What’s on RidePass on Pluto TV This Week: According to Flint Previews Action in Manchester
By: Darci Miller
It might be hard to believe, but there are just two regular-season premier series events remaining before the PBR World Finals on Nov. 3-7.
This weekend, the Unleash The Beast heads to Manchester, New Hampshire, and with dwindling opportunities for riders to earn points towards the world standings, everything is on the line.
Tune into RidePass on Pluto TV (channel 720) to catch Round 1 of the PBR Monster Energy Invitational LIVE on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
(And don’t forget that RidePass on Pluto TV features PBR content streaming 24/7 for free.)
But that’s not all– PBR’s exclusive entertainer Flint Rasmussen has even more coverage as we look ahead to Manchester. On Thursday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 p.m. ET, tune in for the second episode of According to Flint. Rasmussen will recap the action from last week and set the scene for this week with PBR Insider Justin Felisko. Don’t miss it!
WHERE THINGS STAND HEADING INTO MANCHESTER: Last weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina, Claudio Montanha Jr. won his first premier series event since 2019.
Montanha went 3-for-3 and earned 144 world points, jumping from No. 29 in the world standings to No. 17. The four-time PBR World Finals qualifier looks to have all but locked up qualification No. 5.
Regarding the world title contenders, No. 4 Joao Ricardo Vieira had the best weekend, winning Round 1 and the championship round and finishing the event second overall. Vieira is still ranked No. 4 but closed the gap on No. 3 Cooper Davis to 266 points.
Davis, meanwhile, had a wrench thrown into his plans when he strained his right groin during his 87-point ride on Lost Highway in Round 2. He didn’t let the injury keep him out of the championship round, but according to Dr. Tandy Freeman, he’s questionable for Manchester.
World No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme is still week-to-week with a Grade 2 sprain of his right groin suffered in Newark, New Jersey, four weeks ago. A setback in the practice pen that extended his injury into a core muscle strain kept him out for Greensboro and will likely keep him sidelined until the World Finals.
But with such a large lead in the world standings, the world title is still Leme’s to lose.
In order for another rider to be a realistic threat to win the world title, he would likely have to be within 700-800 points of Leme. Right now, only world No. 2 Kaique Pacheco (-726.5 points) and No. 3 Davis (-789 points) are within that range. No. 4 Vieira is 1,055 points back.
While Davis gained some ground in Greensboro, Pacheco has gone 0-for-5 in two events and a 15/15 Bucking Battle since his win in Deadwood, South Dakota.
THE LAST TIME WE WERE IN MANCHESTER: The premier series has made one prior stop in Manchester, just last season as the third event of 2020.
Fresh off his 2019 world title win, two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood went 3-for-3, including two round-winning 90-point rides, to take the event win last year. He won Round 2 with 90.5 points on Apocalypse before winning the championship round with 92.25 points on Big Black.
“I had to stay off my butt,” Lockwood said about Big Black. “He wants to sit you on your butt, and as long as I don’t let him do that, he rides like a dream.”
Lockwood’s performance gave him the league lead in 90-point rides (three) and round wins (four) and earned him the No. 1 spot in the world standings. (He would ultimately go on to finish 2020 ranked No. 5.)
Right on Lockwood’s heels in Manchester was Jose Vitor Leme, who also went 3-for-3 and finished fourth overall. He won Round 1 with an 89-point ride on Slingin Tears – coincidentally, the bull he rode for 90.75 points in Newark this season when he suffered the groin injury that currently has him out of competition.
What will the action in Manchester bring this year? Tune into RidePass on Pluto TV Friday night to find out!
Watch the conclusion of the PBR Monster Energy Invitational on Sunday on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET, and watch the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Lucas Oil Invitational on RidePass on Pluto TV Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
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