Challenger Series Round-Up: Alan de Souza Doubles Down with Pair of Challenger Series Wins
By: James Youness
PUEBLO, Colo. – Challenger Series action is officially back in full swing, and with so many events and competitive riders battling it out, we’re boiling down the big stuff and rounding up some winners during this week’s Challenger Series Round-Up!
Keeping his hot streak alive as the pack returned to Cowtown Coliseum for the 20th iteration of the PBR Stockyards Showcase, it was none other than Alan de Souza who exited the weekly competition with his second-straight win and third victory inside the venue this summer.
Just one week after being the lone cowboy to post a flawless 2-for-2 record down south in Fort Worth, Texas, the talented Brazilian accomplished the same feat Thursday on an evening where only three qualified rides were recorded, with two of the three belonging to the streaking 29-year-old.
First rising to the occasion paired against Renegade in Thursday’s opening go, de Souza went the distance atop the bovine competitor, eventually marked an event-high 88 points as he surged to the top of the leaderboard.
Marking his sixth qualified ride in his last seven outs, the Taubate, Sao Paulo, native made quick work of his Round 2 opponent, IT-035, riding the bull to the requisite 8 en route to continuing his streak of success inside the historic venue. Taking home 62 Challenger Series points for his fourth overall Challenger Series title of the season, de Souza trailed No. 1 Sandro Batista by a mere 30.5 points in the overall Challenger Global standings following the event.
As the only other rider to hear the whistle Thursday evening, veteran rider Ednei Caminhas secured his third Top 5 finish of the summer at the fan-favorite event, courtesy of his second-round ride aboard IT-038. Matching the talented bovine jump for jump, the 48-year-old was scored 84 points.
Enough to bring home the silver honors, as the storied cowboy continues to show PBR Teams’ organization that he’s still more than capable of getting the job done. After spending the inaugural season with the Texas Rattlers, will any of the league’s eight squads look to the experienced rider at some point this summer? Or has Caminhas seen his last 5-on-5 action?
Once the weekend officially kicked off and Friday rolled around, it was Brady Fielder of the Texas Rattlers and Briggs Madsen of the Oklahoma Freedom who exited the PBR Bull Bash at the MEC in Shipshewana, Indiana, with tying efforts.
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With both of the riders getting their work done during the competition’s opening round, it was Fielder who went the distance atop Ugly to earn an 86.5-point score in Round 1, but wasn’t able to meet the requisite 8 in the final go, eventually dispatched by Panic Button in a brutal 5.08-second attempt.
Matching his bovine opponent the whole way, it was Challenger Series standout Kade Madsen’s brother Briggs who went to work early in Round 1 as well. Teaming up with Rolex during his first out of the night, he stayed aboard the talented animal athlete en route to earning a matching 86.5-point score of his own. But, later thrown to the dirt in a brief 2.92 seconds, it was Cutthroat who earned the W and kept Madsen from running away with the title on his own.
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Both Fielder and Madsen took home 88 Challenger Series points for the shared victory.
Rounding out the Top 3 Friday night, 29-year-old Eli Byler also found some success during Round 1. Nodding his head before his matchup against Beau Time began, the Nashville, Ohio, native posted a flashy 85.5-point effort. Marking his first qualified ride at a PBR-sanctioned event since 2021, the conversion fueled him to a bronze finish after The Undertaker made quick work of him in Round 2, sent flying to the dirt in a quick 2.78 seconds.
After storming onto the PBR Teams circuit last year with the Arizona Ridge Riders, Vitor Losnake captured his second Challenger Series event title of the summer on Saturday night, tying Thiago Salgado of the 2022 PBR Team Series Champion Nashville Stampede for the win at the three-round event.
Getting things started at the Allegro Marinades PBR in Paris, hosted in Paris, Tennessee, Losnake stumbled a bit during his opening night matchup against One Boot Gambler, dispatched in 3.19 seconds.
Able to stay perfect throughout the remainder of the competition, the youngster bested Cowboy Playboy in the second round for 86.5 points before lasting 8 seconds atop Whiplash in the third round for a stunning 87.5 points to secure his share of the event title.
Meanwhile, for Salgado, the 21-year-old began his showcase in the ride column by posting a quality 85-point ride paired against Jacked Up. Unable to meet the 8 in Round 2 after seeing El Dorado fling him to the ground in 5.25 seconds, the talented Brazilian rose to the occasion in the short go.
Needing 89 points to tie Losnake, he buckled down ahead of his matchup with Tall Boy. In ever-dramatic fashion, Salgado rode the bull to the whistle, and after his event-best 89-point score was announced, secured his own share of the glory.
Each earning 110 Challenger Series points for their split win, both of the young riders are rounding right into shape with year two of PBR Teams looming, officially now two weeks away (July 24-25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming).
As the final rider to post a 2-for-3 showcase, Alecio Ferreira da Costa tied his best finish at a PBR-sanctioned event with his third-place finish. Converting during his opening opportunity paired with 99H, the 24-year-old was scored 84.5 points for the effort. Later doubling down in Round 3, he solidified his podium finish courtesy of an 88.5-point score earned for besting El Guapo.
As the weekend slate came to a conclusion Saturday night in Amarillo, Texas, at the Koben Puckett PBR, it was none other than one Alan de Souza who stay hot down south. Posting the only perfect 2-for-2 record during the event, he extended his ride streak on the weekend to a flawless 4-for-4 after meeting the 8 in both rounds atop Black Gold in Round 1 for 86 points and later aboard Stitch for an event-best 87.5 points on his way to winning his second PBR Challenger Series event of the weekend and fourth since June 23.
Taking home a whopping 125.5 Challenger Series points for his back-to-back victory, he exited the weekend with 187.5 Challenger Series points overall from the pair of wins while passing Batista as the current leader of the Challenger Global standings.
Continuing to make some noise for the Texas Rattlers, Dawson Gleaves secured second-place honors in the two-round contest thanks to his 86.5-point ride paired against Chain Breaker in the opening round. Further fueling the hopes of the Fort Worth faithful, Braidy Randolph turned his 85-point ride aboard Wyler Too from the opening round into a fifth-place finish as the the Jamestown, Pennsylvania, native continues to give it his all.
Veteran Ednei Caminhas and Jesse Petri turned in third and fourth-place finishes, respectively, after going 1-for-2.
PBR Challenger Series action is set to continue on Wednesday, July 12 during the Durango PBR in Durango, Colorado while the midweek slate rages on Thursday, July 13 with the 21st iteration of the PBR Stockyards Showcase inside Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. Weekend competitions are also set to take place in Thief River Falls, Minnesota (Thunder on Hooves) July 14-15 and Livingston, Montana (Livingston Classic PBR) as the world’s best bull riders continue to get back into the swing of things with PBR Teams returning in just two weeks.
Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media
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