FAIRFAX, Va. – As action got underway for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Challenger Series event in Fairfax, Virginia, Joao Paulo Fernandes (Hidrolina, Brazil) rode supreme, winning Round 1 of the PBR Fairfax Invitational inside EagleBank Arena.

Fernandes was paired with Stray Bullet (J Bar W) in the opening round in front of the electric Saturday night crowd. Remaining in perfect time with his animal athlete counterpart, Fernandes reached the requisite 8 for 85.5 points.

The round win garnered the Brazilian a crucial 28 Challenger Series points.

Fernandes leads second-place Jefferson Silva (Somerville, Massachusetts) by 3.5 points in the aggregate.

Silva earned the silver finish in Round 1, and an accompanying 18 Challenger Series points, compliments of his 82-point effort aboard Big Gulp (J Bar W).

Third in Round 1 was Cole Trivette (Statesville, North Carolina).

Trivette conquered Blaze (J Bar W) for 76.5 points inside EagleBank Arena to net 16 Challenger Series points.

As the final rider to deliver a score Saturday evening, Dustin Herman (Dudley Shoals, North Carolina) was fourth.

Herman bested Rolex Romeo (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for 64.5 points. While he was offered a re-ride, Herman made a business decision to keep the score, worth 8 Challenger Series points.

Action for the PBR Fairfax Invitational will conclude with Round 2 and the championship round on Sunday, September 24. Action gets underway at 2 p.m. EDT.

PBR Challenger Series PBR Fairfax Invitational EagleBank Arena – Fairfax, Virginia  Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3- Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Joao Paulo Fernandes, 85.5-0-0-85.50-28 Points. 2. Jefferson Silva, 82-0-0-82.00-18 Points. 3. Cole Trivette, 76.5-0-0-76.50-16 Points. 4. Dustin Herman, 64.5-0-0-64.50-8 Points. Cody McCandless, 0-0-0-0.00 Michael Phillips, 0-0-0-0.00 Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0.00 Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00 Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0.00 Eli Byler, 0-0-0-0.00 Ricky Aguiar, 0-0-0-0.00 Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00 Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00 Matt Allgood, 0-0-0-0.00 Varnei José Santana Junio, 0-0-0-0.00 Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00 Colt Robinson, 0-0-0-0.00 Alex Cantoral, 0-0-0-0.00 Eloisio Boaventura, 0-0-0-0.00 Matt Oliver, 0-0-0-0.00 Esvin Garcia, 0-0-0-0.00 Gabriel Thiago Da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00 Brandon Ferguson, 0-0-0-0.00 Emiliano Brito, 0-0-0-0.00 Raliston Dias, 0-0-0-0.00 Garrett Drake, 0-0-0-0.00 Gabriel Honorato, 0-0-0-0.00 Leandro Aparecido da Silva, 0-0-0-0.00 Sergio Cantoral, 0-0-0-0.00 Wengleiman Peres, 0-0-0-0.00