The race to the PBR Australia Grand Finals hits full speed in Central Queensland this weekend, with the Monster Energy Tour heading to BB Print Stadium for the 2026 Mackay Invitational, Presented by Kent Hire on 16–17 October.

Two crucial nights of competition begin on Friday at 7:30 p.m. AEST with the final regular-season Challenger Series event, followed by Round 1 of the Monster Energy Tour main event.

Saturday’s action kicks off with the Can-Am Junior Academy at 4:30 p.m. AEST, with the young guns also contesting their final regular-season event before heading to Tamworth for the Finals next weekend. Round 2 and the Championship Round of the Monster Energy Tour event will begin at 7:00 p.m. AEST.

Event information and tickets are available from the PBR Australia website.

Download the Watch PBR Australia LIVE app to watch the 2026 Monster Energy Tour and the 2026 PBR Australia Grand Finals. You can use your VR headset, mobile device, or tablet, or cast to your TV. Visit watchvr.pbraustralia.com.au to secure your Ultimate Pass.

Previously, in PBR Australia

Kelsey Pavlou has dominated the two most recent events on the PBR Australia calendar, recording back-to-back wins at the 2026 Orange Invitational and the 2026 Kilkivan Touring Pro.

The Toora cowboy was a perfect 4-for-4 across the two weekends of competition, collecting more than $13,000 in prizemoney and making a big leap from tenth to fourth place in the National Standings.

Kurt Shephard regained the No. 1 spot with a runner-up finish at Orange and backed it up with a solid third-place finish at Kilkivan, finishing a combined 3-for-4.

Zane Hall went 2-for-4 across the two events, finishing sixth at Orange and second at Kilkivan after posting the highest ride score of the past month of competition, 87.10 points aboard Chappo (Keliher Bucking Bulls).

Pavlou Wins Orange Invitational as Shephard Reclaims No. 1 Ranking

Mackay Invitational Event History

Last season, it was Alison Aguiar who went 3-for-4 to win his third PBR Australia Monster Energy event of the 2025 season. Clint Glass finished runner-up with three scores, with early front-runner Donnie Rutherfurd finishing third as the best of the riders with two scores.

In 2024, Boston Leather dominated the event, riding 5-of-6 in dual entries to record a personal one-two finish, while in 2023, Macaulie Leather rode all three of his bulls to hold off Cody Heffernan and Aaron Kleier in a thrilling finish.

View the latest PBR Australia Results.

This Weekend's Format, Prizemoney and Points

Twenty-six riders will compete in the 2026 Mackay Invitational presented by Kent Hire, with $20,000 in prize money on offer and a $5,000 bonus for the cowboy leading after night one. 

All riders will face a bull in Rounds 1 and 2, with the top twelve returning for the Monster Energy Championship Round Draft. 

The rider with the highest aggregate score across all three rounds will be crowned the event champion.

Each rider can earn a maximum of 320 points towards the 2026 PBR Australian National Standings. Round winners will receive 40 points, and the event champion will receive 200 points.

View the updated 2026 PBR Australian National Standings.

Talking Points

PBR Australian National Championship Update

Mathematically, the 2026 Gold Buckle Race is down to ten riders, but realistically, only three cowboys have a chance.

There are 1,600 Championship Points available across the remaining four events, plus bonus points based on ride scores.

Kurt Shephard and Zane Hall continue to duke it out at the top of the standings, with just 42 points separating them after both riders posted strong results in Orange and Kilkivan. Shephard's current total is 2,511 points.

While Shephard and Hall continue to surge ahead, Keny Roger de Oliveira has been struggling, failing to collect points in his last three tour starts. He now sits 615 points behind the No. 1 spot. The front-runner for Rookie of the Year has bucked off his last four bulls, after covering six of his previous nine.

Kelsey Pavlou now sits in fourth place after his back-to-back wins, but he is 1,270.50 points behind Shephard. 

To put that gap into perspective, 1,280 points would require three regular-season round wins, two Grand Finals round wins and victories at all four remaining events. Even then, Pavlou would need the three riders ahead of him to make little or no progress.

Grand Finals Qualification Update

Of the remaining 1,600 points, 880 will be up for grabs before we head to Townsville for the 2026 PBR Australia Grand Finals.

Only the top 22 riders are guaranteed a spot, but with injuries and withdrawals, the qualification cut line will likely sit around the No. 25 position. 

JC Davis is on the bubble but not in the draw this weekend. He has 248 Championship Points, and 15 riders ranked behind him are within an event win (200 points). Only four of those riders are competing in Mackay, so No. 28 Luan Crystian Camara, No. 33 Charlie Bailey, No. 37 Nash Jones and No. 38 Ashton Sweeney have a big opportunity to leapfrog the pack and book their ticket to Townsville.

The riders just ahead of Davis also need to finish the regular season strongly to secure their place in the Grand Finals field. Riders such as No. 20 Colby Edgar and No. 23 Dawson Foden are within 150 points, so if the cut line shifts over the final three weekends, they could slip out.

Bucking Bull of the Year Update

While there was no positional movement in the Bucking Bull of the Year standings last weekend in Kilkivan, we did see quite a few bulls improve their yearly average and close the gap on front-runner Stetson Nirvana (Dittmann), who has a six-out average of 43.92 points.

No. 2-ranked Last Post (Dunne) posted 43.60 points, raising his average to 43.86.

Alpha Blokes Warden (MJ/Keliher) picked up the High-Marked Bull of the Night award at his home event in Kilkivan. He was marked 44.10 points in his Round 2 trip, boosting the average of his top six scores to 43.69 points to remain in the No. 3 spot.

No. 3 ranked Winchester (MJ/Keliher) also improved his situation with a 42.90-point trip, pushing his average to 43.43 points.

The biggest mover of the week was Twist & Shout (Dunne Bulls), who posted scores of 43.10 and 42.90 points in his two trips, moving from tenth in the standings to eighth place.

Most of the Bucking Bull of the Year contenders and Grand Finals Championship Round hopefuls will be out twice this weekend, so it will be fascinating to see how it all plays out with Townsville on the horizon.

Check back on Saturday for my Matchups to Watch, where I break down some of the most interesting matchups in the 2026 Monster Energy Mackay Invitational draw.

For the latest results, news and stats, stay tuned to PBRAustralia.com.au, follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Australia), Instagram (@PBRAustralia) and TikTok (@PBRAustralia), and subscribe to @ProBullRidersAust on YouTube for event replays and highlights.