KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the 19th consecutive season, and 21st time in the organization’s history, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) elite Unleash The Beast will buck into Kansas City, Missouri, holding the Caterpillar Classic on March 18-19 at T-Mobile Center.
For two nights only, the Top 30 bull riders in the world will compete in one of the most exciting live sporting events to witness, showcasing the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast.
In 2021, then-reigning PBR Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell (Crockett, Texas) delivered an electric 3-for-3 showing to win the Kansas City tour stop, including registering what remains the high-marked ride of his career.
After covering Hard Shot (Glover Cattle/D&H Cattle Co.) for 88.5 points in Round 1 and Dr. Campbell (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/D&H Cattle Co.) for 86.75 points in Round 2, the young Texan advanced to the championship round atop the leaderboard.
Campbell then selected Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch) with his first pick in the bull draft and matched the impressive animal athlete for a monstrous 95.5 points.
The score remains the top effort of Campbell’s PBR career and is tied for 18th-best of all-time. Additionally, the 8-second effort was the fourth highest of the 2021 season, trailing only those registered by Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) and Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas), who both broke the previous high-marked ride record of 96.5 points that had been recorded before the 2021 season.
Courtesy of his dominant showing in Kansas City, Campbell earned a much-needed 143 world points, catapulting 39 positions in the world standings from No. 53 to No. 14. At year’s end, Campbell concluded the season No. 6 in the world, his second consecutive Top-10 finish in the world standings.
A complete list of past PBR Caterpillar Classic event winners is: Owen Washburn (1996), Tuff Hedeman (1996), Troy Dunn (1997), Dave Samsel (2004), Guilherme Marchi (2005, 2008-2009, 2018), Mike Lee (2006), Justin McBride (2007), Austin Meier (2010), Caleb Sanderson (2011), L.J. Jenkins (2012), Marco Eguchi (2013), Emilio Resende (2014), J.W. Harris (2015), Eduardo Aparecido (2016-2017), Chase Outlaw (2019) and Lucas Divino (2020).
The PBR’s return to Kansas City comes on the spurs of a season for the ages for now-two-time PBR World Champion Leme. Leme is now just the second back-to-back PBR World Champion in league history, joining three-time PBR World Champion Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil), who won his first two titles in 2011-2012, and seventh multi-time PBR World Champion.
Shattering nearly every major PBR rider record en route to his second gold buckle, Leme punctuated his 2021 PBR World Championship winning season by shattering the league’s all-time high-marked ride record, which he previously broke in August.
On his final out of the 2021 PBR World Finals, Leme teamed with 2021 YETI PBR World Champion Bull Woopaa for an unprecedented 98.75-point score, earning the first-ever 50-point score awarded to a rider.
Throughout 2021, Leme went a torrid 49-for-71, covering 69.01% of his animal athlete opponents. In addition to setting a new high-score record, Leme also broke the season record for most 90-point rides (24) and round wins (21) and tied the season record for most event wins (8).
The bull riding action for the 2022 PBR Caterpillar Classic at T-Mobile Center begins with Round 1 at 7:45 p.m. CST on Friday, March 18, followed by Round 2 and the championship round at 6:45 p.m. CST Saturday, March 19. All competing bull riders will get on one bull in Rounds 1-2. Following Round 2 Saturday evening, the riders’ 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 Monday, December 27 at 10:00 a.m. CST and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets early, with all price levels increasing $5 on event day. Tickets can be purchased online at AXS.com, T-MobileCenter.com and PBR.com, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
Two-day ticket packages will also be available, offering fans up to a 20% discount on select price levels.
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, available in three tiers, 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, a $10 concession voucher and souvenir credential and lanyard.
Available for $450 is the PBR Premier Elite Seat offering the best views in the venue along with a souvenir, limited-edition PBR folding chair to take home following the event.
Fans will also have the chance to purchase the PBR VIP Elite Seats, which include an exclusive merchandise gift and post-show photo opportunity from the dirt, and the PBR Elite Experience Seats, which include an exclusive merchandise gift.
For an enhanced PBR experience, fans can now purchase add-on PBR Premium Experiences which will include the Elite Experience on both Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, and Bull Housing Tour on Saturday, March 19 in Kansas City.
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, pre-event photo on the bucking chutes, arena concession voucher, Stars of the PBR book, and commemorative credential and lanyard.
The Bull Housing Tour, available for $50, will get experience-purchasers up-close-and-personal with the league’s top animal athletes and include a commemorative lanyard and Bulls of the PBR book.
