Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme ties for fifth in season debut during opening round of competition inside Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK CITY – In front of an electric Friday night crowd in New York City, reigning PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Rookie of the Year Bob Mitchell (Steelville, Missouri) and Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) tied for the Round 1 win at the Unleash The Beast’s Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, courtesy of monstrous 90-point rides.
Mitchell matched Tijuana Two-Step (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls) jump-for-jump en route to the mammoth score, just the second 90-point score of his young career.
For 2020 New York City Unleash The Beast event winner Vieira, he earned his commanding points when he conquered Burn It Down (M Rafter E/Chad Berger Bucking Bulls).
Mitchell and Vieira both netted 24 Unleash The Beast points.
In the race for the 2023 PBR World Championship, Mitchell and Vieira both rose eight positions. Mitchell climbed from No. 30 to No. 22, while Vieira surged from No. 40 to No. 32.
Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) made his 2023 Unleash The Beast debut inside Madison Square Garden, tying for fifth in Round 1.
Leme danced with Pickle Moonshine (Shuler Bucking Bulls) to the requisite 8, awarded 87.75 points. The score was matched by young gun Thiago Salgado (Navirai, Brazil), who bested Cowboy Playboy (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls).
The duo of Brazilians each garnered 14.5 Unleash The Beast points.
Chasing his record-tying third gold buckle, Leme rose from unranked to No. 38 in the Unleash The Beast standings.
Salgado remained No. 6, but climbed to within 153 points of No. 1 Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas).
Alvidrez’s six-out ride streak came to an end during Round 1, bested by Express Lane (Classic Jack Cattle/Viducic Bucking Bulls) in a quick 3.47 seconds.
Returning to the top of the event leaderboard, Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) and Koltin Hevalow (Smithville, Missouri) rounded out the Top 5, tying for third.
Taylor rode Sky’s The Limit (Jane Clark/Gene Owen), while Hevalow outlasted Smooth Over It (Shuler Bucking Bulls), both scored 88.25 points.
The pair of cowboys left The World’s Most Famous Arena having earned 16.5 Unleash The Beast points apiece.
Taylor retained his No. 5 position, inching within 147.5 points of No. 1 Alvidrez, while Hevalow gained four positions, elevated from No. 24 to No. 20.
Action for the PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat, will continue with Round 2 on Saturday, Jan. 7. Action gets underway at 6:45 p.m. EST.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of every PBR Unleash The Beast event. PBR RidePass is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
PBR Unleash The Beast
PBR Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden, presented by Ariat
Madison Square Garden – New York City, New York
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
(tie). João Ricardo Vieira, 90-0-0-0-90.00-24 Points.
(tie). Koltin Hevalow, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-16.5 Points.
(tie). Jose Vitor Leme, 87.75-0-0-0-87.75-14.5 Points.
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daniel Keeping, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Jose de Brito, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brady Oleson, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dalton Kasel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jesse Petri, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Colten Fritzlan, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Braidy Randolph, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo Aparecido, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Casey Roberts, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Junior Patrik Souza, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Tate Pollmeier, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dener Barbosa, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Adriano Salgado, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alisson De Souza, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0-0-0.00
