 2010 at San Antonio
- Francisco Morales, Jrapunto, Gua, Mexico, 166.5 points
- Sterling Yancy, Bulverde, Texas, 162.5 points
- Hector Cardona, Saltillo, Columbia, 161.5 points
Greeley Stampede PBR Touring Pro Division
June 26, 2010 at Greeley, Colo.
- Brendon Clark, Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia, 178 points
- (tie) Jesse Jackson, Walsenburg, Colo.
(tie) Jason McLain, Lewis, Colo.
Binford PBR Bull Riding Touring Pro Division
June 26, 2010 at Binford, N.D.
- Cody Campbell, Summerville, Ore., 89 points
- Aaron Roy, Asquith, Saskatchewan, Canada, 88 points
- Stetson Lawrence, Trenton, N.D., 85 points
