Derek Kolbaba Wins Final 2017 PBR Regular-Season Event in San Jose and sails to No. 1 in World Standings

Built Ford Tough Series heads into Las Vegas Nov. 1-5 amid one of the

tightest championship points race in PBR history

 

Washington-native Derek Kolbaba  rode his way to No.1 in the World Standings and claimed his fifth regular-season event victory at Cooper Tire’s Take the Money and Ride presented by Wrangler Sunday afternoon at San Jose’s SAP Center.

 

Photo: Hillenburg Productions 

After winning Round 1 on Saturday night and going 3-for-3, Kolbaba finished the weekend with a huge 90-point ride aboard Bad Moon Rising (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls) to win the Built Ford Tough Championship Round. The event win earned him 400 world points and $30,000.

 

More importantly, in a seismic shift of world standings points the win launched the 21-year old young gun to No. 1 in the world after starting the weekend at No. 4.

 

In the hotly competitive race to the gold buckle and one million-dollar bonus, Kolbaba now leads Eduardo Aparecido by 103 points and No. 3 Cooper Davis by 134 points. No. 4 Kaique Pacheco  trails Kolbaba by 453 points, and No. 5 Jess Lockwood  is 655 points back. With 3,300 total points available to a rider in Las Vegas, the championship race is wide open. 

 

"Bull riding is all about confidence and momentum," Kolbaba said. "If there's any time to be hot in this sport, it would be now."

 

Kolbaba has roared to the top with three event wins in the season's second half, courtesy of three 90 point-or-more championship round rides. 

 

2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi (Tres Lagoas, Brazil) finished in second place after his own 3-for-3 weekend in San Jose. Marchi rode Mamma’s Boy (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve) in Round 2 on Sunday for 83.5 points before his 84.75-point ride aboard Tequila Sunrise (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/ Chad Berger) in the championship round. The second-place win helped him net 240 world points and $12,500.

 

Despite a low score in Sunday’s Round 2 aboard Yesterday’s Wine (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve) for 79.25 points Claudio Montanha Jr. (Ribeirao dos Indios, Brazil) finished strong in third place after monstrous 85.5-point ride aboard Springville Nasty (Evan Matthews). Montanha was able to secure 180 world points and $8,000 for the effort while shifting from No. 15 in world standings to lucky No.13.

 

Reigning 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis continued along the road to Vegas with a fourth-place win aboard Indian Medicine (Julio Moreno/ Dallas Schott) for 88.5 points in the championship round. Despite being bucked off earlier in Sunday’s Round 2 ride against Smoke Jumper (Weber Bucking Bulls), Davis leaves California with 105 world points and a check for $5,000.

 

Rounding out the Top 5 at SAP Center was Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil). Vieira reached the 8-second mark aboard Machinery Auctioneer’s Colonel (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve) in the championship round for 85.5 points despite a buckoff in Round 2 aboard Southern Twist (Broken Arrow Bucking Bulls).

Vieira’s fifth place win helped him pick up 65 world points, $3,500, and a move up to No. 8 in the world standings.

 

I Always Stand (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ H&C Bucking Bulls), Machinery Auctioneer’s Crazy Horse (Chad Berger/Machinery Auctioneers) and Bad Moon Rising (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls) tied to be named the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bulls of the event with 44-point bull scores across the board.         ~PBR Media 

PepperStewart.com