HOLLISTER, Calif. (July 12, 2010) - On Sunday, Brendon Clark said something he hasn’t been able to say or even think for more than a year.

“Last night was fun for me,” he said.

He had just won his fourth consecutive Touring Pro event – a PBR record – by riding nine of his past 10 bulls. But the fun extended beyond bull riding.

“Life in general is enjoyable,” he added.

Clark’s career and personal life came to a crossroads in April of last year, when he was involved in a horrific wreck in the second round of a Built Ford Tough Series event in Omaha, Neb. A lacerated liver, contusions of both lungs and rib fractures nearly killed him.

He managed to return to the sport just four months later, but it would take another eight before he felt he was capable of performing like he had before the accident.

“I’m not going to lie, and I don’t care what anybody thinks about this comment,” said Clark, “but I didn’t know if I was ever going to get that feeling back.”

The week before the World Cup last April,  he won a Touring Pro event in Canada, which helped him feel as though he “was the dominating force” he needed to be for the Aussies to have a chance to compete. From that point on it was only a matter of establishing consistency.

Having missed 10 BFTS events after being cut from the tour in January, Clark returned in Billings, Mont., believing he was close to reclaiming a spot on the tour. Currently he’s ranked 48th in the world standings, but is now 24th in the qualifier standings for this year’s World Finals in Las Vegas.

In the four events leading up to the summer break, his best finish was in Wichita, Kan., where he split 10th and 11th place. According to Clark, it was on a later trip to Australia when “it all just seemed to click.”

“I knew it was going to be pretty soon,” Clark recalled. “All it takes is a few good rides to get that confidence back, and once you find it, you just have to work on consistency.”

For Clark, a few good rides have resulted in a few good events.

He followed up a win in Greeley, Colo., with wins in St. Paul, Ore., and Lancaster, Calif., before making it four in row this past Saturday in West Jordan, Utah. Videos from all four events can be seen by logging onto www.brendonclark.com. 

Saturday in West Jordan was the second time Clark went into the short round in second place behind Douglas Duncan. In both instances, he rode his bull for 90 points while Duncan failed to make the whistle. It’s set of circumstances that may never happen again.

“I was coming back second, so basically it wasn’t even my event to win,” said Clark, whose win streak started the day after he got engaged to Allison Renz. “The chances of everything falling into place like it did, at four events in a row, is pretty tough. You probably have more of a chance of it happening at a Built Ford Tough event than you do at a [Touring Pro] because the draw is such a part of it.” 

“I still can’t believe it happened,” he continued. “The thing for me that has been most satisfying is the consistency.”

Until Black Smoke stepped on his midsection back in Omaha, 2009 felt like it would have been the best of his career.

“I was riding pretty good and then it just all went to hell,” he explained. “It doesn’t matter what anyone says to you or what you thought about your equipment. None of that mattered. It was all—Brendon Clark was the only one who could work out was going on, how to stay on again and how to win again.”

Clark, who will be in Tulsa, Okla., this weekend as an alternate, will try to make it five Touring Pro events in a row on Wednesday night in Salinas, Calif., at a Touring Pro event 30 miles from the home he shares with Renz in nearby Hollister.

And although it’s taken longer than he would have imagined, Clark confidently said, “It’s satisfying now because I feel like when I show up now, no matter what bull I’m getting on, I feel like I’m going to stay on him.

“That’s a really good feeling.”