LAS VEGAS – Jose Vitor Leme landed on his feet inside the South Point Arena on Saturday night and immediately crossed his arms in defiance.
If Leme is supposed to feel any sort of pressure about the 2019 World Championship race or be fazed by No. 2 Jess Lockwood riding Hammered Down for 88 points just minutes earlier, do not expect him to.
Leme ended Round 1 of the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals with an 87.5-point ride on Little Joe to finish the night in fourth place, right on the heels of Lockwood’s third-place showing.
It was a dominant night for the top two bull riders in the world.
“That’s just to show I’m focused,” Leme said of crossing his arms after his ride with the help of Paulo Crimber translating. “I’m waiting to do my job. It’s a lot of people around trying to make pressure on me or make me think about pressure. I just want to show I ain’t looking around. I’m just focused on my job, and nothing’s going to bother me here. I’m just going to do what I do best, ride bulls, and I just showed that tonight.”
Regardless, it was another important ride from Leme to answer Lockwood as the world title race continues to come down to the wire.
Lockwood gained 12.5 points on Leme in the world standings, and he will head into Championship Sunday at the Velocity Tour Finals 484.16 points behind.
Yatesy Down Under bucked off No. 3 Chase Outlaw in 2.39 seconds in Round 1.
Leme also remained unfazed after learning this weekend that his bull had been switched to a left-handed delivery after he was originally told the bull was out of the right.
“I was focused on that bull on the other side, because I saw a bunch of videos of him on the other side,” Leme said. “They moved him over here tonight. I got my rope in the middle a little bit because I didn’t know which way he was going to turn. He was a hard bull to ride, but I got him to my advantage because he went to my favorite spot, to the left. That was great.”
The event winner of the Velocity Tour Finals earns 200 world points, and there are still 360 points up for grabs for one rider Sunday evening at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa.
“These points are going to decide a world title, even set aside from the ones we are going get there at the World Finals,” Lockwood said. “It don’t even matter if you end up last in the round, and you get two points, it may matter.
“I will take every little point I can get.”
Leme will square off against Just Another Gangster in Round 2, while Lockwood will look for 8 seconds against Just Al.
Lockwood looked just as confident and dominant as Leme in Round 1, landing on his feet as well after riding Hammered Down.
It was another impressive showing from the 2017 World Champion, who used the 2017 Velocity Tour Finals to spearhead his comeback from a 655-point deficit to win the world title.
“I did my job, and you know I am feeling good because I spurred him away from my hand and I usually don’t like to do that because I feel weird,” Lockwood said. “It is not a comfort zone for me. You know I am feeling good and riding good because I am spurring away from my hand.”
LEME CLOSING IN ON 2019 VELOCITY TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
Leme is solely thinking about a world title, but he is also closing in on winning the Velocity Tour title and its $50,000 bonus.
The 23-year-old expanded his lead atop the Velocity standings to 220 points on No. 2 Taylor Toves with his Round 1 performance.
Toves remains in contention, though, with his 83-point ride on Page 512, but he is sitting tied for 15th in the event average. Toves likely needs to win the event title if he hopes to somehow run down Leme for the title.
No. 3 Ramon de Lima is the only other rider still mathematically alive for the Velocity Tour title, but he was bucked off by Vanished (5.98 seconds) in Round 1. He trails Leme by 300 points with only 360 points available for one rider on Sunday.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko