Top PBR rookie Vieira wins $123,000

PBR Rookie of the Year

The race for the PBR top spots is getting tighter with each event. With ten days to go before the 2013 Pro Bull Riding World Finals in Las Vegas,every rider is definitely counting their points and their money wins.

The number 1 PBR Rookie of the Year contender Joao Ricardo Vieira won $123,000 for one 8-second ride Saturday during the Professional Bull Riders 15/15 Bucking Battle at the Cooper Tires Invitational presented by APEX-Brasil when he covered TK 500 (Jeff Robinson/TNT Bucking Bulls), the Monster Energy Money Bull of the event, for a score of 87.75 points. It is the second largest payout in PBR history for one 8-second ride.

Vieira was in shock. “I never thought I could make this amount of money in one night,” he said.

With the help of three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes translating for Vieira, the 29-year-old said he did not feel any added pressure because of the money.

“I thank the Lord to be able to have that chance, first of all” he said, “and then being able to pull it out and make the whistle.”

Vieira’s ride – the first Monster Energy Money Bull to be ridden all season – followed back-to-back qualified rides by the top two ranked riders in the world in this special round of competition that pits the Top 15 bull riders against the Top 15 bulls of the event.

No. 1 Silvano Alves covered Another One (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls) for 85.5 points immediately after No. 2 J.B. Mauney rode Blurred Lines (Jeff Robinson Bucking Bulls) for 82.25 points. Mauney was among the first to greet the reigning two-time World Champion with a fist bump as Alves made his way to the back of the chutes.

“That guy there has been the World Champion the past two years – been the best bull rider going and I just like being in the race with him, it’s fun,” Mauney said. “I pull for him just as much as I pull for myself because it’s not against the guys, it’s against the bulls. I mean, one guy is going to win it, but you still have to ride your bulls.”

Guilherme Marchi won the 15/15 Bucking Battle with an impressive 88.25 points on Ludacris (Gene Owen/DHT/Junk Bull Co.). The 15/15 Bucking Battle will be broadcast Sunday afternoon on CBS at either 3 p.m. ET or 5 p.m. ET depending on the NFL game in the region. Viewers are advised to check local listings for times in their area.

Rounding out the Top 5 in the 15/15 Bucking Battle were Marchi, Vieira, L.J. Jenkins, Fabiano Vieira and Alves.

Jenkins, who is a Monster Energy teammate of Marchi and Mauney, earned 87 points on MEGATON (BMC Bucking Bulls/Owen Ranch), while F. Vieira scored 86.25 points on What Up Sucka (Rebels Edge Bucking Bulls).

Other than his fifth-place finish in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, it has otherwise been a terrible weekend in Hollywood for Alves. He is 0-for-2 in the Cooper Tires Invitational and will be unable to make it back to the Built Ford Tough Championship Round on Sunday afternoon.

Mauney is 2-for-2 in the final Built Ford Tough Series event of the season with two rounds remaining and is looking to carve further into Alves’ lead of 1,393.75 points. He finished in seventh out of eight qualified rides in the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

The Cooper Tire Invitational event standings show Ryan Dirteater on top after two rounds with a total of 171 points. Cody Nance (169.50), Jordan Hupp (169.25), Nathan Schaper (168.75) and Guilherme Marchi (167.75) round out the top 5 of the event.

The Hollywood event concludes Sunday at 2 p.m. with the final two rounds of competition. Round 3 and the Built Ford Tough Championship Round will air Sunday night on CBS Sports Network at 8 p.m. ET.

Hollywood is the 26th of 27 stops on the 2013 PBR Built Ford Tough Series. The season ends Oct. 23-27 in Las Vegas at the 20th Anniversary PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals where the overall PBR World Champion will be crowned, presented the coveted championship belt buckle and awarded a $1 million dollar bonus.

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Photo By: Andy Watson/BullStockMedia.com

 


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