Zack Brown Wins Second Professional Bull Riders BFTS Event Title of 2009!!

By Katharine Sherrer, PBR
Posted Saturday, February 7, 2009

TAMPA, Fla. (February 6, 2009) - The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) invaded the Sunshine State of Florida for the Tampa Invitational, stop #7 of the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS). Tampa, Florida played host to the top 40 bull riders in the world as they took over the St. Pete Times Forum for one-night of non-stop action. In the end, Zack Brown (Santa Fe, Texas) left victorious after riding two bulls for a total of 177.5 points. Brown collected a check for $29,032.

“I’m really enjoying this season so far,” Brown said in the winner’s circle. “I got a good start and I feel a big difference than last year and I’m staying healthy.”

In round one, Brown split second and third after riding the bull, Bad Medicine (Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Berger Bucking Bulls), for 87.25 points. He went into the Built Ford Tough Championship Round in third place and chose to ride California Dreaming, owned by Frontier/Teague/McBride & Wegman. He rode the top animal for 90.25 points and a second place finish in the Championship Round. These rides gave Brown the highest total on two bulls for the weekend and his second round win of the 2009 season.

Taking second place overall was reigning PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) who totaled 177.25 points. Brazilian superstar Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) rode two bulls for 177 points and locked up third place. Fourth went to Shane Proctor (Grand Coulee, Wash.) who totaled 174.25 points and rounding out fifth place was young gun Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Okla.) who took on two bulls for a total of 173.75 points.

The race for PBR’s million dollar world title takes the world’s best riders north to Florida’s Capitol City for the second of back-to-back stops. The world’s best bull riders will take over Tallahassee’s Leon County Civic Center for stop #8 on the Built Ford Tough Series. The VERSUS network airs PBR events every Saturday and Sunday evening. Be sure to check www.pbrnow.com for upcoming cities, ticket information, and complete broadcast times.

INJURY REPORT:
Ryan McConnel (Farmington, N.M.) broke his nose and suffered a concussion after bucking off his Championship round bull. He is questionable for tomorrow’s event in Tallahassee.

Tampa Invitational RESULTS

1) J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) 3,141 points, $95,597; 2) Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) 2,366 points, $40,860; 3) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 2,275 points, $108,467; 4) Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Okla.) 2,086 points, $73,977; 5) Guilherme Marchi (Leme, SP, Brazil) 2,076.5 points, $31,604; 6) Zack Brown (Santa Fe, Texas) 1,978.75 points, $65,081; 7) Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) 1,938.75 points, $17,294; 8) Shane Proctor (Grand Coulee, Wash.) 1,872.75 points, $27,975; 9) Ryan McConnel (Farmington, N.M.) 1,729.25 points, $16,695; 10) Robson Palermo (Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil) 1,716.25 points, $26,266.

BEHIND THE CHUTES:
Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s “Ride with the Best” Bonus:
Due to his win in round two at the Copenhagen Bull Riding Invitational presented by Pike Electric in Winston-Salem, N.C., two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) was eligible to compete for the $5,000 Enterprise Rent-A-Car “Ride with the Best” bonus during the first round of the Tampa Invitational. Shivers was bucked off the bull, Big Jake, before the eight second whistle; therefore, the stock contractors, Roy Carter Bucking Bulls, was awarded the $5,000 bonus.

As the winner of round one, current #1 bull rider in the world J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) will be eligible for the bonus during round one in Tallahassee, Fla.

Ford Truck Moment of Truth Bonus:
J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) was in the lead going into the Built Ford Tough Championship Round and did not wn the Tampa Invitational; therefore, he did not collect the $5,000 bonus. The bonus will grow to $10,000 for the next event in Tallahassee, Fla. The event grows by $5,000 each week if it is not claimed. Once claimed, it returns to $5,000.

Ford F-150 Challenge:
As the Tampa Invitational event winner, Zack Brown (Santa Fe, Texas) has qualified for a chance to compete at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals, against all other 2009 Built Ford Tough Series event winners. The Ford F-150 Challenge contestant who finishes the highest in the event aggregate during the 2009 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals will win a brand-new 2009 F-150 truck.

Salem NationaLease Bull of the Event:
Top bull, Big Tex, owned by Chad Berger/Clay Struve, earned Bull of the Event honors with a score of 45.5 points. This honor is acknowledged by an award of $1,250 going to the top bull of each event as determined by the PBR judges’ bull score.

About the PBR:
More than 100 million viewers tune in each year to the PBR on FOX, NBC, ESPN, VERSUS, and on a host of foreign networks across the globe. With approximately 500 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR ranks among the most prolific sports on air, in addition to attracting over 1.7 million live event attendees each year with it multi-tiered event structure which includes the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series, the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and the Discovery Tour, designed specifically for entry level contestants. The PBR is headquartered in Pueblo, Colo., with additional offices in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Mexico. The PBR prides itself in its 1,000 plus stock contractor relationships and over 1,200 PBR bull riders competing in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions in five countries.