Reigning World Champion and World No. 1 Leme Wins Touring Pro in Bismarck
By: Ethan Brown
BISMARCK, N.D. – As Saturday night came to a close in Bismarck, 10-time PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger stood on the arena floor of the Bismarck Event Center with a giant smile on his face.
The PBR’s Touring Pro Division returned to Bismarck, North Dakota, this past weekend for Berger’s annual event, the Dakota Community Bank & Trust Bull Riding Challenge.
As the fan-favorite summer-run event came to an end, it was reigning PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas Do Rio Pardo, Brazil) who won the weekend and did so convincingly with a perfect 5-for-5 performance.
The weekend could not have been better for Leme, who, after placing second on night one and collecting $10,000 on his special-round bounty bull, added two more 90-point scores to his impressive record.
He started Saturday night by humbling Sky Harbor (Wilks Ranch / Clay Struve / Dakota Rodeo / Chad Berger) for 90 points exactly, a score enough to win the round.
With the first pick in the championship round, Leme picked a familiar foe in Safety Meeting (Hruby / Kainz / Clay Struve / Dakota Rodeo / Chad Berger). He is now 3-for-4 against the bull at all levels of competition as Saturday night’s attempt garnered 92 points, more than enough to clinch the event win and earn 38 world points.
Looking to be the second rider in the PBR history to win back-to-back world titles, the South American supernova is continuing to meet and exceed every matchup expectation.
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Across two entries in the event, Leme extended his lead in the world standings by 48 points. He is now 66.5 points ahead of his closest challenger, world No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil).
Placing second in the aggregate was Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas). The North Dakota weekend was exactly what the 2019 Rookie of the year needed to kickstart his 2021 season.
Starting the weekend with the night one win on Friday, the newlywed then dominated WSM’s Foghorn Leghorn (WSM Auctioneers/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) in Saturday’s opening round to the tune of 88.5 points.
With the second pick in the championship round draft, Kasel picked The Right Stuff (Diamond Willow/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger), knowing he could surpass Leme with a ride, but he was bucked off in 6.58 seconds.
Based on both of his entries across the weekend, Kasel gained 27 world points, moving up four spots to No. 32 in the world.
In third place at Berger’s 21st consecutive event was three-time Indian National Finals Rodeo (INFR) winner Dakota Louis (Browning, Montana).
The 28-year-old did not compete on Saturday due to a mild injury but gained 11 world points for the weekend after a second-place finish Friday night. In Friday’s championship round, his stellar 90.5-point ride aboard Smooth Wreck (Diamond Willow/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) showed that the Montana man has his sights set on qualifying for the PBR World Finals in November.
Louis jumped two spots and is now crucially in the top 40 at No. 39.
Andrew Alvidrez (Seminole, Texas) made magic happen in each day’s opening rounds to finish in fourth place overall. The young gun known for his self-discipline and steady mindset won Round 1 on Friday and tied for second on Saturday.
In Saturday’s Round 1, Alvidrez conquered Melanie’s Dream (Diamond Willow/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger), receiving 88.5-points for his ride.
Despite his steadfast determination, the young Texan was then bested by WSM’s Trail of Tears (WSM Auctioneers/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) in the championship round at 6.21 seconds.
Alvidrez earned 8.75 world points this weekend, moving up two spots to No. 42 in the world.
Rounding out the Top 5 was young gun and PBR newcomer Conner Halverson (Gordon, Nebraska).
The Nebraska cowboy was not playing around on day two of competition, placing second for the night.
Halverson looked picture-perfect on Skeeter Peter (Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) in Saturday’s opening round for a warranted 86.5 points.
While only 19 years old, Halverson outshined some of his veteran opponents when he dominated Top-10 bull Smooth Wreck (Diamond Willow/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) for 90 points on the dot.
Halverson gained 6 world points, rising to No. 45 from No. 48.
WSM’s Jive Turkey (WSM Auctioneers/ Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) took Bull of the Event honors after averaging a 45.5 bull score across two outs on the weekend.
Fans can relive all the action from the two-day event in Bismarck on RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app.
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