Final Five Chase - Will it Make A Difference?

Do you ever feel like there's just not enough time? What if someone told you that they were going to add time to the clock and thereby giving you more time to accomplish something you wanted to do. Well that's what the PBR has done with the "Final Five Chase", added more potential time/points to the game. This year the PBR reduced the finals from 7 days to 5 days. This created two less rounds and less opportunity for points. The decision was during the offseason to set up a system, similar to NASCAR, that would give the top 10 riders more rides and more opportunity for points. I will tell you that I am not in favor of this set up, but I don't run the PBR, so there you go. By adding these rides, the PBR has done the same as adding time on the clock during an NFL or NBA game, or maybe deciding to play 10 innings in a MLB game instead of 9. This is clearly an advantage for the guys that are behind, not the guy that is in the lead. If you are in the lead, you want the clock to tic down as fast as possible. If you are behind, any time on the clock, or any added time, is to your benefit. The guy that is behind wants and will get a few more opportunities to prove himself and the opportunity to catch up or gain ground.


Here's how it's going to work: Many people have confused the title "Final Five Chase" and think that this is just for the top five riders. That is not the case. The final five that the PBR is talking about is the final five events. The top 10 riders will get on an extra bull (bonus bull) during the first night of each of the final five events. This will be done after the last rider is finished with his ride during the long go. All of the top 10 riders that have qualified for the beginning of the chase, will get the opportunity to get on a bull during the last five events, even if he falls out of the top ten. If a rider makes his way into the top ten, during the remaining four events, he will have the opportunity to get a bonus bull. If a rider in the top ten opts out of an event, due to injury, the next rider that is line that is not in the top 10 will ride. In other words there will be minimum of 10 rides at each event, and there could be as many as 10-15 rides or more.


Now, that we covered who rides, how are the points going to work? Each rider, if he has a successful ride, will get the total points of that ride. So, if a rider scores an 87.00 for that ride, he gets 87.00 points. Also, the PBR is awarding double bonus round points during this round of riding. Normally, each round the bonus points start at 100 for the top rider and decrease by 10 points for each rider in the order they finish the round, with the number 10 rider getting 10 points (if there are 10 or more rides). In this case the bonus round points will start at 200 and decrease by 20 points, with the number 10 rider getting 20 points. The maximum points at each event that can be won with this “chase’ points is 300 (possible total ride score of 100 and bonus round points of 200).


There, are you confused? Well, maybe just a little. We will all get the hang of this as each event unfolds. Kind of like someone telling you how to play a new card game, and you have no clue until you actually play it, even though they spent 30 minutes explaining all the rules.


Will this make a big difference? I don’t think so. I think that there could be a change in positions between Renato Nunes and Austin Meier. Austin is only 218 points behind and the “chase” rides could make a difference. Assuming that one guy rides 4 out of 5 of his bulls during the five events. If he scores an average of 87.00 on each ride and finishes number 3 during the events, and gets 160. His total points that he would have made, for the five events, would be 988. If another rider only rides 2 out of 5 of his bulls and also averages 87.00 and finishes number four in each event, which would give him 140 points for bonus round placing, his total points for five events would be 454 points. The difference between these two guys would be only 534 points, over five events. That’s enough for Austin to catch Renato, but not enough for the number three guy, JB Mauney -behind the leader by 1584.25 points - to catch either Renato nor Austin.


The difference between McKennon Wimberly, the tenth rider and Travis Briscoe, the fifth rider, is only 700.25 points. With Travis, Guilherme Marchi and Robson Palermo being injured and either not riding at all or riding hurt, there could be some movement from 5 through 10. With that said, McKennon Wimberly has no realistic shot at catching the top guys. So in short, these “chase” rides could see some movement in the top two spots, and the bottom six spots, but there will be no major movement from the bottom spot to the top. If there is a tremendous movement in any of these spots in the next five events, it will be from the points gained in the events themselves, not from the “final five chase”.


As I stated before, I am not a fan of this format. Let the guys ride bulls and not make up rules during the year that change the format. If a rider has not been riding good most of the year, but gets hot at the end, thereby getting more points in the “chase’ that is not representative of the year that rider has had, yet he has been given the opportunity to get “extra” points. Nor is it representative of the rider who has been consistent most of the year, and just happens to have a slump near the end and loses the “extra” points. Also, what about the guy who wins the long go for that night, is not in the top ten, but has had to compete against 39+ other riders? He wins points, but the points are only half of the rider that gets the bonus bull but has to compete against four times the riders. These bonus bull rides are also coming in the same night that the top ten riders would have just gotten on their bulls and now riding extra bulls. This subjects the top ten riders to more injuries. I know, I know, the riders have to do the same, ride two bulls in the same day when you have a long go and a short go. However, the top ten would have to do this twice in the same weekend. If you have a three day event, the top ten riders could get on a minimum of 5 bulls and that is assuming that they have not had to get on reride bulls.


My prediction: By the end of the next five events, I think Austin will overtake Renato. Renato will come out of his slump - 3 out the last 10 - he’s too good to stay in this slump. With that said, I think Austin is riding with more confidence and has already come out of his slump. Both of these guys have more grit and determination than anybody in the top ten and that’s why they are at the top this year. Also, it doesn’t hurt that they have been the most healthy of anyone in the top ten. I think JB and Valdiron will still be in the same spots, 3 and 4, just not sure which will be number 3 and number 4. There will be some jockeying from the 10th to the 5th place, but in the end, none will catch the top two, Renato and Austin, either after the final five events are over or after the finals.


What do you think? Do you like the format? Who do you think will benefit the most from the “chase”? What is your prediction of who will be on top of the standings at the end of the regular season?