(Editor's note: PBR release)
FORT WORTH, Tex. – After sustaining a broken ankle in his first out of the 2021 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast season, reigning World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) made a giant statement in his return to competition in Fort Worth, Texas, at the iconic Cowtown Coliseum.
Leme delivered two monstrous, 90-point scores throughout the weekend to win the American Roots Edition’s Can-Am Invitational, earn 138 points, and surge 76 positions in the world standings.
“I’m not supposed to be here today,” Leme said just moments after his victory. “The doctors expected I’m to stay out longer. I worked so hard training at my house for me to come today, my first event officially this year. I stayed out about 40 days, and I feel strong again and confident for this season. I’m so happy to be here with the fans today.”
Recapturing his seemingly unstoppable form from his gold buckle season, Leme got off to a hot start in Fort Worth, winning Round 1 of the tour stop on Friday with a commanding 91-point ride aboard Hundred Bad Days (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.).
While the former semi-professional soccer player bucked off in Round 2 Saturday evening, bested by Rooty Tooty (Viducic Bucking Bulls) in 5.78 seconds, his initial score was enough to clinch him a spot in the Top 12 and a berth to the championship round.
Leme, who held the second selection in the bull draft, then architected a rematch for the ages, opting to once again go head-to-head against 2020 ABBI Classic Champion Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch).
The two titans of the sport first met during Round 3 of the 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington, Texas, teaming for a head-turning 95.75 points. The statement 8-second effort, a career-best for Leme, not only earned him the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award, but also clinched his first World Championship.
Matching the huge, chocolate bovine jump-for-jump, Leme was in near picture-perfect form as he once again reached the requisite 8. He somersaulted off the bull and again landed on his feet, this time earning a 94.75-point score, winning both the championship round and Fort Worth event.
The score is the second highest of Leme’s career and top-marked ride to date for the 2021 elite tour season.
Leme, who became a first-time father just days prior, earned $27,111.78 and a critical 138 world points.
Ranked No. 85 in the world at the start of the Lone Star State tour stop, Leme surged 76 positions in the standings, cracking the Top-10 to now be ranked No. 9.
The poised Brazilian is now 188.5 points back of No. 1 Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) who failed to extend his lead atop the standings after going 0-for-2 at the PBR Can-Am Invitational.
Second was Texas’ own Taylor Toves (Stephenville, Texas), earning $16,718.54 and 86.5 world points.
Rebounding from a 5.07-second buckoff aboard Cabo Wabo (Martinez Bucking Bulls, LLC) in Round 1 Friday evening, Toves was flawless on the event’s final day of action.
Toves snapped his three-out buckoff streak in Round 2, covering Skeeter Peter (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve) for 88.25 points, and securing his position in the final round.
Intent to capture his career-first premier series victory, the home state hopeful selected a bovine athlete known to propel riders to big scores – two-time and reigning YETI PBR World Champion Bull Smooth Operator (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger).
Fueled by the raucous crowd at Cowtown Coliseum, Toves remained centered, covering the accomplished bovine athlete for a career-best 92.75 points.
The silver finish elevated Toves 10 positions in the world standings, as he rose from No.18 to No.8. He is now within 184.5 points of No. 1 Davis.
Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) parlayed a 2-for-3 effort into a third-place finish at the PBR Can-Am Invitational.
In a must-ride position, Divino, who had bucked off EZ Rider (Goetz Cattle Co.) in a close 7.24 seconds in Round 1, kept his hopes of gaining ground in the world standings alive in Round 2 Saturday evening.
Going the distance, the charismatic Brazilian covered Party Animal (Stockyards/Pritchett Ranch/Melton Bull Co.) for 88.25 points to earn a berth to the championship round.
Divino then manufactured a rematch of his own in the bull draft, opting to face off against Hocus Pocus (D&H Cattle/Almand/Lone Star/Outlaw) who had bucked him off in their two previous meetings.
Reversing his fortunes, Divino conquered the powerful animal athlete, marked 90.5 points.
The 27-year-old left the historic western sports venue with 71.5 world points, in addition to a paycheck for $13,074. In the early 2021 PBR World Championship race, Divino climbed from No.48 to No.19. He is now 53.5 points outside of the Top 10, and 245.5 points back of No. 1 Davis.
