The PBR yesterday announced that its BlueDEF Velocity Tour will become the primary route for bull riders to reach the premier Built Ford Tough Series. The Velocity Tour, created jointly by the PBR and AEG, recently completed its inaugural season and will now be second in PBR’s ranking of tours, below the BFTS and above its Touring Pro Division. PBR COO Sean Gleason said the change is the second phase in PBR’s plan for the Velocity Tour, but may be coming more quickly than anticipated. “We weren’t sure if it would be a two- or three-year process,” Gleason said. “But we had so much success with our initial launch that we’re in a position to make it happen in 2015.” The Velocity Tour averaged 5,036 in attendance for 19 events in ’14, and will expand to a 30-stop schedule next year. All points won on the Velocity Tour in ’15 will go toward PBR’s world standings, which determines the 35 riders on the BFTS. Gleason noted riders can still qualify for the BFTS through int’l or select Touring Pro events, but it is unlikely. He said the next step is to make it a requirement for riders to compete on the Velocity Tour to reach the BFTS. Meanwhile, the Velocity Tour will see an increase in prize money, with event purses at a $20,000 minimum. PBR also announced the creation of the BlueDEF Velocity Tour Finals, which will be held Oct. 9-11 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, offering a purse of $100,000. Gleason said, “Louisville is a great kind of PBR market that we have been in and out of with the BFTS." He also noted that KFC Yum! Center is an AEG-managed facility. The ’15 Velocity Tour season opens Jan. 10-11 in Laredo, Texas.
