The Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division will be on both sides of the country on Saturday, Feb. 5, visiting Winston-Salem, N.C. and Yakima, Wash.

The TPD is the development tour of the PBR, allowing established veterans and newcomers the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best bucking bulls.

“These are the final two events before the first cut, so there is even more pressure on everyone trying to climb into the Top 5 and move up to the Built Ford Tough Series,” said PBR Senior Vice President of Competition Jay Daugherty. “In addition to riders who competed in the Built Ford Tough World Finals in October, the event in North Carolina will have some of the best bulls because there are so many in the area. Some of the top riders from the West will be competing in Yakima in what has traditionally been a strong event.”

The Winston-Salem Invitational brought to you by Navistar Parts & Intl. Trucks will be Saturday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C. Tickets begin at $10 and are on sale at the LJVM box office, online at www.Ticketmaster.com, and by telephone at (800) 745-3000. North Carolina riders scheduled to compete include J.C. Navarro of Archdale and Josh Faircloth of Randleman. Both riders have competed on the nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series, and Faircloth finished 20th at the 2010 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals.

The Big R presents the Wrangler PBR Classic will Saturday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima, Wash. Tickets begin at only $20 and can be purchased at the Yakima Valley SunDome box office, online at www.TicketsWest.com and by telephone at (800) 325-SEAT. Riders scheduled to compete in Yakima include BFTS veterans Cody Ford of Heppner, Ore., Mark Lopes of Oakdale, Calif., Tony Mendes of Fruita, Colo., and Chon Miranda of Ruidoso Downs, N.M. Tyler Pankewitz of Ponoka, Alberta, who competed in the 2008 World Cup, is also scheduled to be in Yakima.

The TPD gives riders the opportunity to compete in PBR-sanctioned events while earning money to qualify for the nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series, which is comprised of the Top 40 bull riders in the world. Every five events on the BFTS, the Top 5 riders (based on money earned) from the TPD are allowed to move into the BFTS.

The BFTS will be at the Rose Garden Arena for the Portland Invitational presented by Cooper Tires on Friday, Feb. 4, and Saturday, Feb. 5. The 2011 BFTS season concludes with the Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Oct. 26-30, where the 2011 PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded a $1 million bonus.

The action from the Portland Invitational presented by Cooper Tires will be televised in HD on VERSUS at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 4, and at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 5. Play-by-play broadcaster Craig Hummer will be joined by two-time World Champion Justin McBride. Erin Coscarelli, a regular contributor to FOX Sports and ESPN, will be doing dirt-level interviews. Built Ford Tough Series telecasts are produced for the PBR by David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 30-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who will serve as executive producer and creative lead.

2011 Touring Pro Division Leaders

1. Elton Cide, Populina, Brazil, $92,570
2. Pete Farley, Kempsey, Australia, $28,166
3. Edimundo Gomes, Atibaia, Brazil, $24,968
4. Douglas Ferreira, Conchal, Brazil , $21,220
5. Valdiron de Oliveira, Aparecida de Goiania, Brazil, $20,627
6. Caleb Sanderson, Kissimmee, Fla., $18,787

Editor’s Note: Valdiron de Oliveira is already competing on the Built Ford Tough Series, so Caleb Sanderson would be the fifth rider to qualify at this time.

Professional Bull Riders Touring Pro Division Event Results:

Dickies® Northwest PBR TPD presented by Murdoch’s
Jan. 29 at Casper, Wyo.
Final Results (Round 1-Round 2-Event Total Points)

1. Cody Jensen, Lusk, Wyo., 84-84-168 points
2. Rance Maddocks, Hecla, S.D., 0-88-88 points
3. Matt Triplett, Columbia Falls, Mont., 87-0-87 points

Auburn Hills TPD
Jan. 29 at Auburn Hills, Mich.
Final Results (Round 1-Round 2-Event Total Points)

1. Saras Ramsay, Aratula, Australia, 85-84.5-169.5 points
2. Michael Manes, Conway, Ark., 77-86.5-163.5 points
3. Jimmy Tubbs, Greenbrier, Ark., 88-0-88 points

North Charleston, S.C. TPD
Jan. 28-29 at North Charleston, S.C.
Final Results (Round 1-Round 2-Event Total Points)

1. Jamon Turner, Aurora, Colo., 85.5-86-171.5 points
2. (tie) Elliott Jacoby, Fredericksburg, Texas, 84.5-86-170.5 points
   (tie) Billy Robinson, Galax, Va., 84.5-86-170.5 points

San Antonio TPD
Jan. 28 at San Antonio
Final Results (Round 1-Round 2-Event Total Points)

1. Caleb Sanderson, Kissimmee, Fla., 86.5-86.5-173 points
2. Lane Lindsey, Hot Springs, S.D., 81.5-88.5-170 points
3. Fabiano Vierira, Perola, Brazil, 83-76.5-159.5 points

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 100 million viewers annually watch over 400 hours of primetime PBR programming on VERSUS, NBC, CBS and networks around the world. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money, and 20 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million – the most of any western-sports athlete in history. The PBR was nominated as 2010 Sports League of the Year at the Sports Business Journal Sports Business Awards, alongside the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Nearly 2 million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TeamPBR and http://twitter.com/TEAMPBR.