PBR WORLD FINALS

2021 PBR WORLD FINALSRECAPPhoto By Andre Silva

JOSÉ VITOR LEME WINS BACK-TO-BACK WORLD CHAMPION TITLES AND CELEBRATES WITH THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME

José Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) celebrated a string of historic moments at the 2021 PBR World Finals: Unleash the Beast, which ran from Nov. 3 through 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Throughout the five-day event, the 25-year-old bull rider earned his second World Finals event win, won back-to-back World Champion titles and set a record-high ride score of 98.75 on WooPaa (Barker Brothers/Hookin’ W Ranch).

The year’s biggest bull riding event put the PBR’s best and brightest against one another for the chance to earn their share of a pot worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, along with a $300,000 event winner bonus and a $1 million World Champion payday. But this year’s PBR World Finals was especially groundbreaking as Leme shattered several longstanding records in an unforgettable 6-for-6 run, netting a total of $1,401,800 earnings at the event.

Though Leme was the star of the show, other bull riders had stunning rides and faced harrowing upsets as they put everything on the line for the season’s big finale. Brazilian Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, São Paulo, Brazil) took second at the World Finals to become the runner-up World Champion, going 5-for-6 but failing to hang on to War Dress in (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) in Round 2. Mason Taylor (Maypeal, Texas) also went 5-for-6 at the event, earning him third place and pushing him up to 11th place in the world standings.

Photo By Andre Silva

Photo By Andre Silva

VASTBINDER

Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, N.C.) claimed the PBR’s Rookie of the Year title. Though he only went 4-for-6 at the PBR World Finals, all four of those rides earned scores of 90 or above. A Round 5 ride on Medicine Man (TNT Bucking Bulls/Hart Cattle Co.) earned him 92.75 points for the second-highest score of the event.

Meanwhile, WooPaa earned the 2021 PBR World Champion Bull distinction, a well-deserved title for an animal that’s played such an essential role in Leme’s career over the past couple of years.

As one of the most memorable events in PBR history, it was also a solid farewell to Vegas before the PBR World Finals relocates to Fort Worth, Texas, from its longtime home in Sin City next year.

LEME, WOOPAA AND A PERFECT FINALE Leme is now only the second rider in PBR history to celebrate back-to-back World Champion titles. The other is Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sol, São Paulo, Brazil), who won in 2011 and 2012. Back-to-back championship titles initially seemed LEME Photo By Andre Silva like they might not be in the cards for Leme after he narrowly missed PBR World Champion titles in 2018 and 2019, earning the reserve title both of those years. However, with relentless drive and determination, he dominated the circuit in 2020 and repeated that performance in 2021 to secure a place in PBR history. It’s hard to believe it’s been only five years since Leme’s mind-blowing 2017 PBR World Finals run, in which the then-unknown bull rider went 6-for-6 and walked away with the PBR World Finals event title just days after settling in the US. He was the only rider to go 6-for-6 that year, defeating seasoned pros such as Silvano Alves and Ryan Dirteater (Hubert, Okla.) as well as that year’s World Champion, Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Mont.). Leme already had the World Champion title in the bag when he pulled off his stunning finale at this year’s main event. It was during Round 6 of the World Finals that he earned the PBR record-high score of 98.75 aboard WooPaa, also earning the PBR’s first-ever perfect rider score of 50. His score broke the previous record of 97.5 points, which Leme set himself after riding WooPaa back in July. That score defeated the previous world record of 96.5, held by four bull riders. WooPaa is an essential player in Leme’s recent success. Since the bull entered the PBR circuit in 2020, only four riders have managed to ride the animal at PBR-sanctioned events. Every one of those rides earned 93.75 points or higher, a testament to WooPaa’s power. Leme has successfully ridden the bull four times, while Boudreaux Campell (Crockett, Tex.) has ridden him three times, and Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Tex.) and Paulo Ferreira Lima (Bezerros, Pernambuco, Brazil) have each ridden him once. At this point, Leme and WooPaa now have quite the history together. Leme claimed his 2020 World Champion title after a 95.75-point ride on WooPaa during the 2020 PBR World Finals.

