LINCOLN, Neb. – For the second time in as many years, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast will buck into Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, holding the fan-attended PBR Cooper Tires Invitational Oct. 23-24.
Positioned in the second half of the 2021 season, the PBR Cooper Tires Invitational is crucial in the championship race to the PBR World Finals in early November, awarding a gold buckle and million-dollar bonus to the world’s best bull rider.
With 15 Unleash The Beast events already complete, the 2021 PBR World Championship race is one of the most fiercely contested in league history. With No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) and No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) separated by a mere 18.5 world points, looking further down the standings, No. 3 Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas) remains hot on their spurs, within 186 points of No. 2 Pacheco and 204.5 points of No. 1 Leme.
This season’s current top three riders – 2020 PBR World Champion Leme, 2018 PBR World Champion Pacheco and 2016 World Champion Davis – are all attempting to become just the seventh rider in league history to have won the coveted gold buckle in multiple seasons.
Last season, PBR’s elite Unleash The Beast debuted inside Pinnacle Bank Arena, with Davis clinching his first event victory of the season courtesy of a walk-off 90-point ride.
The stoic Texan began the first-ever elite tour stop in Lincoln with a bang, winning Round 1 courtesy of an 89-point trip aboard Cold Chill (D&H Cattle Co./Futrell).
Davis remained red hot in Round 2, defending his spot atop the event standings when he rode Wicked Hou (Hart Cattle Co./Hale/Randy Wood) for 88.25 points.
He then selected 2018 ABBI (American Bucking Bull Inc.) Classic Champion Hocus Pocus (D&H Cattle/Almand/Lone Star/Outlaw) for his final opponent. In the face of a mid-out direction change, the then world No. 4-ranked bull was conquered by the poised Davis, who matched the powerful bovine athlete jump-for-jump en route to the monstrous 92.25-point score.
The perfect 3-for-3 performance earned Davis a critical 130 world points, elevating him from No. 9 to No. 8 in the world. Davis concluded the year with his sixth consecutive qualification to the PBR World Finals, finishing the year ranked No. 3 in the world.
Ultimately crowned the 2020 PBR World Champion, Leme also delivered a Top-10 finish at the inaugural PBR Unleash The Beast event in Lincoln.
In Round 1, Leme covered Gangster Time (C Check Bucking Bulls) for 86 points, only to have his eight-out ride streak come to a crashing halt in the second round when Bread Basket (L4 Livestock) sent him to the dirt in a swift 2.86 seconds.
In the final round, the resilient Brazilian rebounded, going the distance aboard Canadian-born Oz (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) for 89 points.
The Top-10 finish, Leme’s 13th of the 2020 season, allowed him to expand his lead over No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) to 569.09 points, his second-largest lead of the year.
When the season concluded, Leme won his career-first PBR World Championship at the first-ever PBR World Finals held in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium. Going a torrid 22-for-34 (64%) in 2020, Leme won a league-best seven events and 16 rounds while recording nine 90-point rides en route to the gold buckle.
The No. 1 ranked rider in the world three weeks thus far in 2021, Leme is mounting a potentially record-setting season in a quest for a historic second consecutive PBR World Championship.
Leme has logged 10 round wins and 12 90-point rides to date in 2021 – on pace to break the season record in both statistical categories. In 2013, two-time PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney (Statesville, North Carolina) registered a league-best 19 round wins, while in 1999, Cody Hart (Gainesville, Texas) registered a PBR best 16 90-point rides.
Further, should Leme repeat as the league’s World Champion, he would join Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) as the only riders to win the coveted gold buckle in back-to-back seasons. Alves won his first two titles in 2011 and 2012.
The bull riding action begins with Round 1 at 6:45 p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 23, concluding with Round 2 and the championship round at 1:45 p.m. CDT on Sunday, October 24. All 30 bull riders will get on one bull each in Rounds 1 and 2. Following Round 2 on Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled, with the Top 12 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the two-day event go on sale Thursday, June 24 and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Office, online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets offer premium seats, a question and answer presentation with some of the top bull riders and stock contractors in the world, a behind-the-scenes look at the event from the back of the bucking chutes, and souvenir credential and lanyard.
For an enhanced PBR experience, fans can now purchase add-on PBR Premium Experiences which will include the Elite Experience on both Saturday, October 23, and Sunday, October 24.
The Elite Experience, available for $75, will include a Q&A session with a select group of the league’s top riders, bullfighters and stock contractors, an exclusive merchandise item, an arena concession voucher and a commemorative lanyard.
For more information on PBR Premium Experiences and to purchase the Elite Experience for the PBR Cooper Tires Take The Money and Ride in Lincoln, visit https://pbr.com/tickets/premium-experiences/.
