GET SOCIAL 
SHOP NOW AT:
WRANGLER.COM

McBride Believes Leme can Break his Single-Season Wins Record Before or at the PBR World Finals in Arlington

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Two-time World Champion Justin McBride was never worried about who was chasing him during his second gold buckle season.

McBride put forth one of the greatest seasons in PBR history in 2007, and his domination featured a PBR record eight premier series event wins, 15 90-point rides and a 63.04% riding average (58-for-92).

The 2009 Ring of Honor inductee’s record has stood for 13 years so far, but world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme looks poised to break McBride’s all-time mark.

Leme heads into this weekend’s PBR Wrangler Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Lincoln, Nebraska, with seven event wins on the premier series so far this season.

Round 1 airs on RidePass beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET on Saturday night.

The 2017 World Finals event winner has said he isn’t worried about records or anything else but a gold buckle, and McBride has noticed Leme is approaching this season somewhat similar to how he was in 2008.

“I wasn’t real concerned with anybody else that year,” McBride said. “I never knew who was in second or third or anything like that. I didn’t really care. I was just kind of in my own world that year. Leme has been that way, especially with all the crazy stuff going on. Leme has just stayed the course. He has just continued to ride at the highest level, especially with all the crazy stuff going on, COVID, Jess (Lockwood) being hurt, and this or that. So I think maybe we are similar in that way.”

 
Leme has four more regular-season Unleash The Beast events to attempt to break McBride’s record before having one final shot at the 2020 PBR World Finals on Nov. 12-15 in Arlington, Texas.

REMAINING 2020 UTB SCHEDULE

Lincoln, Nebraska (Oct. 3-4)
Tulsa, Oklahoma (Oct. 10-11)
Nampa, Idaho (Oct. 16-17)
Pensacola, Florida (Oct. 24-25)
2020 World Finals in Arlington, Texas (Nov. 12-15)

McBride notched his eighth win of the 2007 season on Sept. 15 (Greensboro, North Carolina) with four events and the 2007 PBR Finals remaining. The now-CBS Sports Network analyst believes Leme has a good chance to break his all-time record this season.

“Leme is better than everybody,” McBride said. “That is the stat. I would sure think so. I would be pretty surprised, let’s just say, if he doesn’t win another (event). I guess he has to win another to tie (the record) and then another to break it. I would be surprised if he doesn’t have it tied going into the Finals, and doesn’t have it broke by after this year.”

In fact, McBride thinks he probably should have won more than just the eight events that he did win in 2008. He had a second-place finish, a third-place showing and two additional Top-5 finishes on his 2007 resume.

 
“I knew that year when it was all said or done that I left two or three on the table that I should have won that year,” McBride said. “I didn’t really care about how many I won, I was just glad I won the world again, but there were a couple of them I should have won also that I let get away.”

Leme has won the last three events at which he has competed. The 24-year-old missed the Des Moines, Iowa, UTB event due to the PBR’s COVID-19 medical protocols after he was in close contact with a person who tested positive for the virus. Leme has since cleared the PBR’s medical protocols.

He will take on Gangster Time (3-1, UTB) in Round 1 in Lincoln before facing Bread Basket (0-0) in Round 2.

Leme leads No. 2 Joao Ricardo Vieira by 545.09 points in the world standings, while previous World Champions Kaique Pacheco and Jess Lockwood are 713.5 and 716 points back, respectively.

Leme, a fourth-year pro, is 38-for-52 (73.08%) with 15 round wins and eight 90-point rides to go along with his seven event wins and a 15/15 Bucking Battle victory. He also has four additional Top-5 finishes beyond his seven victories.

He appreciates the opportunity to be amidst one of the greatest seasons in PBR history, but Leme knows it will all mean a hell of a lot less if he does not walk out of AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Nov. 15 with the PBR World Championship.

The best way for him to accomplish that, of course, is to keep on winning.

“Make your story, believe it, have faith and courage to make your dreams come true,” Leme wrote on Instagram this week.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.

Related Content