By the Numbers: A Look at How the Top 4 Riders Have Fared at All Levels of Competition
By: Justin Felisko
FAIRFAX, Va. – The Unleash The Beast may be off this weekend, but that doesn’t mean the world’s top bull riders are taking a rest in the midst of the race to a million dollars and a gold buckle.
The points in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity tour have become so meaningful to the title race that 16 of the Top 35 riders in the world standings are competing at this coming weekend’s Velocity event on Friday and Saturday in Portland, Maine.
There are too many points available in the PBR’s expansion tour, the Touring Pro Division and events in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico for riders to become complacent during a world title run. The premier series may consist of 26 regular-season events and the 2019 PBR World Finals, but a rider nowadays almost has to be willing to compete at various events across the PBR’s ecosystem if they hope to be crowned a PBR World Champion.
One does not have to look too far down the world standings to see just how crucial every point, every event and every bull ride is over the course of a season if a rider wants to win a PBR World Championship.
Jose Vitor Leme leads No. 2 Jess Lockwood by 1,026.66 points as he heads into Portland. Leme is the No. 1-ranked bull rider in the Velocity Tour simply by winning all three events he has competed in. He’s gone a perfect 6-for-6 and earned 635 world points on the PBR’s expansion tour.
That number has not gone unnoticed by his closest competitors in the world title race.
Lockwood, No. 3 Chase Outlaw and No. 4 Joao Ricardo Vieira are all also making the trip to the northeast corner of the United States this weekend instead of enjoying a peaceful weekend at home during the Unleash The Beast break.
One rider can earn potentially 270 points toward the world standings if he were to win the two long rounds and the event title in Portland.
Leme’s lead atop the world standings is the largest by any world No. 1 bull rider this year, and it would only be 391.66 points if he had elected to not compete at all three Velocity Tour events he has won in 2019.
However, let’s not forget just how important Lockwood’s summer run was in regards to the 2019 world title race.
Leme could be even further ahead in the world standings if not for the 687.5 points Lockwood earned during the Unleash The Beast break.
In fact, Leme and Lockwood are essentially dead even in points earned away from the PBR’s premier series. Leme has 885 points compared to Lockwood’s 887.5.
The what-if narrative can apply to both riders, too.
What if Lockwood went to a few more Velocity Tour events? What if Leme went to more Touring Pro Division and PBR Canada events during the summer break?
Regardless, both riders’ performances away from the Unleash The Beast have increased their world title odds.
What they do this weekend, and possibly at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals on Nov. 2-3, will likely impact the 2019 PBR World Championship race.
That should come as no surprise, though. A PBR World Champion should be able to thrive and dominate at Velocity Tour, Touring Pro Division and international events as Leme and Lockwood have done in 2019.
The extra world points are crucial when you look at the fact that Leme, Lockwood and Outlaw have all won four Unleash The Beast events this season already, but are still separated by less than 1,200 points.
Vieira has also kept himself in the world title conversation with success away from the UTB. The 35-year-old has earned 785 points – only 100 less than Leme – on the Velocity Tour and Touring Pro Division. He trails Leme by 1,719.16 points.
Historically, any rider within 2,000 points of the world has a decent at winning the World Championship.
Meanwhile, Outlaw – historically, a highly consistent rider away from the UTB – has picked up a mere 530 points.
Here is a breakdown of how the Top 4 riders in the world standings have earned their points so far this season across all levels of competition.
In parentheses is how each total ranks compared to the other riders in the Top 4 of the world standings.
NO. 1 JOSE VITOR LEME
Total World Points: 6,106.66 (1)
UTB World Points Earned (Excluding 15/15 Bucking Battles): 4,696.66 (1)
15/15 Bucking Battle Points: 525 (2)
Round Win Points: 17 round wins for 1,700 (1)
Velocity Tour Points: 635 (1)
Touring Pro Division Points: 175 (3)
PBR Canada Points: 75 (3)
SUMMARY: Leme has made up for not winning a PBR Major like his fellow world title contenders by winning a massive 17 rounds on the Unleash The Beast. Leme has earned 700 more points from round wins alone compared to Lockwood, and his home run-hitting ability has him in the driver’s seat for a world title. Two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney owns the record for the most premier series round wins in PBR history with 19 during his 2013 world title run, a record that Leme will likely break. Leme could also become the first rider to win the Velocity championship and world title in same season.
