PBR Canada’s Monster Energy Tour Returns to Ottawa on June 6

OTTAWA, Ontario – For the first time since 2018, PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Canada’s elite Monster Energy Tour will buck into Ottawa, with the “Toughest Sport on Dirt” set to buck into the Canadian Tire Centre on June 6, 2020 for the Ottawa Classic.

The Monster Energy Tour regularly features Canada’s best riders alongside some of the league’s top international athletes, squaring off against the rankest bucking bulls from across the nation. Fans will witness exhilarating 8-second rides and wrecks throughout the action-packed event as the PBR’s courageous bull-riding athletes face off against their 2,000-pound opponents.

When PBR Canada’s elite tour last visited the Capital City, young gun Austin Richardson (Wilmer, Texas) went a perfect 2-for-2 to capture the victory inside the home of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. The event also featured a dominant performance by Alberta sensation Lonnie West (Cadogan, Alberta) who finished second, and two-time PBR Canada Champion Zane Lambert (Ponoka, Alberta) who was fourth.

In the bull pen, Happy Camper delivered a massive 44.5-point trip to earn his second Monster Energy Tour Bull of the Event honors. The score was a key stepping stone in his path to being crowned the season’s Bull of the Year.

Other past Ottawa Classic event winners include: Cody Casper (2017 – Pacific, Washington) and Brant Atwood (2016 – Pampa, Texas).

The Monster Energy Tour’s return to Ottawa comes on the heels of one of the most intense national title races in league history as the world’s best battled it out to be crowned the 2019 PBR Canada Champion.

While Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) and Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) entered the season-culminating PBR Canada Finals ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation, within a slim 32.49 points of one another, a dominant performance by young gun Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) allowed him to complete one of the most riveting come-from-behind surges in history.

Swearingen had entered the event No. 4.  He went a perfect 4-for-4 to win the Canadian Finals, and erase a 689.57-point gap to emerge the 2019 PBR Canada Champion by 450.42 points over runner-up Buttar.

In the bull pen, the sport’s bovine athletes were also embattled in a feverish race to be crowned the 2019 PBR Canada Bull of the Year.

Entering the event No. 1 in the nation with a 0.4-point lead, Homegrown from Coronation, Alberta’s Eno Bucking Bulls, was able to hold off a hard-bucking Happy Camper from Magrath, Alberta’s Two Bit Bucking Bulls to capture the season’s end honor by a slim 0.083 points.

The bull riding action begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 6 at the Canadian Tire Centre. All riders will attempt one bull each in Round 1 on Saturday. The Top 10 will then advance to the championship round later that evening for one more out and a chance at the event title. In addition to competing for points towards the Canadian national standings, riders will also vie for crucial points towards the World Finals.

Tickets for the Ottawa Classic go on sale Friday, January 24. They range in price from $25 to $100, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.ca or at the Canadian Tire Centre box office.

The 2020 slate of events marks the fifth season for the Monster Energy Tour as a unified competitive series traveling across the country. After visiting the likes of Calgary, Alberta, Ottawa and Abbotsford, British Columbia, the season will culminate in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for the 2020 PBR Canada Finals.