Kleier Triumphs in his Velocity Tour Debut at the Portland Classic

By: Heather Croze
January 19, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – In his first PBR event in the United States, Aaron Kleier (Clermont, Queensland, Australia) had the arena on its feet as he went a perfect 2-for-2 to win the Portland Classic inside Moda Center.

Kleier started the night with an 83.5-point ride atop Amped Up (Corey & Lange Pro Rodeo) in Round 1. The young cowboy, who currently sits atop the PBR Australia leaderboard, recorded the only qualified ride in the championship round Saturday night, making the 8 on Double Down (Corey & Lange Pro Rodeo). The win earned him 170 world points and a $7,900 paycheck.

In addition to winning his very first PBR event on U.S. soil, the Australian has also earned an invite to the upcoming Unleash The Beast St. Louis Invitational at Enterprise Center on February 15-16.

Texan Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) finished second, collecting a paycheck for $4,700 along with 140 world points. His 89-point ride aboard Fantastic (Humpz and Hornz / Sis ‘N’ Stan Bucking Bulls) secured his second-place overall finish.

Cody Casper (Newport, Washington) took home $3,000 and 80 world points with a third-place finish fueled by his only qualified ride of the night aboard Black Point (Howell Rodeo Company Inc.) in Round 1 for 87 points.

Brazilian cowboy Danilo Carlos Sobrinho (Tupa, Sao Paulo, Brazil) tied for fourth overall with Australian Kurt Shephard (Atherton, Queensland, Australia). Sobrinho conquered Happy Dance (Corey & Lange Pro Rodeo), riding to an 84-point finish, while Shephard made his 84-point effort on Mobster (Big Bend / Flying Five). Each cowboy took home $1,570 and 22.5 world points.

Dam Straight, a bovine athlete owned by Corey & Lange Pro Rodeo, earned top marks for the evening. He received a 45.5-point bull score after bucking off Jake Lockwood (Volborg, Montana) in a mere 4.2 seconds.

The Velocity Tour now heads to Youngstown, Ohio, for the Youngstown Invitational on January 25-26.

Velocity Tour Event Results
Portland Classic – Moda Center – Portland, Oregon
Name, Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points

1. Aaron Kleier, 83.5-81.5-165.00-170 Points.
2. Mason Taylor, 89-0-89.00-140 Points.
3. Cody Casper, 87-0-87.00-80 Points.
4. Danilo Carlos Sobrinho, 84-0-84.00-22.5 Points.
(tie). Kurt Shephard, 84-0-84.00-22.5 Points.
6. Rafael Marcelino de Montanha, 82-0-82.00-10 Points.
7. Ruger Piva, 81-0-81.00-5 Points.
8. Luis Blanco, 78.5-0-78.50

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