DES MOINES, Iowa – Des Moines has experienced thrilling, high-flying rides and jaw-dropping wrecks from the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) for eight consecutive years. This weekend, the Top-35 bull riders in the world converge on Wells Fargo Arena as the best bovine and cowboy athletes will go head-to-day in two-days of action.
Last season, two-time PBR World Champion, J.B. Mauney (2015, 2013) captured his first win since March 2014 when he went 2-for-3. Mauney took home $37,037 for the event title in 2015, including winning the championship round. Des Moines was one of four BFTS wins for Mauney enroute to his 2015 PBR World Championship.
Other winners in Des Moines include: Renato Nunes (2014), Joao Ricardo Vieira (2013), Robson Palermo (2012), Chris Shivers (2011), Mike Lee (2010), Travis Briscoe (2009) and Guilherme Marchi (2008).
Mauney, who sat out last weekend due to an injury, will return this week to defend his title at Wells Fargo Arena alongside three other World Champions, Silvano Alves (2014, 2012, 2011), Lee (2004) and Marchi (2008).
High school senior Jess Lockwood, winner of last weekend’s event in Billings, Montana, will be competing alongside fellow rookies, Derek Kolbaba and Wallace de Oliviera.
In addition to the best bull riders, the best bulls in the business will also be in Des Moines. Jared Allen’s Pro Bull Team will bring two of its best, Lane’s Magic Train and World Champion Bull contender, Air Time.
Reigning PBR Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger will have 18 bulls competing with World Champion Bull Asteroid and Beaver Creek Beau highlighting his pen.
The bull riders will attempt one bull each in Round 1 on Saturday and Round 2 on Sunday. Following Round 2 on Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled and the Top 15 riders will advance to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round for one more ride and a chance at the $30,000 event title.
CBS Sports Network will air Round 3 and the championship round at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 24.
PBR LIVE will stream the entire event in real time with Round 1 on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET and Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET. PBR LIVE is now available at no charge to all fans and media. Visit www.PBR.com/live to view. Fans can also watch all of the action live via the PBR LIVE app, available for download now on Google Play and iTunes.
The bull riding excitement will begin at 7:00 p.m. CT on Saturday and at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday. Tickets for the two-day event are on sale now and start at $12. Tickets can be purchased at the Wells Fargo Arena Ticket Office, by going online or by telephone at 1-844-554-HYVEE.
New to the ticket options this year are the PBR Elite Seats. Located in an exclusive section of the arena immediately next to the chutes and all of the action, the PBR Elite Seats are priced at $350 each, and will give fans the VIP experience of a lifetime; a pre-event reception with refreshments, backstage tours featuring a PBR 101 presentation, and meet-and-greets with some of the PBR’s top stars. These seats are also on sale now.
The Des Moines Invitational will be the 15th event on the 2016 PBR Built Ford Tough Series schedule. The season will consist of 26 stops, traveling to such cities as Chicago, New York, Anaheim, Calif., and Dallas. It will climax with the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Nov. 2-6 when the 2016 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who earns the most world standings points during the season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.
The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.
