CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – When the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Challenger Series bucked into Charlottesville, Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena, fans were on the edge of their seats as Michael Lane (Tazewell, Virginia) secured his second event win of the 2025 Challenger Series season.

The 35-year-old cowboy came out swinging in Round 1 with a double entry night. His second draw in the opening round, Jungle Cat, proved to be a strong matchup as Lane reached the 8 second buzzer, scoring 82.5 points and securing the Round 1 win.

As the talented bulls of the PBR showcased their supreme agility throughout the championship round in Virginia, Lane, hoping to keep the momentum going when matched with Pneu Dart’s Gold Standard, once again made the 8, scoring 86 points for the highest marked ride of the evening, and securing the event win.

For his first-place finish, Lane netted 136 Challenger points and is now sitting at No. 31 in the standings.

The PBR Challenger Series holds more than 60 events from May-October, culminating with its Championship in late October in Las Vegas. The PBR Challenger Series provides additional competitive opportunities for bull riders who are both affiliated and unaffiliated with a PBR Teams league team.

Maryland cowboy Dalton Dwyer (Westminster, Maryland) was hot on Lanes’ heels in front of the Virginia crowd coming in at second place.

Dwyer was paired with Ferracci in Round 1, with an unfortunate outcome, hitting the dirt early at 4.53 seconds.

Seeking redemption, the young cowboy set his sights on the championship round where Radical Dude was no match for him. The crowd roared as he conquered the bovine, scoring an impressive 83 points.

Dwyer collected 68 Challenger points for his second-place finish.

In addition to winning the event, Lane also walked away with the third-place finish, courtesy of his Round 1 ride against Comrad.

Gabriel Honorato (Mendes Pimental, Brazil) left the John Paul Jones Arena as the fourth-place man, first putting himself on the leaderboard in Round 1, after conquering Bone Digger for 79.5 points and a third-place finish in the round.

Looking ahead to the final round, the 28-year-old was paired with Iceberg Slim. To the Virginia fans dismay, he hit the dirt early, after a mere 2.13 seconds.

For his efforts, Honorato collected 37 Challenger points.

Last year’s event champion, Matt Allgood (Saline, Michigan) rounded out the top 5 in Charlottesville with a less-than-ideal 58.5-point ride against Banana Slide in Round 1. Even though Allgood hoped for a higher score, it still put him on the leaderboard at No. 4 in the round.

Hoping to top his earlier performance in the championship round aboard Phe Phe, he fell short, hitting the dirt after just 3.37 seconds.

Despite the buck off, he walked away from the John Paul Jones Arena with 25 Challenger points.

The talented bull riders of the PBR Challenger Series will next head to Las Vegas, Nevada for the Challenger Series Championship at the South Point Arena Oct. 22-23.

Photo Courtesy of Andre Silva