PUEBLO, Colo. (August 25, 2010) - Renato Nunes and Valdiron de Oliveira dream of becoming a World Champion, yet each is supportive of the other.
Last week in Memphis, Tenn., as at every Built Ford Tough Series event, Nunes helped out Oliveira in the chute by pulling his rope. And Oliveira did the same for Nunes.
It doesn’t matter that Nunes is ranked atop the PBR standings and that Oliveira, who is fourth, is 2,133 points behind, but beginning to creep up.
“He’s a good friend of mine,” Nunes said of Oliveira, “and if he beats me, I will still be happy because he tries hard.”
Not only has Oliveira fully recovered from a broken bone in his right shoulder, but he has the best riding percentage (64.5) of anyone in the Top 10 this season. Only Guilherme Marchi has a career average (63 percent) better than Oliveira’s (61.6 percent).
“Valdiron is hard to put on the ground,” Nunes said. “He can ride any bull. … Valdiron is dangerous to beat any guy, not just me. He can beat all 40 guys here.”
Oliveira has won two events this year (Baltimore and Arlington, Texas), which doubles his career total from the first three seasons on the BFTS. He’s also registered 12 Top 10 finishes in 19 events, seven of which were in the Top 5.
He attributes much of his success this year to being more focused on bull riding now that his wife and two children are settled in Texas and adjusting to life in America.
“I ride good, but not good enough,” he said of missing a world title in 2009 and 2008. “This year, my wife said, ‘You can do it.’”
2010 has turned out to be a completely different type of race than in the previous two years.
In 2008, Marchi ran away with the title. Last year, the standings were dominated by the battle between Kody Lostroh and J.B. Mauney.
“The place Valdiron has now, I think, is the best place,” Nunes said, “because he’ll try to beat me – no pressure – and I have to ride so those guys don’t beat me. If I fall off and those guys ride, they’ll pass me fast.”
The mutual respect among the top contenders is as noticeable as the million-dollar bonus awarded to the winner of the gold buckle. [watch Austin Meier’s interview here.]
“Every week I need to get in the short go,” said Oliveira, who added that he draws confidence from past experiences.
Known among his peers for a jovial nature, he joked, “I have a chance for the No. 1. I said, ‘You can’t do it, Renato, because I’m not going to stay behind.’
“It’s my best dream. I have a good chance to be No. 1 and to be the World Champion for 2010. I hope so, this year. I hope so.”
NEWS and NOTES
PBR Now on RFD-TV: J.W. Hart and his co-host Justin McBride will be back on RFD-TV this Thursday, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. The show is also streamed live at PBR.TV. Fans are encouraged to call 877-731-6733, or send questions by emailing pbrnowshow@pbr.com.
