Two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme goes for 90 points twice to win PBR Ontario
Gunning for third individual world title, Leme heads for St. Louis No. 3 in Unleash The Beast standings, while No. 2 ranked Dalton Kasel closes in on world leader John Crimber.
By Mandi McCary
ONTARIO, Calif. – Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), hampered by injury in the 2023-24 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast season, made a huge statement on Sunday afternoon about his renewed title intentions in going 3-for-3, including two 90-point rides, to win PBR Ontario and move to No. 3 in the race for the 2025 PBR World Championship, trailing No. 1 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) by 34.5 points.
One month after leading the Austin Gamblers to the 2024 PBR Teams Championship title in Las Vegas, Leme was back in World Champion form on the individual tour as PBR returned to Ontario, California, for the first time in more than 14 years. After going 0-for-2 in the season opener in Tucson, Arizona, Leme, who came into the season’s second event scoreless, knew he had to reverse course at the two-day event in Ontario.
Heading into Sunday tied for fifth place with rookie Anderson de Oliveira (Novo Mundo, Brazil), after an 87.5-point ride on Saturday night aboard I’m Him in front of a sold-out crowd, Leme hit the gas on Sunday.
Picking up right where he left off in early 2024 before stepping aside from the 2024 UTB world title race due to injury, the two-time World Champion exploded from the chutes Sunday afternoon aboard HomeBru in Round 2. Leme’s 90.25-point ride, the 83rd of his career, clinched the round win and set him up for a top pick in the Championship Round, selecting Umm as his bovine opponent.
With fans inside Toyota Arena on the edge of their seats, the two-time 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series MVP dismounted the resilient animal following the 8-second buzzer and walked across the arena, pumping his fists in the air. The California crowd erupted when announcers revealed his 90.5-point score – his second of the day and 84th since beginning his PBR career in 2017.
As Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas) readied to ride as the final man out, Leme stood in the wings, waiting to see the outcome. Kasel’s buckoff after 7.16 seconds clinched Leme’s 27th career event win.
“I’m so happy to be healthy again and riding good,” said Leme on the dirt post-event. “God is blessing me a lot. I’m so proud. The focus now is on the third gold buckle. I’m confident and feeling great. There are some young guys doing great. I just need to work harder and do what I do.”
As one of only three men to go 3-for-3 over the weekend, Leme earned $50,883.33 and collected 147.5 points, moving from scoreless to No.3 in the UTB standings as the race for the 2025 world title ignites.
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) finished the weekend in second place, climbing from No. 24 to No. 4.
After a tumultuous season with the Missouri Thunder during PBR Teams, Alvidrez started the individual season by going 1-for-2 in Tucson. He began the second UTB weekend by besting No Man’s Land for 85.25 points on Saturday night, knowing he had ground to gain in entering Sunday at No. 11 on the event leaderboard.
Sailing through Round 2 with an 88.75-point matchup with Good Riddance, the 28-year-old Texan set his sights on his final ride of the weekend against Electric Kitty. Alvidrez sailed through the air in supreme form until the buzzer sounded, tying Leme’s 90.5-point short round score. Alvidrez, who now sits in the No. 4 position in the standings, earned 100.25 points toward the Unleash The Beast standings.
Third place in Ontario put Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) in the No. 6 spot in the standings as the season kicks into full swing.
The Austin Gamblers rider walked into Sunday at No. 23 in the event after his rather low 72-point ride aboard Joe Hawk in Round 1.
After an 85.5-point ride in Round 2 aboard Ah Hell, his spot was secured in the championship round after No. 12 qualifier 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil) doctored out following a hard dismount landing flat on his back after making the whistle on his second qualified ride of the weekend.
Divino selected Hell Right as his matchup for the final round and the 30-year-old made it to the 8 for a solid 83 points.
Collecting 61 points, Divino now sits at No. 6, up from No. 13, in the UTB standings.
Despite Kasel’s heartbreaking buck off in the Championship Round, he leaves Ontario with a fourth-place finish, holding tight to the No. 2 spot in the standings behind John Crimber and one spot ahead of Leme.
Having celebrated with teammate Divino as the Austin Gamblers clinched the 2024 PBR Teams Championship title in October, the 25-year-old was paired with Coach as the weekend in Southern California began on Saturday.
With a standout 90.25-point ride, Kasel stood and watched as the only man left to ride in Round 1, world leader John Crimber and Florida Freedom phenom prepared for his matchup with Cyrus.
In an uncharacteristic chain of events, Crimber, who was crowned the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series MVP a few weeks ago and jumped out to lead in the world title race by winning in Tucson, hit the ground at 7.63 seconds in Round 1. The streak of bad luck would follow him into Sunday as he was unable to convert on his Round 2 bull, narrowing the gap between he and Kasel to 32.5 points.
Sitting atop the leaderboard heading into Sunday, Kasel was paired with Kwik Lock in Sunday’s Round 2. Making quick work with a steadfast look on his face, his ride score of 87.75 points pushed him into the final round.
Hitting the ground short, courtesy of Reality Check, Kasel earned 65.5 UTB points.
Rounding out the Top 5 was veteran athlete Luciano De Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil).
Having not competed in Tucson, De Castro arrived in Ontario ready to blaze a trail. Paired with Snoop Dog in Saturday’s opening round, his 87-point ride put him at No. 7 on the event leaderboard heading into day two.
Showcasing flawless form as he soared through the air aboard In My Blood in Sunday’s matinee Round 2, the crowd roared as Castro’s 87.75-point score propelled him into the Championship Round.
Hitting the ground hard after a mere 3.13 seconds aboard his chosen opponent, Cyrus, the Brazilian was visibly in pain as the sports medicine team helped him from the arena.
Despite the hard end to a productive weekend, the Arizona Ridge Riders’ athlete earned 45.5 UTB standings points to move into No. 11 the world title race.
Overall, the cowboys of the PBR went 46-for-90 on the weekend (51%).
In the bull pen, three bulls shared a striking 44.5-point bull score to share the YETI Bull of the Event title: Cyrus and Constant Payne for their Round 1 matchups with Crimber and Kaiden Loud (Kaufman, Texas) respectively and Manaba in his Championship Round face-off with Dawson Branton (Jefferson, Oregon).
Both rounds of action in Ontario, California, were available LIVE and FREE on RidePass on Pluto TV, PBR’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@pbr), PBR’s mobile app (https://qrco.de/bdtdKp), and PBR’s app on connected TVs, including Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku and Google TV.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer re-airs and on-demand replays of PBR UTB events and is available on desktops, laptops and mobile devices via www.pluto.tv.
The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to St. Louis, Missouri, for PBR St Louis, presented by Michelob Ultra, at Enterprise Center on Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8.
