2023 Unleash The Beast Game Notes: World Finals Round 4
By: Andrew Hatfield
2023 UNLEASH THE BEAST GAME NOTES: WORLD FINALS ROUND 4
As PBR’s Unleash The Beast bucks into Dickies Arena May 18-21 during the final event of the 2023 Unleash The Beast campaign, PBR.com is highlighting some of the series’ latest winners, top competitors and beyond as the premier series wraps up down south in Thursday night’s Round 4 action!
RAMON DE LIMA LEADS AFTER ROUND 3: Brazil’s Ramon de Lima holds a .75-point lead over Texas’s Boudreaux Campbell after three rounds of competition at the PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. Lima is one of just four riders to record more than one ride, starting his weekend off with an 87-point ride on Renegade and finishing fourth in Round 1. After being bucked off in 2.37 seconds by the boisterous Ivy League in Round 2, Lima steadied himself and posted an 88.75-point ride atop Hoka Hey in Round 3 to push him into first place in the event and up three spots in the Unleash The Beast standings to No. 14. Right on his spurs, Campbell began his weekend by hanging on to Buster Brown in Round 1 for 84.75 points, tying him for eighth on the day. After 2023 YETI PBR World Champion Bull frontrunner Cool Whip bested him in 4.27 seconds in Round 2, Campbell rallied, covering I’m Legit Too for 90.25 points and bringing fans at Dickies Arena to their feet. Thanks to one of just two 90-point efforts in the first three rounds, Campbell placed second in Round 3, securing 71 points and rising from the No. 6 spot to the No. 5 spot in the Unleash The Beast standings. The charismatic cowboy faces Pookie Holler in Round 4, while Lima squares off with Tulsa Time
ROOKIE RAFAEL JOSE DE BRITO WINS ROUND 3: Rookie Rafael Jose de Brito and Chiseled danced in perfect unison for 90.5 points in Round 3, securing Brito his first career World Finals round win and extending his lead in the Rookie of the Year race to 209.67 points over his Texas Rattlers teammate Daniel Keeping. After being bucked off by Top Dollar in 2.41 seconds in Round 1 and by Stone Cold Gangster in 4.71 seconds in Round 2, the young Brazilian knew he needed to steady himself and last the 8 if he wanted to keep his dream of becoming the first rider to win a gold buckle in their rookie season alive. Claiming a crucial 89 points in the Unleash The Beast standings, Brito rose two spots from No. 9 to No. 7 and currently sits 336 points behind No. 1 Kaique Pacheco, who is not competing at the World Finals due to injury
AS RANK AS IT GETS: Not a single rider remained perfect after two rounds of competition at Dickies Arena, and after Round 3, only four riders have been able to cover two bulls: No. 5 Boudreaux Campbell, No. 14 Ramon de Lima, No. 18 Colten Fritzlan and No. 21 Braidy Randolph. In 2022, three different riders (Cody Jesus, Joao Ricardo Vieira and Jose Vitor Leme) were still perfect through Round 3, while in 2021, Leme and Mason Taylor were flawless entering Round 4. In addition, riders had covered 43 bulls after Round 3 in 2021 and 33 in 2022, while the animal athletes have gotten the better of the cowboys this season, with only 22 qualified rides so far. At last year’s World Finals, only Cliff Hanger had received a score of 46 or more entering Round 4, while four bovine competitors (Flapjack, Huckleberry, UTZ BesTex Legend and Ridin’ Solo) have surpassed that mark already this year
For all of the statistics, stories and standings heading into Round 4 of the 2023 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast, be sure to check out this week’s Game Notes and stay tuned to PBR.com and PBR social media channels!
Photo courtesy of Leo Loera/Bull Stock Media
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