Top 5 Rides From the Velocity Tour Finals at South Point Arena

By: Darci Miller

PUEBLO, Colo. – The South Point Arena in Las Vegas is no stranger to big rides.

Home of the PBR’s Velocity Tour Finals since 2016, the South Point Arena has seen some of the best bull riders in the world battling it out for crucial world points at the final event before the PBR World Finals.

Now, the stakes become even higher.

The PBR announced that the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, will be held at the South Point Arena. Featuring 12 teams of four riders split into two divisions, the 40-hour televised team competition will run from June 5-28 in Las Vegas and culminate in a Championship Weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The first four weekends will be closed to the public using the safety protocols PBR debuted during three previous event weekends in April and May, while Championship Weekend will be held in front of fans.

The South Point Arena will also be home to the 2020 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals on Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

Before the next round of rank rides at the South Point Arena, take a look back at the Top 5 rides at the Velocity Tour Finals since making Las Vegas its home.

1. Jess Lockwood – 91 points on Night Sweats, Round 1, 2017

 
Heading into the Velocity Tour Finals in 2017, 2016 Rookie of the Year Jess Lockwood was ranked No. 5 in the world and looking to make up ground on then-No. 1 Derek Kolbaba. While Kolbaba went 1-for-3, Lockwood went 3-for-4 and finished fourth overall, winning Round 1 with his 91-point ride on Night Sweats. Lockwood would then go on to eclipse Kolbaba to win the 2017 World Championship.

2. Luciano de Castro – 90.5 points on Big Black, Round 2, 2017

 
Luciano De Castro may have only gone 1-for-3 at the 2017 Velocity Tour Finals, but he made his one ride count, winning Round 2 with a 90.5-point trip aboard Big Black.

T3. Jose Vitor Leme – 89.5 points on Sugar Boom Boom, Championship Round, 2019

 
If there’s one thing Jose Vitor Leme knows how to do, it’s make a statement at the Velocity Tour Finals. He made his U.S. debut at the 2017 event, going 3-for-4 for an eighth-place finish before winning the 2017 PBR World Finals. In 2018, he again placed eighth before finishing second at the 2018 PBR World Finals. And in 2019, Leme went 2-for-3, winning the championship round with 89.5 points on Sugar Boom Boom, to win the 2019 Velocity Tour Finals. He would go on to place fifth at the 2019 PBR World Finals, finishing the year ranked No. 2 in the world for the second year in a row.

T3. Juliano Antonio da Silva – 89.5 points on Cracker Breaker, Round 1, 2016

 
Juliano Antonio da Silva’s only Velocity Tour Finals appearance was in 2016, when he finished the event fifth overall. His 2-for-4 performance included a Round 1 win with 89.5 points aboard Cracker Breaker.

5. Kache Moosman – 89 points on Reckless Tested, Round 1, 2019

 
Just a few weeks before the 2019 Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals, Kache Moosman quit his job as a foreman to focus on bull riding full time. The decision paid off immediately, as Moosman won Round 1 with his 89-point ride aboard Reckless Tested in front of 30 friends and family members.

© 2020 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.