After finishing No.2 in the world in 2020, veteran rider Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) inched closer to his goal of his career-first PBR World Championship, finishing fourth in Fort Worth to earn 55 world points.
Vieira began the event on a strong note, finishing second in Round 1 courtesy of an 89.5-point ride aboard Outlaw (Cord McCoy/Big Sky Bulls, LLC).
While he bucked off his second draw, sent to the dirt in 5.13 seconds by Drago (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls), the 36-year-old ended the tour stop with a qualified ride, scored 88.5 points on Oilfield Outlaw’s Yellow Feather (Oilfield Outlaw’s Bucking Bulls/Red Laces Cattle Co.) in the championship round.
The 36-year-old is now ranked No. 12 in the world, climbing two positions after beginning the event No. 14. Vieira is 5.5 points outside of the Top 10, and within 197.5 points of the No.1 rank.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Rafael Henrique dos Santos (Sebastianopolis, Brazil), earning 49 world points.
As the lone man to cover both his Round 1 and Round 2 draws, scored 88 points on House Mouse (Nothin’ But Try Ranch/Diggers Bucking Bulls) and 87.5 points on Buckin’ For Cash (Paradigm Bull Co.), respectively, Santos held the first pick in the championship round bull draft.
Selecting a bull that had the potential to propel him to his career-first Unleash The Beast victory, Santos chose No.1-ranked bovine Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co.).
While Santos took the animal athlete to the whistle, leading to cowboy hats flying from all directions onto the arena floor, a review of the out showed he had slapped Chiseled at the 2.52-second mark, yielding a no score.
Despite the heartbreaking finish to the event, Santos’ Top-5 effort gained him critical ground in the world standings. After beginning the event ranked No.23, he is now No.16 in the world.
In the bull pen, Chiseled’s dominant trip with Santos earned him the YETI “Built for the Wild” Bull of the event honor, marked a monstrous 47 points. The mark is tied for the top bull score of the 2021 season to date, and allowed the D&H Cattle Co. superstar to retain his No.1 rank in the 2021 YETI PBR World Championship Bull race.
Following a one-week break, the PBR Unleash the Beast will next travel to Glendale, Arizona, and Gila River Arena for the PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires. The event will be on Saturday, March 13 at 6:45 p.m. MST and Sunday, March 14 at 1:45 p.m. MST.
Elsewhere in the PBR, 23-year-old Texan Jesse Petri (Palestine, Texas) captured his career-first PBR victory, winning the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Collision At The Coliseum in Charleston, South Carolina to surge to No. 25 in the world.
As the only rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Petri began the tour stop with matching 86-point rides in Round 1 and Round 2, covering Speckled Chicken (CBT 5/Hilton) and Pinball Wizard (XTB Cattle Co.), respectively. He then punctuated his flawless outing with an 89-point score on Lockdown (Cleve Garey/Leap of Faith/DD Bucking Bulls) in the championship round.
Seeking a return to the elite PBR Unleash The Beast, 11-time World Finals qualifier Cody Nance (Paris, Tennessee) finished second with his 2-for-3 performance, earning 27 world points and climbing to No. 35 rider in the world.
Fans can relive all the action from both the PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition’s Can-Am Invitational, and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Collision At The Coliseum starting at 8:00 a.m. EST on Sunday, February 28, on RidePass, at RidePass.com or via the mobile app.
PBR Unleash The Beast: American Roots EditionPBR Can-Am InvitationalCowtown Coliseum – Fort Worth, TexasEvent Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Jose Vitor Leme, 91-0-94.75-185.75-138 Points.
2. Taylor Toves, 0-88.25-92.75-181.00-86.5 Points.
3. Lucas Divino, 0-88.25-90.5-178.75-71.5 Points.
4. João Ricardo Vieira, 89.5-0-88.5-178.00-55 Points.
5. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 88-87.5-0-175.50-49 Points.
6. Cole Melancon, 0-88.75-0-88.75-40 Points.
7. Alex Cerqueira, 88-0-0-88.00-21.5 Points.
(tie). Dalton Kasel, 88-0-0-88.00-21.5 Points.
9. Ezekiel Mitchell, 87.5-0-0-87.50-18 Points.
10. Eduardo Aparecido, 85.75-0-0-85.75-14.5 Points.
(tie). Ramon de Lima, 0-85.75-0-85.75-16.5 Points.
