Lima wins Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Grand Rapids Classic
Leonardo Lima won the first Velocity Tour event of his career with a 1-for-2 performance.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – As Saturday night rolled to a close inside of Van Andel Arena, the bovine athletes of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) dominated the night as only eight bull riders bested their opponents to record qualified rides.
Despite the night’s extraordinary display of animal athleticism, Leonardo Lima (Vale Do Paraiso, Brazil) emerged victorious, claiming the first Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) event win of his career at the Grand Rapids Classic.
Matched against White Dust (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) in the opening round of the night, Lima fired from the chutes, igniting the Michigan crowd into cheers as he collected the night’s highest ride score of 88 points.
The championship round did not pan out the way Lima planned. The 27-year-old came down hard after a mere 4.72 seconds when **The Undertaker (**Cornwell Bucking Bulls/ Riley Bucking Bulls) powerfully erupted from the chutes.
Despite the upset in the final round, Lima’s high ride score in Round 1 clinched the win and earned the Brazilian cowboy 37 world points.
Fellow countryman Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil) was the only cowboy to record a qualified ride in the championship round, also going 1-for-2 to collect a second-place finish in Michigan.
In Round 1, Salgado was paired with Yee Haw (C Check Bucking Bulls), an instant favorite with fans. The bull exploded from the chutes and proved Salgado was no match to stay aboard, flinging him to the ground after 5.31 seconds.
The 23-year-old was then matched with Night Shift (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) in the championship round for a crowd-pleasing 87-point ride.
Salgado collected 27 world points.
Missouri young gun Bob Mitchell (Steelville, Missouri) finished in third place, keeping the trend of 1-for-2 going.
In Round 1, the 18-year-old was paired with Lone Survivor (Jenkins Cattle Co.). In complete control, Mitchell had the crowd roaring as he recorded an impressive 86.75-point ride score.
He was bucked off of Puddle Dock Road (Cornwell Bucking Bulls/ Bierema Rodeo) in the championship round after 6.92 seconds.
Mitchell leaves Michigan with 14 world points for his efforts.
Eight-time PBR world finalist Matt Triplett (Canton, South Dakota) finished fourth overall. He climbed aboard Slam Dunk (Generations Pro Rodeo) in Round 1, but judges granted him a re-ride due to a technicality.
His re-ride bull, Turn Switch (C Check Bucking Bulls), was no match for the talented veteran that calls South Dakota home, earning him an 86-point ride score.
Despite the hushed arena hoping for Triplett’s success in the championship round, Cutthroat (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) overpowered him after a mere 3.67 seconds.
Despite a less-than-favorable 1-for-2 night, Triplett leaves Michigan with 9 world points for his fourth-place finish.
Ramon de Lima (Rio Branco, Brazil) rounded out the Top 5 of the Grand Rapids Classic, going 1-for-2 to collect 6 world points.
In Round 1, Lima’s pairing against Rabbit Tricks (C Check Bucking Bulls) showed the crowd inside of Van Andel Arena a little of the magic the 30-year-old veteran Brazilian is known for. Climbing aboard his bovine opponent with a stone-faced look of determination, he delivered an 85.25-point score.
However, in the championship round, he fell just short of the 8, lasting a heartbreaking 7.41 seconds aboard Pneu-Dart’s Coal Miner (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls).
The talented bull riders of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will next head to Fresno, California, for the Fresno Invitational at Save Mart Center on Aug. 28-29. Action gets underway with Round 1 at 7:00 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Aug. 28, followed by Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2:00 p.m. PDT.
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) - Grand Rapids Classic
Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Name, Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points
1. Leonardo Lima, 88-0-88.00-37 Points.
2. Adriano Salgado, 0-87-87.00-27 Points.
3. Bob Mitchell, 86.75-0-86.75-14 Points.
4. Matt Triplett, 86-0-86.00-9 Points.
5. Ramon de Lima, 85.25-0-85.25-6 Points.
6. Michael Lane, 83.75-0-83.75-4 Points.
7. Nathan Burtenshaw, 83.5-0-83.50-3 Points.
8. Marcos Gloria, 82.75-0-82.75-1 Points.
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0.00
Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole, 0-0-0.00
Cole Skender [1], 0-0-0.00
Cole Skender [2], 0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball, 0-0-0.00
Lucas Fideles Souza, 0-0-0.00
Fernando Henrique Novais, 0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0.00
Dalton Rudman, 0-0-0.00
Eli Byler, 0-0-0.00
Casey Coulter, 0-0-0.00
D.J. Parker, 0-0-0.00
Amadeu Campos Silva, 0-0-0.00
Joseph McConnel, 0-0-0.00
Alecio Ferreira da Costa, 0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0.00
Jake Morinec, 0-0-0.00
Venn Johns, 0-0-0.00
Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0.00
Gage Gay, 0-0-0.00
Carlos Garcia, 0-0-0.00
Josh Steele, 0-0-0.00
Laramie Craigen, 0-0-0.00
Trace Brown, 0-0-0.00
Matt Oliver, 0-0-0.00
Alex Jenks, 0-0-0.00
Perry Schrock, 0-0-0.00
Jason Landing, 0-0-0.00