2008 PBR World Cup Team Members Announced!

By Katharine Sherrer, PBR
Posted Monday, June 23, 2008

Reigning World Champion headlines an elite list of 25 bull riders.

PUEBLO, Colo. (June 23, 2008) - The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is excited to announce the 25 bull riders selected to represent their respective countries (United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Brazil) for the 2008 PBR World Cup. The two-day competition gets underway on August 16 & 17, 2008, in Chihuahua, Mexico, at the Manual Bernardo Aguirre Gymnasio.

Led by Team Captain J.W. Hart (Overbrook, Okla.), the 2002 PBR World Finals Event winner and former PBR Rookie of the Year, the United States team will consist of five of America’s best. Topping out the list is two-time (2005 & 2007) and reigning PBR World Champion Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.). Other Team USA members are 2005 PBR Rookie of the Year Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.); 2006 PBR Rookie of the Year J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.); 2006 PBR World Finals Event winner L.J. Jenkins (Texico, N.M.); and PBR veteran and fan favorite Sean Willingham (Summerville, Ga.). All five riders are experiencing their first World Cup competition.

Team Mexico is led by Team Captain, 2007 PBR Mexico National Champion Hugo Pedrero (Leon, Mexico). Other team members are last year’s Mexico Team Captain and 2006 PBR Mexico National Champion Rocky McDonald (Juarez, Mexico); Gerardo Venegas (Juarez, Mexico) and Francisco Morales (Irapuato, Guanajuanto, Mexico), who both rode in the 2007 World Cup; and first-timers Francisco Torres (Mission, TX) and hometown bull rider Nile Lebaron (Chihuahua, Mexico).

Brazil is headed up by Team Captain, three-time (1994, 2000, & 2006) PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Cachoeira Paulista, SP, Brazil) who will also serve as one of the five Brazilian riders. Moraes decided to stick to the same formula that worked so well for them last year and earned the inaugural PBR World Cup title. Current world No. 1 rider Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil); Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO); Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Arce, Brazil); and Renato Nunes (Buritama, SP, Brazil) make up the team roster. All five Brazilian World Cup riders have won one or more event titles on the PBR’s elite Built Ford Tough Series presented by Wrangler (BFTS) in 2008.

Captaining Team Canada is 1983 World Champion Bull Rider Cody Snyder (Medicine Hat, AB). The team consists of 2006 PBR Canada National Champion Scott Schiffner (Stettler, AB); Aaron Roy (Asquith, SK); 2007 PBR Canada National Champion Tyler Pankewitz (Warburg, AB); Vince Northrup (Davidson, SK); and Devon Mezei (Scandia, AB).

1998 PBR World Champion Troy Dunn (Queensland, AUS) is leading Team Australia for the second year in a row. Dunn decided to stick with four of the five riders whom he handpicked last year – Australian sensation Brendon Clark (Morpeth, AUS); Jared Farley (Kempsey, AUS); Ben Jones (Golbourn, NSW); and Kevin Connolly. Rounding out the five is Pete Farley (Kempsey, AUS), the younger brother of Team Australia rider Jared Farley.

In a special team format, these men will battle in the name of their countries for bragging rights as the best bull riding nation in the world and the $100,000 prize that will be awarded to the winning team. The twenty-five riders will compete in four rounds, for two rounds each night, with all the contestants riding in each round, which means fans will see 50 rides per night. Only the top three scores for each team will count in each round. Once all four rounds are complete, the team with the highest total score will be declared the winner.

2008 World Cup tickets are available to TeamPBR as well as to the general public. TeamPBR members can purchase tickets for $48 and $68 by calling 800 732 1727 (Mon. – Fri., 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.). Tickets for the general public start at $100 and can be purchased by calling +01 (81) 8369-9000 or by visiting ticketmaster.com.mx.

Last year's World Cup winner, Team Brazil, will be looking to defend its title; however, Team Australia, Team Canada, and Team U.S., along with Team Mexico on its home turf, are ready to prove to everyone that they are contenders for the 2008 World Cup title!

For more information on the 2008 PBR World Cup and the PBR visit www.pbrnow.com.