media release - MEDIA HAMMER

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MEDIA RELEASE
- July 16, 2009 2009 PBR WORLD CUP presented by DICKIES - BARRETOS
BARRETOS, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
AUGUST 28-30, 2009
Aussie World Cup Bull Riders Announced
PBR Australia President, Troy Dunn, today announced his five man team to take on the
planet’s toughest athletes in the 2009 PBR World Cup in Barretos, Brazil – with teams from
Australia, USA, Mexico, Canada and the host nation Brazil competing for national glory and
world bull riding supremacy.
The three-day 2009 PBR World Cup runs from on August 28 to August 30 in Barretos, Sao
Paulo at the Festa do Peao de Boiadeiro de Barretos, in conjunction with Barretos
International Rodeo – the largest bull-riding event in Brazil. Now in its 54th year, the Barretos
International Rodeo is held from August 20-30, with the 2009 PBR World Cup taking place
on the final three nights of competition.
More than 80,000 fans are expected to attend each night to watch 25 of the world’s hottest
cowboys battle it out for a slice of the $100,000 prize money.
With only five Australian team slots for the taking, local riders have fearlessly vied this
season for the opportunity to stake a position in this exclusive group. Troy Dunn’s selection
process has been made all the more difficult this year by the raft of Aussie riders in careerbest form, both here in the Bundaberg Rum Touring Pro series and on the ultimate bull riding
stage, the US PBR Built Ford Tough Series.
In the end a mix of form and incumbency determined the final team make up, with a perfect
balance of youth and experience being struck. Three riders were retained from last year’s
team, with the final two spots going to local cowboys in blistering form.
“After handing the Rest Of The World team a three nil caning in the recent PBR Australia
Cup events, I reckon we’ve got a team that could really give this World Cup a shake,” Troy
Dunn explained. “Those wins gave our locally-based boys a real dose of confidence in their
ability to mix it with the best riders in the world.
“And then you’ve got really experienced blokes like Brendon Clark and Jock Connolly
returning fresh and ready from long-term injuries, which will bring a couple of cool heads to
the team,” Dunn concluded. “Those fellas between them have competed in multiple World
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Cups, World Finals and Australian Finals, so they know what to expect in the high pressure
situations.”
The Australian Team in brief:
Brendon Clark (Morpeth, NSW)
Australia’s top US-based bull rider, Brendon Clark is about to return from three months on
the sidelines, having been severely stomped by the bull Black Smoke. Clark is currently
ranked 25th on the Built Ford Tough Series, is a six times World Finals Qualifier and has
accumulated almost US$750,000 in career earnings.
Pete Farley (Kempsey, NSW)
20-year-old Pete Farley is the reigning PBR Australia champion and currently sits at number
two on the PBR Australia standings. Pete has been based in the US for much of 2009,
competing on the prestigious Built Ford Tough Series tour. Pete is currently positioned at
number 35 in the BFTS and 23 on the World Qualifier standings.
Kevin “Jock” Connolly (Charters Towers, Qld)
32-year-old Kevin “Jock” Connolly is a hard-as-nails veteran of the sport in Australia. In
2008 Jock lead the Australian standings for much of the season, before being pipped for the
title by Pete Farley. He did, however, make a flying trip to Canada, where he rode
magnificently to win the PBR Canada championship, which in turn qualified him for a spot
on the Built Ford Tough Series. Jock worked his way into the world top 40 before a neck
injury put his season on ice. He currently sits at number 51 on the World Qualifier standings –
a position that belies his grit, determination and worldly experience.
Rhys Angland (Wagga Wagga, NSW)
In his debut year on the PBR circuit, 21-year-old Rhys Angland has proved himself to be a
genuine contender for the PBR Australia title. Winning events in Cooyar and Marrabel,
Angland also helped Australia to a trifecta of victories against the Rest Of The World team
during the recent PBR Mega Month. Angland is currently fourth on the PBR Australia
standings and 82 on the World Qualifier Standings.
David Kennedy (Kyogle, NSW)
Twenty-five-year-old David Kennedy has been around bull riding for most of his life but the
2009 PBR Mega Month was without doubt his watershed period in the PBR. Riding ten bulls
from twelve attempts during four events, Kennedy catapulted himself from nowhere to third
place on the PBR Australia standings and proved to be the form rider of the month. David
Kennedy is currently ranked 68th on the World Qualifier Standings.
Team USA
J.W. Hart (captain), J.B. Mauney, Zack Brown, Ryan McConnel, Brian Canter and Austin
Meier
Team Brazil
Adriano Moraes (captain), Guilherme Marchi, Robson Palermo, Renato Nunes, Valdiron de
Oliveira and Juarez Terra
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Team Mexico
Rocky McDonald (captain and rider), Hugo Pedrero, Gerardo Venegas, Nile Lebaron and
Francisco Morales
Team Canada
Cody Snyder (captain), Aaron Roy, Scott Schiffner, Tyler Thompson, Tanner Girletz and
Chad Besplug
2009 PBR World Cup presented by Dickies - Barretos
Barretos, Sao Paulo, Brazil
August 28-30
For ticketing information and travel packages go to www.pbrnow.com
Media Enquiries:
MEDIA HAMMER
Ph: (07) 3395 8842
PO Box 707, Bulimba, Qld, 4171
[email protected]
ABOUT PBR AUSTRALIA
Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) was founded in 1992 by 20 accomplished bull riders who decided to develop bull riding –
the most popular event in traditional rodeo – into a stand-alone sport. Today more than 1,200 bull riders hold PBR
memberships and compete in more than 300 PBR sanctioned competitions around the globe for a total prize pool exceeding
US$13 million. In November 2005, PBR announced their plans for worldwide expansion. Since then, PBR has opened offices
in Canada, Mexico, Australia and Brazil and is rolling out major live events in key cities in each of these countries. PBR
Australia is a partnership between the PBR and Dainty Consolidated Entertainment (one of Australia’s major concert
promoters) and will stage major bull riding events in key cities in Australia and New Zealand – kicking off with the inaugural
PBR World Cup on the Gold Coast in 2007. Due to the high demand for more bull riding across Australia, PBR has now
established the PBR Challenger Series as a feeder into the Australian premier league of bull riding – the Bundaberg Rum
PBR Touring Pro. Prize money won at these events counts toward qualification to PBR Cup Events in Australia and to the
annual PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. So the Professional Bull Riders offer a genuine pathway for Australian bull riders to
earn substantial prize money in Australia and to compete on the world stage.
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