PUEBLO, Colo. – The 2024 Unleash The Beast season has been a bumpy road for two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme.
And that, unfortunately, is putting it mildly.
He’s competed in just five events this season due to a lingering groin injury and is ranked an unthinkable No. 25 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings.
For perspective: Leme has never finished a season worse than No. 7, which he did in his debut season in 2017, when he competed in just two events on U.S. soil.
However, when Leme has been in the draw this year, he’s been simply outstanding. He’s 8-for-11 on the season for a 72% riding average with two round wins, one Top-5 finish, and three Top-10 finishes.
After spending another month on the sidelines trying to let his groin heal, Leme was back in the draw this past weekend at the PBR Albuquerque Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The last PBR Major of the season, it was Leme’s chance to make up some significant ground on No. 1 Cassio Dias, who’s in the process of running away with the world title race.
If you recall, Leme and Dias already have a history, battling it out for the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series regular-season MVP award. Leme edged Dias by a single ride.
Leme went 2-for-3 in Albuquerque, riding Bubba G for 84 points in Round 1 and Taylor’s Cowtown Throwdown for 85.75 points in Round 2.
However, in Round 3, he bucked off of Younts Brody’s Pet in 2.09 seconds, and it was not pretty.
Leme was pulled down onto the bull’s head, taking a brutal hit before being slammed to the dirt.
“Oh my gosh!” CBS announcer Craig Hummer exclaimed. “Leme – hammered!
“There are re-ride flags, but forget getting on another bull. We just have to hope he’s okay.”
Leme was immediately helped off the dirt by bullfighter Cody Webster as a hush fell over the arena.
“There you see the flag,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride said, “but I think that’s the furthest thing from everyone’s mind right now.
“This is wild right out of here. Hits and just blows straight up. Jose’s back, trying to cut the corner. When that bull comes down, it just brings everything with it. Right here, he knows the right’s coming. He’s wanting to get there. That bull rears, and you have got to go forward with him.”
Leme did stand up and walk off the dirt under his own power, but he declined his re-ride option. CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison immediately reported that he doctored out of the championship round as well.
Unfortunately, it meant that Leme missed out on the chance to do some catching up in the standings. He finished 10th overall and earned 35.5 points toward the UTB standings, but Dias finished second and added another 169.5 points.
Additionally, the hit left Leme questionable for this weekend’s PBR Nampa, presented by Cooper Tires, in Nampa, Idaho. He is currently in the draw and slated to face Buck Nation in Round 1, which begins Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV.
Despite his low position in the standings, Leme looks to safely qualify for his eighth PBR World Finals, set to begin on May 9 in Fort Worth, Texas.
However, the event’s new format leaves even one of the greatest riders of all time facing early elimination.
The 2024 World Finals gets underway with the four-day Eliminations on May 9-12 at Cowtown Coliseum. The Top 40 in the UTB standings, plus five invites, will each attempt one bull per round. Out of the Elimination rounds, 20 riders will advance to AT&T Stadium for the Championship Rounds on May 18-19 – the Top 15 in the UTB standings, plus the Top 5 riders in the aggregate that have not already qualified.
If Leme doesn’t meet either of those criteria, he would have to compete in the Ride for Redemption rounds on May 15-16, also at Cowtown Coliseum. There, the 25 contestants not advancing plus 15 invites compete in two additional rounds, with the Top 5 in the aggregate advancing to the Championship Rounds.
The Championship Rounds start with a clean slate and consist of the 25 qualifiers competing in two rounds per day. At the end of the fourth round, the highest-ranked rider in the UTB standings will be crowned the PBR World Champion.
Get your 2024 PBR World Finals tickets now!
But before we get to AT&T Stadium, the important benchmark is that No. 15 ranking in the UTB standings. Right now, No. 15 is Keyshawn Whitehorse with 266.66 points. Leme is 84.16 points behind. The event winner in Nampa receives 100 points just for winning the aggregate, not even taking points for round placements or ride score bonuses into account.
As long as Leme is in the draw and even marginally healthy, he’s a threat to make the whistle, win rounds, and win events.
But will he be healthy enough to be in the draw? That is, unfortunately, the persistent question.
Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media
