The Western sports world is running out of superlatives for Jose Vitor Leme’s 2020 season, which is shaping up to be one of the best in the history of Professional Bull Riders (PBR).
Leme went a perfect 5-for-5 at First Interstate Arena at Metrapark in Billings this weekend, winning his third PBR Unleash the Beast (UTB) event in a row, along with Saturday’s 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Joao Ricardo Vieira Ties for 15/15 Bucking Battle Victory to Hone in on World No. 1 Ranking
FORT WORTH, Texas – In front of a raucous Texas crowd, home state hopeful Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) dominated the opening night of competition for the elite PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast WinStar World Casino and Resort Invitational. Davis won Round 1 and tied for the victory in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, as Dickies Arena in Fort Worth welcomed back fans for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic with new safety protocols in place.
Win pushes Leme’s lead on world No. 2 to 365.75 points
In the shadow of Utah’s state capitol building, world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) finished the 2020 TicketSmarter Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, with a bang. The Brazilian’s championship round ride had the socially distanced crowd erupting inside Days of ’47 Arena.
Utah’s Keyshawn Whitehorse in Fifth After Round 1
As PBR (Professional Bull Riders) bucked on in the second half of the 2020 Unleash The Beast tour season, Days of ’47 Arena and the Rocky Mountains played as the backdrop of world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme’s (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) bounce-back in Round 1 of the 2020 TicketSmarter Invitational, after a disappointing outing last weekend.
Leme and Whitehorse Power Team Cooper Tires on Undefeated March to Monster Energy Team Challenge Championship
Team Cooper Tires: 177.25 points
Team Pendleton Whisky: 0 points
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The world’s No. 1 bull rider, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), powered his team to the first multi-event team championship in PBR history with key support from a surging Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCraken Springs, Utah). In addition to Leme and Whitehorse, the bulls also starred in the Championship Sunday finale of PBR’s new team tournament, the Monster Energy Team Challenge, live on CBS with fans welcomed back into the arena. The bulls dominated the matchup, producing five scores over 45 points in the first half, and seven during the game.
Team Cooper Tires Captain Jose Vitor Leme got the scoring going, taking care of business aboard Sitting Bull (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Diamond Willow) for 88.75 points to end the first half.
SCORE BULLETIN – PLAYOFF NIGHT TWO
Team Cooper Tires Rolls into Championship Sunday of New PBR Team Tournament
Team Cooper Tires: 344.75 points
Team Ariat: 89 points
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem rode out Old Glory to lead the opening ceremonies inside Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, and night two of the first major professional sport to host fans in North America since mid-March began with a bang.
SCORE BULLETIN – CHALLENGE DAY 11
Team Boot Barn Challenges Team Ariat, Resulting in First Tie of PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge
Team Ariat: 86.75 points
Team Boot Barn: 86.75 points
SCORE BULLETIN – CHALLENGE DAY 10
Lucas Divino and Newcomer Boudreaux Campbell Go 2-for-2 for Team Pendleton Whisky in Five-Ride Win
Team Pendleton Whisky: 411.75 points
Team Cat: 88.25 points
Boosted by two first-half rides from its leaders, PBR veteran Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Oklahoma) and Team Captain Matt Triplett (Columbia Falls, Montana), Team Lucas Oil rode to its first victory of PBR’s new team tournament, the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol. Blanking Team Cat 171.25-0, Team Lucas Oil climbed the Division B standings for the second-straight day. Dirteater got the day started for Team Lucas Oil aboard Pistol (Cottonwood Bucking Bulls, LLC), reaching the 8-second whistle for 84.25 points. That was followed up by Triplett, riding with a right knee MCL sprain sustained Saturday night, conquering Comfortably Numb (Cottonwood Bucking Bulls, LLC) for 87-points. The bulls took over in the second-half blanking all six riders, highlighted by Hurricane Party (Stockyards/Pritchett Ranch/Melton Bull Co) dispatching Triplett in 3.46 seconds for a 46-point bull score, the highest of the weekend. With the win, Team Lucas Oil closes out the weekend 1-2, while Team Cat drops to 0-3, riding only two bulls over their divisions first three days of play in the event.
Battling injuries after Challenge Night 7, with Team Captain Marco Eguchi (Poa, Brail) questionable after re-aggravating a pre-existing groin injury, Team Pendleton Whisky was able to secure victory in a tight battle to start of Challenge Night 8 of PBR’s Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, at South Point Arena in Las Vegas. Matching up with undefeated Team Boot Barn inside the Let ‘Er Buck Saloon, Team Pendleton Whisky struck first when Eguchi conquered Red Bones (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Kathy Boone/Joe Beaver) for 87.25 points, the only qualified ride of the first half of Game 22.
Day one of competition for Division B of PBR’s Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, began with a narrow victory on the final ride of the game for Team Pendleton Whisky, edging Team South Point 166.5-158. Battling blow for blow with Team South Point and the return of its captain Cody Nance (Paris, Tennessee), Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas Goias, Brazil) came in clutch for Pendleton.
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