01.22.24 - Unleash The Beast
#InCaseYouMissedIt: Vieira wins first event of 2024 amid “championship round of the decade”
Miss a moment of the action this weekend? Here’s what happened around the PBR.
By Darci Miller
We knew the Express Ranches PBR Tulsa, presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, would be a big one – it’s bull country, after all! – but we had no idea just how big. Miss a moment of the action this weekend? Here’s what happened around the PBR.
On the Unleash The Beast…
First and foremost, let’s talk about Joao Ricardo Vieira. The perennial world title contender earned his first event win of the season, and it was a milestone – he tied Gary Richard as the oldest rider to win a premier series event at 39.
Even crazier than that? The championship round that saw seven – yes, seven – 90-point rides. It’s one of the best rounds of competition in PBR history, one that two-time World Champion Justin McBride is already calling “the championship round of the decade.”
Austin Richardson is having one hell of a breakout season. Ranked No. 2 in the Unleash The Beast standings with two event wins already, Richardson notched yet another round win in Round 1 in Tulsa.
Meanwhile, on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour…
After recording his first Velocity Tour win the weekend prior, Marco Rizzo won Round 1 in Grand Rapids, Michigan…
…but Cody McCandless was the only rider to go 3-for-3, securing the event win.
Meanwhile, in Reno, Nevada, Chad Hartman notched the Round 1 win…
…but Aussie Callum Miller took home the event buckle thanks to his 3-for-3 showing.
In the Touring Pro Division…
Premier series regulars took over the PBR Stockyards Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas, with Daniel Keeping and John Crimber splitting the event win.
Through the lens with BullStockMedia
Check out the best photos from Tulsa.
Looking ahead
The Unleash The Beast continues with the Kubota PBR Houston, presented by Michelob Ultra, in Houston, Texas, on Jan. 26-27 (Jan. 26 at 8:45 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV; Jan. 27 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network).
The Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour heads to Greenville, South Carolina, for the PBR Greenville on Jan. 26-27 and Laredo, Texas, for the PBR Laredo on Jan. 26-27 (Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV).
The Touring Pro Division rolls on with the PBR Stockyards Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas, on Jan. 25 (8:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV) and the Rainsville Bull Bash in Rainsville, Alabama, on Jan. 26-27.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media