Posted by Two-Time PBR World Champion and Austin Gamblers standout Jose Vitor Leme extends lead atop 2023 World Championship race with second-place effort in the opening round
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – As a boisterous, sold-out Saturday night crowd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, watched on, the Nashville Stampede’s Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) dominated, winning Round 1 of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast’s Brew City Classic inside Fiserv Forum.
The 2018 PBR World Champion and star rider for the Championship-winning Nashville team in the separate PBR Team Series was a near picture of perfection atop Alter Ego (Fabulous IV Ranch/Josh & Dalton Walling), matching the high-flying animal athlete jump-for-jump en route to an 89-point score.
Surging to the top of the event leaderboard, Pacheco earned a crucial 28 Unleash The Beast points as he seeks his second gold buckle this May in Fort Worth, Texas. While he remained No. 4 in the standings, he climbed within 127.5 points of No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil).
Two-time PBR World Champion Leme continued his pursuit of a record-tying third gold buckle Saturday evening, finishing second in Round 1 to extend his lead atop the 2023 title race.
The Austin Gamblers rider in the PBR Team Series was tasked with Spirit World (Nixon Bucking Bulls) in the opening round, conquering the bull for 87.5 points to earn 18 Unleash The Beast points.
Leme will begin Championship Sunday with an increased 74.5-point lead over No. 2 Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas). Kasel failed to convert in Round 1, valiantly trying to hang on, but ultimately tossed by Cabo (Blake Sharp) in a close 7.07 seconds.
Texas Rattlers’ Rafael Jose de Brito (Potirendaba, Brazil) and 2022 PBR Canada Champion Nick Tetz (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) were marked a matching 87 points and tied for third, each netting 16.5 Unleash The Beast points.
Brito outlasted ProVantage Night Stalker (Nixon Bucking Bulls), while Tetz earned his first qualified ride in premier series competition when he bested Death Warrant (John Wyckoff/Frihauf Cattle Co.).
Brito remained No. 6 in the 2023 World Championship race, now 284.5 points back of No. 1 Leme, while Tetz went from unranked to No. 56 courtesy of the 8-second effort.
Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas), Wingson Henrique da Silva (Navirai, Brazil) and Kyler Oliver (Roy, Utah) rounded out the Top 5, tying for fifth.
The powerhouse trio of riders in the PBR Team Series, which begins its second season in July, were awarded matching 86.5-point scores. The Texas Rattlers’ Keeping reached the requisite 8 aboard J&M’s Yukon (Hookin’ W Ranch), the Carolina Cowboys’ Silva covered Taking Chances (Frihauf Cattle Co.) and the Kansas City Outlaws’ Oliver topped Unstoppable (Guy Bucking Bulls/Frihauf Cattle Co.).
Keeping, Silva and Oliver each netted 14 Unleash The Beast points.
Action for the PBR Brew City Classic will conclude with Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, March 12. Action gets underway at 1:45 p.m. CST.
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 viawww.pluto.tv. Click here for on-demand PBR programming.
Footage courtesy of @PBR
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