Clayton Williams rides all three bulls on his way to a $500,000 first place win during the Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour. Photo: Andy Watson

Clayton Williams, who won the 2007 Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour Championship last year came back despite an injured elbow this year to win the 2008 Challenger Championship and double his winnings from last year!   Williams, just  24 years old, earned $524,000 in 24 seconds this weekend.  

Williams, who has been forced to sit out most of the season so far on the BFTS Tour, had torn the ligaments loose in his elbow during a Challenger Tour event last month in Pueblo, Colorado. He decided to defend his title this year despite that injury and was the only rider to ride all three of his bulls. His win was sealed during the Championship round when he rode Team Equine’s (Chad Berger/Clay Struve) Evil Forces to a score of 89.25 points. Williams positively danced on the stage when he realized that he had actually won the event.   As the commentators so aptly put it, “he can now afford some dance lessons!”

Williams is now unsure of whether or not he will undergo the surgery needed to repair his elbow although he says he is leaning towards having it.   Both ligaments were torn loose and the doctors were going to build two new ligaments for him.   Recovery time is a very long six months. Williams wants to go the BFTS World Finals in November however and that’s only nine months away.   It’s going to be a difficult decision for him.

Clayton Willams wins his second consectuive Copenhagen Bull Riding Challenger Tour Championships PBR. Photo: Andy Watson

This is the event that catapulted Williams onto the BFTS Tour last year and he has really proven himself to be an outstanding bull rider.   Bryan Richardson, another popular Challenger Tour Rider, took second place in the overall event, earning   $112,000 for his efforts. In third place came Robson Palermo, who is a relative newcomer to the BFTS Tour.   Palermo took home $83,000.   All three men have cemented a spot in the BFTS 2008 World Finals.

It was so nice to see these three young men take the top three spots.   None have been on the BFTS Tour very long (if at all this season) and it makes the Challenger Tour “Championships” a true event for those riders that really are Challenger Tour riders.   I personally, don’t find it fair to have the top riders in the world also competing for the title (and the money) in this event.

Kolt Dickenson took the win in the Express Open, the qualifying event for the Challenger Tour Championship event. Dickenson earned himself $18,000 with the win and ended the Championship event in 15^th position.  

There were some very scary moments during the event qualifiers. Jody Newberry, who has been sorely missed on the BFTS Tour this season, sustained a groin strain and torn artery in his left leg during the second round of the Express Open. Newberry was immediately transported to a hospital for further evaluation and is out of competition for the foreseeable future. Tony Mendes re-injured his knee on one of his rides but is probable to ride in St. Louis.  

On the BFTS World standings, it’s still Travis Briscoe in the number one position, just 71.75 points ahead of second place Paulo Crimber.   Just 78 points behind Crimber is Kody Lostroh.   The margin widens somewhat for fourth place, held by Mike Lee and Guilherme Marchi who are 721.25 points and 746 points behind the leader respectively.  Next week is the Enterprise Rent-a-Car Invitational in St. Louis, MO. Will we see some changes in the world standings or will home-town favorite Matt Bohon jump in for the win and get closer to that top ten list himself?

Until next time….

Linda Peterson