12. Luciano De Castro, 85.5-0-0-85.50-12 Points.
13. Boudreaux Campbell, 84.25-0-0-84.25-11 Points.
14. J.T. Moore, 82.25-0-0-82.25-10 Points.
15. Marcus Mast, 79-0-0-79.00-1 Points.
16. Kaique Pacheco, 77.5-0-0-77.50
17. Alex Cardozo, 67.25-0-0-67.25
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0.00
Colten Fritzlan, 0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0.00
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0-0.00
Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyler Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00
Mason Taylor, 0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0.00
Rodrigo Melgar, 0-0-0-0.00
Chase Dougherty, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00
Jess Lockwood, 0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0.00
J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Jesus, 0-0-0-0.00
2021 PBR World Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5's, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Cooper Davis, 7, 1, 4, 326.50, $40,516.50
2. Junior Patrik Souza, 11, 0, 4, 196.50, $21,499.81
3. Kaique Pacheco, 7, 1, 2, 193.50, $34,600.72
4. Cole Melancon, 7, 0, 2, 192.50, $23,333.13
5. Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 11, 1, 3, 162.00, $30,415.52
6. Colten Fritzlan, 5, 1, 2, 153.50, $28,829.35
7. Dener Barbosa, 10, 0, 2, 149.83, $16,699.89
8. Taylor Toves, 6, 0, 2, 142.00, $25,310.26
9. Jose Vitor Leme, 2, 1, 1, 138.00, $27,511.78
10. Marco Eguchi, 5, 1, 2, 134.50, $16,797.23
11. Keyshawn Whitehorse, 8, 0, 3, 129.50, $14,400.00
12. João Ricardo Vieira, 8, 0, 2, 129.00, $14,239.26
13. Alex Cerqueira, 7, 0, 1, 119.50, $16,721.85
14. Silvano Alves, 7, 0, 1, 106.50, $8,183.87
15. Derek Kolbaba, 8, 0, 1, 97.00, $18,864.15
16. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 7, 0, 1, 93.50, $10,153.78
17. Dalton Kasel, 9, 0, 1, 90.00, $13,651.39
18. Cody Teel, 8, 0, 2, 83.50, $16,076.79
19. Lucas Divino, 5, 0, 2, 81.00, $23,474.00
20. Brennon Eldred, 8, 0, 1, 70.50, $11,058.93
21. Eduardo Aparecido, 5, 0, 0, 69.50, $8,584.15
22. Brady Fielder, 3, 1, 2, 69.00, $6,529.40
23. J.T. Moore, 8, 1, 3, 59.00, $8,789.02
24. Kyle Jones, 4, 0, 1, 50.50, $7,492.39
25. Jesse Petri, 6, 1, 1, 48.83, $7,216.06
26. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 10, 1, 2, 47.00, $7,657.05
27. Kurt Shephard, 3, 0, 2, 44.33, $4,028.40
28. Ezekiel Mitchell, 7, 1, 1, 44.00, $5,634.96
29. Aaron Kleier, 3, 1, 2, 42.00, $14,105.40
30. Kyler Oliver, 4, 0, 0, 35.00, $3,650.00
31. Eli Vastbinder, 3, 1, 1, 34.00, $5,227.13
32. Claudio Montanha Jr., 8, 0, 0, 33.50, $4,734.94
33. Mason Taylor, 6, 1, 1, 33.00, $5,212.30
34. Thiago Salgado, 6, 0, 1, 32.00, $5,152.71
35. Cody Nance, 5, 0, 2, 31.00, $6,809.23
36. Rodrigo Melgar, 7, 1, 2, 26.33, $5,098.20
37. Chase Dougherty, 7, 2, 3, 26.00, $8,852.91
37. Bailey Woodard, 3, 1, 1, 26.00, $2,285.40
39. Dakota Louis, 8, 0, 1, 24.50, $3,617.07
40. Lachlan Richardson, 3, 0, 1, 20.00, $1,775.00
40. Marcus Mast, 6, 0, 1, 20.00, $3,254.63
42. Cody Casper, 8, 0, 1, 18.00, $2,860.13
43. Leonardo Lima, 8, 0, 0, 17.83, $2,689.18
44. Hunter Ball, 5, 0, 0, 17.00, $2,189.48
45. Jess Lockwood, 3, 0, 0, 16.50, $400.00
45. Ramon de Lima, 1, 0, 0, 16.50, $2,196.94
