PUEBLO, Colo. – The first time Fernando Henrique Novais competed in a PBR event in the U.S., he dove right into the deep end.
Fresh off the plane from Brazil, Novais competed in the 2014 PBR World Finals.
He wound up going 1-for-3, earning 86.25 points aboard JW Hughes’ Excavation, and finished 23rd.
“I was real nervous because I’d watched it on TV, so coming here was a big dream,” Novais said with the help of Andre Silva translating.
“Here in the Finals is the best in the world. I was grateful to stand with the best 35 bull riders in the world.”
Four years later, Novais has a chance to get back there again via the 2018 Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour Finals.
The invite from PBR Brazil, Novais will look to beat out fellow international invites Cliff Richardson (PBR Australia), Brock Radford (PBR Canada) and Francisco Garcia Torres (PBR Mexico). The top finisher among these four riders (who does not conclude the season in the Top 35) will receive an automatic bid to the World Finals.
In addition, the top two finishers in the Velocity Tour standings and the Top 2 finishers at the Velocity Tour Finals also earn wild card bids to the World Finals. If any of those riders are already ranked in the Top 35, then the spots will go to the next highest-ranked rider in the final Velocity Tour standings. If the Top-5 finishers in the event are all qualified for the World Finals, then the wild cards will revert back to the Velocity Tour standings.
Novais is currently ranked No. 22 in the Velocity Tour standings with 160 points, 120 points behind No. 1 Michael Lane. One rider can earn a maximum of 440 points at the Velocity Tour Finals.
Novais heads to the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa in Las Vegas riding a hot streak: he’s ridden his last seven bulls on the Velocity Tour, including a 3-for-3 performance at the final regular season event of the year, the Colorado Springs Classic.
There he rode Jailhouse Socks and Wreck’Em for 82 points apiece. He then capped his weekend with 84 points on Get Smoked. While a 3-for-3 performance would normally mean a win or close to it, six other riders also went perfect in Colorado Springs. Novais finished in seventh place, earning five points towards the standings.
Novais is doing everything he can to be ready for his opportunity outside of the arena.
“I’m training all the time, and I’m working hard in the gym and talking to other guys about their experience to prepare for Finals,” he said.
In PBR Brazil events, Novais is 24-for-35 (68.57 percent) with one event victory and four Top-5 finishes.
Novais has good company looking ahead to Vegas.
In 2017, Brazil’s No. 1 rider Jose Vitor Leme went 3-for-4 at the Velocity Finals to earn the international invite. At the World Finals, he went 6-for-6, becoming the 20th World Finals event winner in PBR history and clinching the Rookie of the Year title.
Leme is currently ranked No. 2 in the world standings and looks to challenge world No. 1 Kaique Pacheco for the world title. Both will also be competing at the Velocity Finals.
As the PBR Brazil international invite, Novais is proud to represent his home country on bull riding’s biggest stage.
“I feel happy and accomplished to represent Brazil here,” Novais said. “It’s the best dream to be with these guys here and represent Brazil.”
Novais grew up on a ranch in Pereira Barreto, Brazil, watching bull riding on TV and idolizing two-time World Champion Justin McBride because “he was just the best in the world.” For a number of years he worked on a farm and rode bulls, but in 2008 he stopped working to focus on riding because he didn’t have time for both jobs.
He got on his first bull when he was 5 years old. He and his brother would have competitions: rather than trying to ride for 8 seconds, the pair would see who could ride their bull the farthest.
Years later and thousands of miles away, Novais is still trying to see how far he can go on the back of a bull.