Photo By Andre Silva

Photo By Andre Silva

PUSHING THROUGH PAIN TO REWRITE THE PBR’S RECORD BOOK

Leme had a fantastic 2021, though the possibility of another World Champion title was in jeopardy after he suffered an injury in September. The bull rider felt pain in his groin after an event-winning 90.75 ride on Slingin Tears (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson/Caveman Bucking Bulls) during the PBR Ziprecruiter Invitational. Later, an MRI showed he’d partially torn his right groin muscle, but he immediately began physical therapy as part of the recovery process. He didn’t return to competition until the finals, missing five events overall and making his success at the big event that much more spectacular.

It’s hard to say what the World Finals would have been like without Leme. He was the clear front-runner all season, breaking records every step of the way. Leme celebrated 12 event wins throughout the season, smashing the previous record of eight set by Justin McBride (Elk City, Okla.) in 2007. With a season ride rate of 69.51 percent, his overall earnings for the year totaled more than $1.87 million. His career earnings now stand at more than $5.1 million, and with his 2021 6-for-6 World Finals run, he also became one of only five PBR bull riders to cross the $5 million mark for career earnings. This year, Leme set the PBR record for the most round wins in a season, earning 21 to displace the previous record of 19 set by J.B. Mauney (Statesville, N.C.) in 2013. Leme also broke the record for the most 90-point runs in a season, chalking up 24 by the time he accepted his World Champion buckle to defeat Cody Hart’s (Gainesville, Texas) record of 16, set in 1999. Leme finished the season with 2949.5 points, 884 points ahead of World Champion runner-up Pacheco.

If his last couple of years are any indication, he shows no signs of slowing down and will continue to rewrite the PBR record book along the way. In doing so, Leme will raise the bar for the next generation of bull riders worldwide.

PACHECO

DAVIS

OTHER PBR WORLD FINALS HIGHLIGHTS MOREIRA

While Leme stole the show, several other contenders had memorable runs as well.

The event started strong in Round 1, when Pacheco, Davis and Vastbinder each had rides that earned above 90 points, compared with Leme’s score of 86.75. However, all three endured buckoffs in Round 2, and by the end of Round 3, Leme and Taylor were the only riders who hadn’t been bucked off at least once. Going into Round 6, only 2.5 points stood between front-runner Leme and Taylor. But even if Denis the Menace (Viducic Bucking Bulls/White Trash Buckers) hadn’t bucked Taylor off in Round 6, it’s tough to imagine the bull rider would have beaten Leme’s record-breaking 98.75 to capture the win.

Meanwhile, Vastbinder clawed his way to Rookie of the Year when he not only went 4-for-6 with every ride scored above 90 but earned three of those scores after enduring several painful injuries. In Round 3 of the World Finals, he separated his right shoulder and broke several ribs when his attempt to ride Whisky Bent (Wentz Bucking Bulls/Aces Wild Pro Rodeo) went sour. After accepting a reride, he powered through to ride Hell on the Red (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) for 90 points. He returned the next night for Round 4 to earn another 90-point ride on Juju (Tommy Julian/D&H Cattle) and followed that the next evening with the event’s secondhighest score after a Round 5 ride on Medicine Man netted a score of 92.5. Those 90-point rides earned him a substantial lead over his fellow Rookie of the Year contenders, including Junior Patrik Souza (Sonora, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil) and Chase Dougherty (Decatur, Texas).

Those four 90-point scores shine a spotlight on Vastbinder’s capabilities as a bull rider. Though Vastbinder is a longtime rodeo athlete, 2021 was his first year with the PBR Unleash The Beast Tour. He previously competed with the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) and qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2018. Before his 2021 PBR World Finals run, he’d scored only a handful of 90-point rides in his eight years as a professional, and none since he’d joined the Unleash the Beast tour.

Photo By Andre Silva CAMPBELL

Photo By Andre Silva LOOKING FORWARD 2022 AND BEYOND

All eyes will be on Leme throughout the 2022 season. If he can keep up his momentum and avoid any severe injuries, he’ll continue to dominate the sport. Leme is setting the bar higher and higher for bull riders, redefining what’s possible with every ride. It took nearly 20 years for any single rider to achieve a perfect ride score, but if the next generation of riders are good enough to take on Leme, rodeo fans are about to witness a revolution in bull riding. Perhaps the timing is apt as the PBR revamps its season structure, with a new season that will run only from January to May. Next year’s World Finals will officially leave Vegas and celebrate a new home in Fort Worth. The 2022 PBR World Finals will take place at Dickies Arena over two weekends from May 13 to 22, with additional events at Cowtown Coliseum, the Fort Worth Convention Center and the Will Rogers Complex.