Leme is sitting first or second in most categories, except for the TPD and PBR Canada points. The 2017 Rookie of the Year left some points on the table by opting to rest some minor injuries this summer vs. push at the lower levels.
NO. 2 JESS LOCKWOOD
Total World Points: 5,080 (2)
UTB World Points Earned (Excluding 15/15 Bucking Battles): 3,635 (3)
15/15 Bucking Battle Points: 557.50 (1)
Round Win Points: 10 round wins for 1,000 points (2)
Velocity Tour Points: 105 (3)
Touring Pro Division Points: 515 points (2)
PBR Canada Points: 267.5 points (1)
QUICK REACTION: Lockwood has been able to negate Leme’s Velocity dominance by controlling the summer TPD run. The biggest culprit for Lockwood’s 2019 world title aspirations is that he wound up missing three months this season because of a broken left collarbone. If not for that injury, Lockwood could have been atop the world standings instead of more than 1,100 points behind with three Unleash The Beast events remaining until the PBR World Finals.
Noteworthy is the fact that Lockwood is leading the Touring Pro Division standings. Lockwood has 602.5 points in the TPD because the Calgary Stampede also counted toward the TPD standings. If his 72.5-point lead on Vieira holds up with only one event remaining, Lockwood will receive an automatic bid to the Velocity Tour Finals, which is extremely important because Lockwood is currently sitting outside of the Velocity Top 35. Lockwood only needs to earn 68 points to crack the Top 35.
NO. 3 CHASE OUTLAW
Total World Points: 4,925 (3)
UTB World Points Earned (Excluding 15/15 Bucking Battles): 4,215 (2)
15/15 Bucking Battle Points: 160 (3)
Round Wins : 9 round wins for 900 points (3)
Velocity Tour Points: 0 (4)
Touring Pro Division Points: 380 (3)
PBR Canada Points: 170 (2)
QUICK REACTION: Outlaw’s victory this past weekend in Fairfax resurrected his world title odds in a major way. Outlaw is back in the mix courtesy of the 562.5 points he earned with his fourth event win of 2019, and it was a loud reminder that you can never count him out of the race. Outlaw has surprisingly fared the worst among the Top 4 away from the UTB. He also has failed to convert in 15/15 Bucking Battles like Leme and Lockwood have.
The key for Outlaw right now, aside from making up ground in the UTB, is getting qualified for the Velocity Tour Finals, where one rider can earn 440 world points. Outlaw is only 1-for-3 in two Velocity Tour events and has zero points in their standings. He needs 173 points to get inside the Top 35. If he fails to do so in Portland, Outlaw could also decide to ride at the Velocity Tour regular-season finale in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Oct. 26.
NO. 4 JOAO RICARDO VIEIRA
Total World Points: 4,387.5 (4)
UTB World Points Earned (Excluding 15/15 Bucking Battles): 3,602.5 (4)
15/15 Bucking Battle Points: 110 (4)
Round Win Points: 4 round wins for 400 points (4)
Velocity Tour Points: 145 (2)
Touring Pro Division Points: 530 (1)
PBR Canada Points: 0 (4)
QUICK REACTION: Vieira’s victory at the final Touring Pro Division Major event in Pendleton, Oregon, has spearheaded the 2013 Rookie of the Year on quite the run. Vieira has ridden 14 of his last 16, but he ultimately has not been able to gain ground on Leme because of the world leader’s back-to-back victories in Springfield and Anaheim. In fact, Vieira has lost ground (-346.66 points) in the title race since beginning his torrid pace in Window Rock, Arizona. The other issue for Vieira is he simply does not win rounds at the same rate as the other three, which really puts him at a disadvantage heading into the final weeks of the season.
Like Outlaw, Vieira needs to get himself qualified for the Velocity Tour Finals, especially considering he is 1,719.66 points behind Leme. The good news is that he is only 27.5 points out of the Top 35.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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