PUEBLO, Colo. (August 31, 2010) - After failing to record a qualified ride for the second time in three events, Renato Nunes was understandably disappointed.
But on Sunday, the 29-year-old – the top contender for the 2010 world title – was as gracious as he had been the day he won his third Built Ford Tough Series event in Tulsa, Okla., more than a month earlier.
“It was a hard week,” said the soft-spoken Nunes, “but I have to figure it out next time.”
He doesn’t know why he’s only managed to cover three of his past 10 bulls, but he’ll now have two weeks to figure it out.
In the first 21 events of the season, he bucked off two or more bulls in a row only five times. Three of those streaks lasted for only two bulls, and the longest was for four. But the past four events have been marred by two streaks of three, including his current streak.
“I’m going to get on a lot of bulls at home,” said Nunes, who also added that he plans to enter three Touring Pro events before arriving in Greenville, S.C., for the next BFTS event. “I have to figure it out for myself, because I’m not riding good.”
After winning the Tulsa event, he extended his lead atop the world standings to 1,585.5 points over Austin Meier. Even after a 1-for-3 performance in San Antonio, he still solidified his hold by another 120.5 points to a season-high 1,707 points.
However, Meier has had three Top 5 finishes in the past three events, including a win last weekend in Ontario, Calif., to move within 218 points of Nunes.
In that time, Nunes’ riding average has dropped to below 60 percent for the first time in months.
Nunes’ current average is 59.7 percent, compared to his six-year career average of 53 percent. In five previous seasons he’s twice finished in the Top 10, with his best finish coming in 2008 when he was fourth in the world standings.
“I’ll go figure it out,” Nunes said, “and next time I can tell you I got a ride.”
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.
