PUEBLO, Colo. – For the second week in a row, a set of riders will be battling to remain on the Unleash The Beast as the PBR premier series begins its second month of the season.
Every UTB event in 2022 guarantees the Top 25 healthy/active riders in the world standings a draw spot. The next draw spots for an event are filled by riders with guaranteed UTB exemptions, injury exemptions and Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event wins. If any draw spots remain following that criteria, alternate positions are filled via the world standings.
There are five riders, including two PBR World Finals event winners, heading into the PBR Ariat Invitational in Milwaukee with their backs against the wall:
No. 32 Rafael Henrique dos Santos (15.83 behind Top 25 / 4.5 points behind last alternate position)
No. 33 Marco Eguchi (17.33 points behind Top 25 / 6 points behind last alternate position)
No. 51 Eduardo Aparecido (39.83 behind Top 25 / 28.5 points behind last alternate position)
No. 54 Boudreaux Campbell (41.83 points behind Top 25 / 30.5 points behind last alternate position)
No. 70 Paulo Lima (50.33 points behind Top 25 / 39 points behind last alternate position)
Round 1 airs exclusively on RidePass on Pluto TV beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET.
Mauricio Moreira proved last weekend in Sacramento, California, that any of the above riders could easily step up in Milwaukee and avoid losing their full-time draw spot on the premier series.
Four riders from last season’s Top 30 are now in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, looking to work their way up the rankings and back onto the Unleash The Beast – No. 34 Keyshawn Whitehorse, No. 35 Derek Kolbaba, No. 42 Ezekiel Mitchell and No. 45 Jesse Petri.
Two-time World Champion Jess Lockwood, who is No. 50 in the standings, is technically down to his last exemption, but he will have five World Champion exemptions at his disposal to use if needed. Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves (No. 41) is riding in Milwaukee courtesy of one of his champion exemptions.
Aparecido is returning to competition after missing the crucial three-day event last weekend in Sacramento due to illness.
As was the case last weekend, the Velocity Tour has two events on the upcoming schedule, which could also impact the cutline standings.
There are also four riders inside the Top 25 out of competition because of injuries:
No. 12 Cole Melancon (torn groin)
No. 14 Manoelito de Souza Jr. (left shoulder)
No. 17 Austin Richardson (sprained left MCL)
No. 20 Cooper Davis (left shoulder)
Therefore, being ranked in the Top 30 could lead to a rider getting a draw spot as at least an alternate in the upcoming events.
ALTERNATES IN MILWAUKEE
No. 28 Brennon Eldred
No. 29 Cody Teel
No. 30 Dawson Branton
There are three Velocity Tour invites this weekend in Milwaukee, but two of the three riders – No. 25 Marcos Gloria (Greenville, South Carolina, VT winner) and No. 21 Matt Triplett (Spokane, Washington, VT winner) – would have qualified without the guaranteed VT exemption.
Brady Oleson, meanwhile, is in the draw as the Velocity Tour standings invite, seeing as No. 1 Triplett was already seeded on tour.
Oleson went 0-for-3 last weekend in his first UTB action in almost four years. He last competed on the premier series in 2018 before needing surgery on his riding wrist and left shoulder.
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