Velocity Tour Finals Championship Saturday Review
It was a mixed night for the Aussies riding in the RVT Finals.
Nathan Burtenshaw was out early in Round 2 and set the tone with an 84.5-point ride on Chad Berger’s Keno.
From the moment the gate cracked Burtenshaw looked on top, with the bull settling into his spin around to the left and away from the Coonamble talent’s hand.
The ride was good enough to share 6th in the round but was not enough to make it back for the Championship Round. The 24-year-old finished in 14th spot. It was a nice confidence builder with T-Mobile Arena and the PBR Finals just a few days away.
With Francisco Garcia Torres’ bucking off early in the night, Cliff Richardson required a score of 86.25-points or better aboard King Robert (Ogden Ranch/Hart Cattle Co.) if he was to grab the International Invite spot at the PBR World Finals.
The bull backed out of the chutes, putting the 27-year-old out of position from the get-go and the buck off come at 3.38 seconds.
Chase Outlaw took out the event with a 2-for-3, 176-point effort to hold off Alisson De Souza (175-points) and Luis Blanco (167-points).
Alisson De Souza used the runner-up finish overtake Michael Lane in the RVT Standings and was crowned the 2018 Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Champion.
Other News
No luck for Lane Mellers who was in action in Goliad, Texas at the PBR Touring Pro event. The Mundubbera cowboy was down early in Round 1 with Pac Man winning their match in 4.16 seconds. In Round 2 the buck off came at 4.00 seconds courtesy of Runnin Through the Jungle who was marked 41-points by the judges.
Mellers will now return to Australia and is confident of putting some qualified rides together in Tamworth as he continues his push for a maiden PBR Australia Grand Finals berth. He is currently ranked 23rd in the PBR Australian National Standings.
Justin Robards took out the Blue Moon Charity Bull Ride in Kempsey over the weekend. The Buladelah cowboy put together two solid rides to hold off Cody Heffernan who placed second in the event.
Weipa’s Matthew Bee added another National Rodeo Council Australian Champion Buckle to his collection after the National Rodeo Finals were held in Dalby, QLD. It is the second time that Bee has been crowned NRCA Open Bull Ride Champion with his first win coming in 2016.