By the Numbers: A Look at Jose Vitor Leme’s Record-Breaking 2021 World Championship Season

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – By now, everyone has heard about Jose Vitor Leme’s historical season of greatness.

Many believe Leme’s 2021 campaign will go down as the best single season in PBR history, and others believe 2021 may be a glimpse of what Leme can do in future years in the PBR.

Leme concluded the year 49-for-71 on the premier series with 24 90-point rides, 21 round wins, eight event wins, two 15/15 Bucking Battle victories, and a riding percentage of 69.01%. Leme had more 90-point rides (24) than buckoffs (22).

Let’s take a look back at each record that Leme broke or tied this past season.

Most 90-point rides in a single season (24)

 
Leme absolutely smashed the single-season 90-point ride record.

The previous record was held by Cody Hart, who posted 16 90-point rides during his 1999 World Championship season and stood for 21 years. Fellow two-time World Champions Justin McBride (15 in 2007) and Jess Lockwood (14 in 2019) flirted with Hart’s record, but no one was able to surpass it like Leme. Three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes also posted 15 90-point rides in 2001 when he won his second world title.

Leme officially broke the record on Aug. 21 when he rode Show Me Homie for 90.75 points, giving him 17 90-point rides.

The 25-year-old was 90 points or higher 48% of the time he reached the 8-second mark. He was on pace for 28 90-point rides before missing the final five events of the regular season with a core muscle injury. Leme missed a total of eight events in 2021 because of injuries.

Most round wins in a single season (21)

 
Leme likely would have shattered J.B. Mauney’s premier series round wins record as well if not for his core muscle injury. Leme tied Mauney at 19 round wins when he was injured while riding Slingin Tears for 90.75 points during his event victory in Newark.

The fellow two-time World Champion would tack on two more round wins at the World Finals to take over sole possession of the record. He officially passed Mauney by winning Round 4 with 92.5 points on WSM’s Jive Turkey.

Leme had nearly broken Mauney’s record two years ago, finishing the 2019 season with 16 round wins.

Highest-scored qualified ride (98.75 points) & highest rider score (50 points)

 
The previous record for the highest-scored bull ride in PBR history (96.5 points) stood for 22 years, or 8,305 days, and occurred on four different occasions – Bubba Dunn (Promise Land in 1999), Chris Shivers (Jim Jam in 2000), Shivers (Dillinger in 2001) and Michael Gaffney (Little Yellow Jacket in 2004).

Leme set the new standard at 97.75 points on July 31 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by riding his buddy Woopaa inside the BOK Center.

He would only need exactly 100 days to re-write his own record this season.

One hundred days later, Leme set an even higher record by riding the 2021 YETI World Champion Bull for 98.75 points and registering the first-ever perfect rider score (50 points).

Dusty LaBeth previously held the rider mark record with 49.5 points during his 2001 95.5-point ride on Cripple Creek Promise Land.

Highest average ride score in a single season (89.82 points)

 
It comes as no surprise that the two massive scores and 24 90-point rides helped Leme set a new PBR record for the highest average ride score (89.82 points) in one season.

The previous high was held by two-time World Champion Justin McBride, who averaged 89.35 points per ride in 2008. However, that average also came on 20 qualified rides during McBride’s injury-riddled (reconstructive shoulder surgery) 2008 campaign, whereas Leme averaged 89.82 points this year on 49 qualified rides.

Most event wins in a season (tied with Justin McBride at 8)

McBride and Leme share the record for most event wins in a season at eight apiece, and there was probably a decent chance Leme would have won one of the final five regular-season events he missed.

McBride won eight of the 29 events he competed in during his 2007 World Championship compared to Leme winning eight of the 21 events he was at this season.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

© 2021 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.