Champion Professional Bull Riders crowned
The bucking chutes swung open April 1 for the Professional Bull Riders’ (PBR) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
Several Wyoming contestants made an appearance during the event, but Lane Lasley of Marshall, Ark. and Alex Cardozo of Indaiatuba, Brazil tied for victory.
Saturday night results
On the night of April 1, in front of a full house, Lasley and Cardozo dominated the arena, each riding a perfect two for two in round one and then riding for eight seconds in the final round to tie for first during the event.
Lasley got off to a quick start, filling a top 10 spot in the first round of competition when he rode White Thunder for 78.5 points. In the championship round, an outstanding 88.5-point ride atop the bull Not Yet catapulted him to the top. As a result, Lasley earned 102 Velocity Global points, bringing him to the 45th spot in the tour standings.
Cardozo delivered a pair of matching 83.5-point rides to secure the shared win. In round one, he rode the bull Figure Eight, and in the final round he covered the bull Eager Snake. The veteran Brazilian bull rider left Wyoming with 96.5 Velocity Global points. The 32-year-old cowboy currently sits 63rd in the tour standings.
Afonso Quintino of São Luís des Montes Belos, Brazil took home third place with 64.5 Velocity Global points. He currently sits in 14th place in tour standings. As the last sole rider to cover both of his bulls, he rode High Peral for 83 points in round one, then covered Crossin’ The Delta Line for 83 points in the final round.
Rounding out the top five for fourth place were Dakota Warnken, Dustin Herman and Rubens Barbosa.
Warnken and Barbosa both covered in round one, recording matching 86-point rides atop the bulls Chainsaw and Nautical Nightmare, respectively, to earn 39.66 points. Both contestants sat in the first and second place spot in round one, but were unable to cover their animals in the final round.
Herman earned 34.66 Velocity Global points for his 86-point ride on the bull Quick Draw in the championship round.
Qualifying for the tour
The PWVT began in 2014 as the sport’s premier expansion series, featuring young, emerging bull riding talent alongside some of superstars in the sport.
The tour is completely produced and operated by PBR, providing fans the highest-quality experience available. The 2023 tour will stop in 25 cities, concluding at the Velocity Tour Finals in Corpus Christi, Texas May 5-6.
The finals is considered the last event of the season, taking place just prior to the PBR World Finals each year. The top 35 riders from PWVT compete for the final five positions available at the PBR World Finals, making it the most important event on the schedule outside of the World Finals itself.
The current top five riders in the tour standings include Josh Frost of Randlett, Utah; Claudio Montanha, Jr. of Ribeirao dos Indios, Brazil; Dawson Branton of Jefferson, Ore.; Grayson Cole of New Riggold, Pa. and Mason Moody of Letcher, S.D.
The next stop for PWVT will be in Grand Forks, N.D. on April 15. Action for the PBR Grand Forks Chute Out at the Alerus Center will kick off at 5 p.m.
Rounding out the season will be stops on April 22 in Wichita, Kan.; April 28-29 in College Station, Texas at the Reed Arena and the PBR World Finals at the beginning of May.
Closing remarks
“I had a hard time last year but was blessed to come back,” said Cardozo during a winners’ circle interview with the announcer on April 1. “When you put God in front of everything, he always provides.”
“I’ve been home for a couple of years raising my family, and the good Lord has been putting me here,” said Lasley. “I’m glad to be here.”
Brittany Gunn is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
