Vieira Becomes 19th Rider in PBR History with 300 or More Rides on the Premier Series
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – Joao Ricardo Vieira added to his illustrious career on Saturday night during Round 1 of the PBR Lucas Oil Invitational, joining a distinguished group of men in PBR history.
Vieira became the 19th rider in PBR history to record 300 or more qualified rides on the premier series by riding Poncho Villa for 87.25 points and a third-place finish in Round 1.
“This is so fantastic,” Vieira said. “I never been dream about this—three hundred here. When I come to the United States, I was a little old. I am so glad for this story in my career. It is a big one.”
Vieira’s celebratory moment was a tad bit cloudy initially as it was not clear if he had made the 8-second mark. However, a judge’s review showed he had indeed recorded the 300th ride of his nine-year career.
The 36-year-old was later bucked off by Marquis Metal Works Coriolis Effect in 4.72 seconds during the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Vieira has been a perennial world title contender for most of his career since he first won the 2013 Rookie of the Year title.
“I am so proud of this guy for getting it the way he has done it,” two-time World Champion Justin McBride told Craig Hummer on CBS Sports Network. “This guy has been so tough his entire career because when you think about it, he has been in world title contention a lot of times in his career.”
Vieira has been such a mainstay on the Unleash The Beast that it is easy to forget he was actually 28 years old when he made his debut in the United States on January 25, 2013, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He turned 29 years old later that season, and his 300 rides have occurred during what many would consider the later stages of a bull rider’s career.
If Vieira had moved to the United States earlier in his career, it is possible he could have joined 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi (635), two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney (538) and 2004 World Champion Mike Lee (525) in the prestigious 500 rides club.
Vieira has averaged 36.38 rides per season on the premier series. Say he had come to the United States at 21 years old (current world No. 10 Mauricio Moreira is only 21 years old) and seven seasons earlier in 2006, his career pace would have him at 545 qualified rides.
Of course, injuries could have derailed or slowed Vieira’s pace in his earlier career, such as what happened to three-time World Champion Silvano Alves.
Alves’s once torrid pace has slowed, but he is now tied with Valdrion de Oliveira for the fourth-most qualified rides all-time at 430 rides.
Alves notched career ride No. 429 Saturday night with 85.5 points on Black Beetle in Round 1 before riding Speed Demon for 87 points in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.
Vieira said earlier this month he believes he could have been a member of the 500 or 600 rides club if he elected to come to the United States earlier in his career.
“I do think if I come early here, I would have about 500 or 600 rides because I work a lot to ride strong,” Vieira said. “I love this. I ride just for fun now, and it is so good.”
Riders with 300 or more qualified rides on the premier series
Guilherme Marchi (635)
J.B. Mauney (538)
Mike Lee (525)
Valdiron de Oliveira (430)
Silvano Alves (430)
Chris Shivers (412)
Ross Coleman (402)
Justin McBride (374)
Sean Willingham (368)
Wiley Petersen (356)
Adriano Moraes (337)
L.J. Jenkins (322)
Kody Lostroh (313)
Ednei Caminhas (311)
Robson Palermo (310)
Renato Nunes (309)
Fabiano Vieira (301)
Joao Ricardo Vieira (300)
Vieira has one of the most decorated careers in PBR history for a rider without a World Championship.
He has won 13 events, including four PBR Majors, and he has the PBR record for most 15/15 Bucking Battle victories at six.
The eight-time PBR World Finals qualifier ranks 14th in all-time career PBR earnings at $2.7 million, and he has earned the most among riders without a PBR World Championship. In fact, if you include Vieira’s massive $433,333 payday from The American in 2018, he has earned over $3.1 million.
Vieira was amidst arguably the best season of his career last season when he received crushing news just days before the 2020 PBR World Finals in Arlington, Texas: his COVID-19 test was positive, and he would be unable to compete inside AT&T Stadium, where no other bull rider has matched his success.
Vieira was the No. 2 rider in the world standings and only 424.59 points behind eventual World Champion Jose Vitor Leme at the time. A victory at the World Finals may have been enough for him to become the second-oldest PBR World Champion in history. Vieira tied for second with 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco for the most qualified rides on the Unleash The Beast in 2020. He also did not compete at the three closed-to-the-public UTB events in Guthrie, Oklahoma, in April and May when he decided to return to Brazil with his family at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vieira set new career highs in riding percentage (49.21%) and 90-point rides (6) last season to post his best finish in the world standings since 2014. In 2014, Vieira entered the World Finals as the No. 1 bull rider in the world, only to see Alves go a perfect 6-for-6 to snatch the world title away from him.
A world title may still not be out of the question for Vieira this season despite his slower-than-normal start to 2021. Vieira is 9-for-22 (40.91%) this season with three Top-5 finishes.
Vieira, though, will head into Championship Sunday in Louisville ranked seventh in the world standings. He trails world leader Cooper Davis by 283 points and is sitting third overall in the event standings.
Red Bones (21-5, UTB) awaits Vieira in Round 2 at the KFC Yum! Center. Fans can watch the event at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and 1:45 p.m. ET on RidePass. Red Bones bucked Vieira off in 3.11 seconds last year in Billings, Montana.
“I just come for fun and to ride bulls just like this,” Vieira concluded to Harrison.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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