doing away with Logan Knibbe, who had a decent ride but didn't last the qualifying 8 seconds, Shotgun Willy kept kicking up his hind legs for another 15 seconds or so, showing off the peskiness and brute strength that make him a championship bull.

Owners like it when their animals attain reputations as tough rides. But they don't want them to be too tough.

Bulls are rated based on scores they receive from each ride. They are judged on their moves, such as bucking and turning, as well as their ability to discard cowboys. If their cowboys fall off right away, judges don't have much to go on when coming up with a score.

"If the guy falls off right out of the gate, the judges don't get to see much of what they can do," said Heather Holman, owner of Shotgun Willy and three other bulls in Wednesday's event. "So it's not always an advantage."

One of the toughest bulls brought in for Wednesday's event was Braveheart, a 1,500-pound bull from Santa Maria. He had been ridden eight times, and the longest a rider stayed on was 5.1 seconds.

Braveheart's owner, Judd Leffew, a former bull riding champion at Salinas, said the bull's early success made it difficult to attain high scores because the cowboys only lasted a couple of seconds.

But after a few more rides out of Braveheart, judges started to realize how good a bucking bull he is, Leffew said.

"A trained judge can usually tell," Leffew said.

Braveheart, who is two-toned with a cappuccino-colored torso and milk-chocolate legs and head, comes from a legendary pedigree. His grandfather, Oscar, was the first bull to be inducted into the Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame. And his father, Oscar's Velvet, is a former world champion.

Braveheart was not as intimidating as many of the bulls Wednesday. He is on the smaller side, and his horns are nubs as opposed to the blunt sabers on most of the bulls.

But he is a high-energy, athletic bull that stuns his riders with his first jump out of the chute, Leffew said.

"His turning pattern is the same as his dad's and his granddad's," Leffew said. "It's like a Stephen Strasburg fastball. You know what's coming and you still can't hit." Strasburg is a major league pitcher with a dominating 100-mph fastball.

Braveheart's little brother, Bad Intentions, kept with family tradition by not letting his rider, Jared Farley, Pete Farley's brother, move on to the next round late Wednesday.

Next up was Shotgun Willy, followed by three other Holman bulls.

Shotgun Willy's pen pals, Kade's Kat and Hou Rah, followed his lead, with Hou Rah getting rid of his rider within 2 seconds.

Then came the pairing of Lightning Strike and Pete Farley.

Lightning Strike nearly made it a perfect sweep for the Holman bulls, but Farley managed — barely— to hold on for 8 seconds, flying off Lightning Strike's backside just as the buzzer sounded.

Farley won. This time.

Laith Agha can be reached at 646-4358 or lagha@montereyherald.com.

Recently I attended the Red Bull Stomping Grounds in Chicago, IL. The riding was fantastic and no one can deny that any event Red Bull sponsors is going to be epic. One of the most interesting experiences I had at the Red Bull Stomping Grounds was the Red Bull bus. No matter where the bus was parked, people would stop and say: “Wow, look at that! That’s the Red Bull bus!” What they didn’t see was the inside of the Red Bull bus which, to anyone who has ever ridden on it, is pretty much the sweetest ride on Earth. I had an opportunity to speak with Eddie, the official Red Bull bus

driver at the after party on Saturday night and decided in about 30 seconds that Eddie just may have some of the best stories in action sports. Want to learn more about Eddie the bus driver or the trips the Red Bull bus makes? Read on…

Name: Eddie the bus driver
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Years driving the Red Bull bus: 2

Tell me a little about the Red Bull bus?
Eddie: It’s a 55 Scenicruiser and one out of 1001 made, but ours is totally pimped out!

How many people does the bus seat? How many people you have ever driven on the bus at one time?
Eddie: The bus seats 25 but we’ve had quite a few more people partying on it

What are some of the best amenities on the bus?
Eddie: Where do I start! Four plasma tv's, six 12” subwoofers, 12 Polk audio 6x9's and 6000 watts of musical perfection! Plus, we have three coolers with all the Red Bull you can handle!

How much are you on the road? Tell me about the types of trips you make and some of the events you attend?
Eddie: We are on the road about two hundred days a year. We do a lot of different events like Red Bull Air Race, Red Bull Flugtags, Red Bull Soapboxes. We also do Nascar, Moto GP, almost all the motorsport stuff, skate tours, bmx tours. We basically do EVERYTHING from sampling missions to VIP guests!

What events to you enjoy watching most?
Eddie: Well all of them really. I enjoy watching Red Bull Flugtag and Red Bull Soapbox because of the madness, Nascar and Moto GP for the speed, and Red Bull Stomping Ground for the sickness of the tricks. I mean it's so hard to name just one.

Who are some of your favorite athletes?
Eddie: Travis Pastrana, Ryan Sheckler, Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn, James Stewert, Reggie Bush, Aaron Colton, Terry Adams, JD Webb… I mean the list goes on and on. They’re all so cool!

Do you have nerves of steel to keep calm, cool and collected in traffic and city driving a party on wheels?
Eddie: Well I don’t know ‘bout steel, but it's not as easy as people think!

Do you ever have problems finding a place to park the Red Bull bus in big cities?
Eddie: Oh yea all the time! Especially in NY and Chicago.

How fast does the bus go?
Eddie: Well, she’s goverened down to 74 but she'll do a lot more.

How did you get this job? Did you see an ad in the paper and apply? What did you do before working with Red Bull?
Eddie: Actually it was a Craigslist ad. I got this job through a sub contractor for Red Bull. It was an ad in the paper…just said “driver wanted.” They called for an interview over the phone and asked what my "strengths" were. I answered standard issue answers like "I'm not afraid of hard work" and “I'm punctual," you know standard issue responses. Then she asked "what are your weaknessess?" I replied, "Chocolate and Oreos! You can get me to do anything you want for chocolate and Oreos.” The rest is history!

Does the bus make trips outside of the United States? What is the furthest trip you have made?
Eddie: Unfortunately we don’t go outside the U.S. Furthest trip is hard to say as my "trips" last up to three months at a time.

Has the bus ever had a breakdown with a full load of passengers? If so, how did you handle it.
Eddie: With passengers no, but when I’ve been on the road, yes.

Has there ever been a time you looked around and thought “oh boy, this might be a problem?”
Eddie: All the time, but nerves of steel, baby! Nerves of steel!

Where is the bus headed next? Any event you are particularly looking forward to?
Eddie: As of right now we are getting ready for Red Bull Flugtag Season. First Miami, then Minnesota, Philly and L.A. Actually I’m most looking forward to Flugtag in L.A. so I can be close to my family.

The next time you are at an event and you see the Red Bull bus parked, take a minute to give Eddie the Red Bull bus driver a high five. If he’s not on the job and you buy him a beer, you just might get an earful of some of the wildest stories in action sports. Keep rollin’ Eddie!

-Susan Linerode