Marchi Recalls the Pressure That Comes with a Historic Season
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – There were so many cameras and a seemingly never-ending list of questions for Guilherme Marchi 12 years ago.
Marchi was the No. 1 bull rider in the world, and he was marching toward a World Championship thanks to one of the greatest seasons in PBR history following three consecutive runner-up finishes to the likes of Justin McBride and Adriano Moraes.
Marchi laughs now about the endless interview requests and cameras that were following his every move in 2008, but it was far from stress-free during the eight-round 2008 World Finals that took place over the course of two weeks.
The Team Brazil Global Cup coach admits it can be a burden for even the mentally toughest bull riders in the world when nearly everyone expects you to win.
Sound familiar?
It should, because current world leader Jose Vitor Leme is putting forth one of the best seasons in PBR history since Marchi’s heroic 2008 campaign in which he rode over 70% of his bulls to win his first world title.
Leme could finish this season with a riding percentage as high as 70.77% on the premier series, which would make him the first rider to do so since Marchi. Toss in the second-most event wins all-time in one season (seven), 15 round wins and eight 90-point rides, and the stars may be aligning for 2020 to finally be the year that Leme hoists the World Championship trophy high above his head in glorious triumph.
However, as Leme admitted during a CBS/RidePass television production meeting on Monday, his season will be far, far less historic if he does not walk out of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Sunday with the 2020 PBR World Championship and its coinciding $1 million bonus, a gold buckle and a brand new Ford truck.
The way the points structure is for the 2020 PBR World Finals, which begins Thursday night at AT&T Stadium, the World Championship race is far from over. One rider can earn a maximum of 1,060 world points. There are 14 riders still mathematically alive in the world title race.
Leme holds a 424.59-point lead on No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira. He is 688 points ahead of No. 3, 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco.
“Somebody behind me can be at the top of his game here at the Finals and take everything away from me,” Leme said. “And that’s something that’s kind of put me to kind of doubt, just to think about it, how the points system works. I can win seven events through the year and be perfect, like 70%, and you have a handful of events (where) you don’t do good at the end of the year or the end of the season and you can lose everything. And that’s kind of hard. This weekend means a whole lot. It’s something that’s going to mean a lot if I win this title. I just (need to) finish strong to have a happy ending. Because if I don’t, all this, it will be remembered but it will be a failure. This weekend is so important to me to kind of seal the deal and have a happy ending. Then I’ll have everything behind it to celebrate and remember.”
Marchi knows very much what Leme is going to be feeling and experiencing this week in Arlington, Texas.
He has been in cowboy boots like Leme’s before.
“It’s hard, because it’s the last event, and there’s a lot of pressure on him,” Marchi said. “The interviews, the lights are all on him. But he needs to be careful because Joao Ricardo (Vieira) has been riding really good both ways. Kaique Pacheco is a very strong contender, too. The Top 5 has a big chance to kick his ass. He needs to watch out. But I think he will be OK.”
Marchi was like many PBR fans this past weekend, closely watching the 2020 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals from his home in Brazil.
The 2005 World Finals event winner said he was a little surprised to see Leme go to the Velocity Tour Finals instead of resting his body, but Marchi also knows Leme is focusing so hard on winning a World Championship that he is not going to attempt to take his foot off the gas.
It was last year on Championship Sunday in Las Vegas at the 2019 World Finals where Marchi gave Leme a hug inside T-Mobile Arena, and he confidently predicted that Leme would come back from his heartbreak stronger than ever.
Leme is currently in a mini slump (3-for-10), and Marchi expects him to right his ship Thursday against Bushwacked (28-7, UTB/METC).
Round 1 airs at 9:30 p.m. p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and RidePass.
“Jose just needs to have his feet on the ground,” Marchi said. “He needs to cover his bulls, and he needs to put everything together to finish strong. We see in the last two events he went to, he got in a little trouble. Like on the Velocity this past week, and the last event on the (UTB), too. But I know he’s been pushing himself hard, getting on some bulls at home to prepare himself. We saw him win three events straight. And I think he’s prepared for this Finals. He rides better on the rank bulls. He likes riding the rank bulls. I think it makes him more comfortable for the Finals.”
Marchi went 75-for-106 on the premier series in 2008, which included the 2008 World Cup in Chihuahua, won five events and posted 13 90-point rides. He went 74-for-102 (72.55%) at premier series events in North America in 2008.
The 15-time PBR World Finals qualifier said there is no reason for Leme to feel nervous or overwhelmed about his gold buckle path, but he remembers just how hard those second-place finishes in the world title races were for himself.
Marchi opened the 2008 Finals up 3,358.75 points in a previous points system on No. 2 Valdiron de Oliveira.
In some ways, the biggest opponent for Marchi during the 2008 World Finals was his own mind.
“It’s very hard, because your mind is like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to make it. I’m not going to win,’ you start to think you’re never going to win,” Marchi recalled how finishing runner-up three consecutive seasons affected him. “But if you finish second, finish second, finish second, three or four times, you feel there’s something wrong if you’re not finishing strong. Like, physical, psychological, something is wrong.”
There was also a guy chasing after Marchi by the name of J.B. Mauney.
Mauney put some early pressure on Marchi that year by winning the first two rounds of the World Finals, but Marchi’s lead was too large for Mauney to challenge.
Marchi said a big thing for him was getting his first qualified ride out of the way in Round 1. He rode Scaredy Cat for 90.25 points to begin the 2008 World Finals, and he was off to the races. He would ride his next six bulls, finishing 7-for-8 overall for a second-place finish in the event, but No. 1 in the world standings.
He believes getting a score early will quickly calm any nerves Leme may have.
“The last two years he finished second, but he just needs to stay strong, focused, and be happy,” Marchi said. “Because if he changes, he struggles on the first bull and he thinks about it, he’s not going to finish good. If he rides that first bull like he used to do every Finals, he’s going to have an 80% (chance) to win this title.”
Marchi hopes Leme can enjoy the moment like he did 12 years ago. Clearing his mind went a long way, Marchi explained.
“I remember that year at the Finals, I just enjoyed riding bulls,” Marchi concluded. “I forgot the title, and I went over there to ride bulls and prepare myself to win. We did TV, radio, everything for it. In the years before, I think it was kind of pressure of the moment.
“Jose just needs to go have fun. Don’t change nothing. Just go over there and spur your bulls and have fun. If you need to drink, drink. If you need to do something to clear your mind and make you happy, do it.”
Leme 2020 vs. Marchi 2008 heading into PBR World Finals
Age: Leme (24) / Marchi (26)
Season: Leme (4th) / Marchi (5th)
Events: Leme (19) / Marchi (33)
Rides: Leme (41) / Marchi (68)
Outs: Leme (60) / Marchi (98)
Riding Percentage: Leme (68.33%) / Marchi (69.39%)
Event Wins: Leme (7) / Marchi (5)
Average Ride Score: Leme (88.10) / Marchi (86.88)
90-point Rides: Leme (8) / Marchi (11)
Top Ride: Leme (94.25 points on Smooth Operator) / Marchi (92.25 points on Copperhead Slinger)
Round Wins: Leme (15) / Marchi (3) World Ranking: Leme (1) / Marchi (1)
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media
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