Lonnie West Wins Celebration for the Two Bit Nation

MAGRATH, Alberta – Competing at Two Bit Ranch, home of Two Bit Bucking Bulls, Lonnie West (Cadogan, Alberta) delivered a flawless 2-for-2 effort Thursday night to win the fifth annual Celebration for the Two Bit Nation, part of the PBR Canada Touring Pro Division.

Having won his last event on Canadian soil, the Albertan continued his momentum in front of the home province crowd, reaching the 8 aboard Flick The Switch (Kesler Rodeo) in Round 1 for 79 points.

West sealed the victory in the championship round when he became the lone rider to deliver a perfect performance. He covered Fidgit Spinner (Couote Hillz) for an 83.5-point score.

Preparing to travel stateside to compete on the elite Unleash The Beast for this weekend’s event in Anaheim, California, the 23-year-old left the Magrath event with a check for $2,996.25, along with 260 Canadian, and 60 world points.

The win allowed West to crack the Top 10 in the national standings as the nation’s best jockey for position heading into the 2019 PBR Canada Finals in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Set to buck into the SaskTel Centre on Nov. 22-23, the Top 20 riders from the national standings will compete across the two-day, season-culminating event for both the 2019 PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $50,000 bonus.

West rose from No. 22 to No. 9, and now trails No. 1 Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) by 1,633.32 points.

Fresh off his win at the Glen Keeley Memorial PBR, three-time PBR Canada Champion Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan) finished second.

Roy’s runner-up finish was headlined by a championship round-winning, event-best 86.5-point ride on OMB Legal Issues (Wilson Rodeo).

The three-time PBR Canada Champion netted $2,571.25, 195 Canadian and 30 world points.

In the national standings, Roy is now No. 7, climbing from No. 15 prior to the start of the event.

Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) finished third to overtake the No. 2 ranking in the Canadian national standings. Surpassing Shay Marks (Sunnybrook, Alberta), the Kindersley man now trails the top ranking by a mere 144.99 points as he seeks his first national title.

Riding Rhythm & Blues (Flying High Rodeo Co.) for 85.5 points in the final round, Buttar earned $1,668.13, 135 Canadian and 20 world points.

Buttar’s climb to the top of the standings has been one for the record books.

Competing on Canadian soil for the first time in 2019 on June 8, Buttar has risen to No. 2 in the nation courtesy of his four event wins and 14 additional Top-10 efforts. Through the 15 events he has entered, Buttar has gone an impressive 22-for-33 (66.67%).  

Thor Hoefer II (Priest River, Idaho) and Jake Gardner (Fort St. John, British Columbia) tied for fourth after the duo split the Round 1 win compliments of matching 83.5-point rides. They rode Pretty in Prison (Flying High Rodeo Co.) and Straight Up G (Vold Rodeo), respectively.

Hoefer left Two Bit Ranch with $997.95, 117.5 Canadian and 12.5 world points. He is now ranked No. 38 in the Canadian national standings, up from No. 47.

Gardner further solidified his position inside the nation’s Top 10. Remaining No. 6, Gardner, who earned $1,174.06, 117.5 Canadian and 12.5 world points, is now 1,430.82 points behind No. 1 Parsonage.

Returning to competition for the first time in 110 days, reigning PBR Canada Bull of the Year Happy Camper (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) was the high-marked bull of the event. He bucked off Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta) in the championship round to record the event’s top marks.

PBR Canada Touring Pro Division action continues on Friday, September 13 in St. Tite, Quebec for the Festival Western St. Tite. Action begins at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Be sure to stay tuned to PBRCanada.com and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Canada), Twitter (@PBRCanada), and Instagram (@PBRCanada) for the latest results.

PBR Canada Touring Pro Division
Magrath, Alberta – Two Bit Ranch
Celebration For The Two Bit Nation
Event Results (Round 1- Round 2 -Aggr. Score- Money Earned-Canadian Points-World Points)
1. Lonnie West, 79-83.5-162.5-$2,996.25-260-60
2. Aaron Roy, 0-86.5-86.5-$2,571.25-195-30
3. Dakota Buttar, 0-85.5-85.5-$1,668.13-135-20
4 (tie). Thor Hoefer II, 83.5-0-83.5-$997.95-117.5-12.5
Jake Gardner, 83.5-0-83.5-$1,174.06-117.5-12.5
6. Dayton Johnston, 82.5-0-82.5-$637.50-65-5
7. Brock Radford, 80-0-80-$403.76-50-0