First Half Recap: Mauney Wins a First and Vieira Wins Again

PUEBLO, Colo. – Now that summer has arrived and we’re that much close to the start of the second half of the Built Ford Tough Series in Nashville, PBR.com wants to take you back and look at the first half of the season.

Sacramento: Fabiano Vieira won his second Built Ford Tough event of the season in stunning fashion when he rode Roy for 90.25 points in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round. The ride wrapped up another perfect (3-for-3) weekend for Vieira and moved him into the Top 5 of the world standings.

“I was a little confused if I was going to pick Walk Off instead,” Vieira said. “Last week he spun left and this week he come right. Roy is a good bull. He has a little bit of a friendly spin. He bucked me off one time. I just concentrated in the spin this time.”

St. Louis: Nineteen months after his second reconstructive shoulder surgery in less than a year, Shane Proctor returned to the shark cage as a victor on the Built Ford Tough Series. Proctor, who missed the majority of 2014 because of two major shoulder surgeries, went a perfect 4-for-4 in St. Louis, and the Grand Coulee, Washington, bull rider swept Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round with an 88.75-point ride on Shoot Out The Lights and a 89-point ride aboard Cooper Tires Brown Sugar.

St. Louis was his first BFTS victory since winning the 2013 BFTS event in Anaheim, California.

“This sport is very humbling,” Proctor said. “I went from having quite a few years riding well and then I had two major surgeries. It can get you down, but you just have to stick your nose to the grind and keep focusing and it will all work out.”

St. Louis 15/15: Reigning World Champion J.B. Mauney won the first 15/15 Bucking Battle of his career in St. Louis with a 90.25-point ride on Sheep Creek. Mauney beat out 2015 Rookie of the Year Kaique Pacheco, whose 88.5-point ride on Little Red Jacket was the only other qualified ride in the special BFTS round.

The victory was Mauney’s first of three consecutive 15/15 Bucking Battle wins and the St. Louis win moved him to No. 2 in the world standings and within 140 points of world leader Paulo Lima.

“I would like to be sitting first all year long and just run away with it, but that probably won’t happen,” he said. “Those other guys ride too good for that to happen. I don’t care where I am sitting right now. It all comes down to Vegas.”

CHECK OUT THE REST OF OUR FIRST HALF RECAPS

–Part 1

–Part 2