26/02/2024
Teenage phenom John Crimber wins career-first PBR Unleash The Beast Event in Jacksonville, Florida
Cementing his win with a monstrous, walk-off 90-point ride, Crimber earned 148 Unleash The Beast points.
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By Kacie Albert
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In front of a sold-out Saturday night crowd in Jacksonville, Florida, teenage phenom John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) went a perfect 3-for-3 to win his first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Unleash The Beast event at the U.S. Border Patrol PBR Jacksonville. Courtesy of the win, earned in walk-off form via a monstrous 90-point ride, Crimber overtook the No. 2 rank in the race for the 2024 PBR World Championship.
Crimber got off to an electric start as competition got underway, tying for the Round 1 win as he covered Flatliner (Blake Sharp/Henry Wilson) for 87 points.
As Championship Saturday got underway, Crimber, widely anticipated being the first pick in the 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft, overtook sole position of the top spot on the event leaderboard when he dominated Border Crisis (Hart Cattle Co./Hale) for a commanding 87.75 points.
With the first pick in the championship round bull draft, Crimber elected to go head-to-head with Doze You Down (Dozier Cattle Co./Martinez Bucking Bulls). As the last man to leave the chutes inside VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Crimber needed a score in excess of 86.25 points to earn his first premier series win.
Poised, Crimber nodded with confidence, erupting from the chutes as the electric crowd was brought to the edge of its seat. Remaining in perfect time with the powerful animal athlete, Crimber reached the requisite 8 with ease. Marked a mammoth 91 points, the qualified ride clinched Crimber’s first Unleash The Beast win. The score marked Crimber’s second 90-point ride on the Unleash The Beast and is his third-highest score across all levels of competition.
Courtesy of the golden finish, Crimber garnered 148 Unleash The Beast points. While he traveled to Florida ranked No. 3 in the 2024 PBR World Championship race, he will leave No. 2, having pulled within 295 points of No. 1 Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil).
Dias went 1-for-2 in Jacksonville to finish 26th and earned 8 Unleash The Beast points. After bucking off Big Worm (Berryman/Coleman/Ogden/Hart) in a swift 1.46 seconds in Round 1, Dias rebounded in Round 2, topping Hunted Down (Martinez Bucking Bulls, LLC) for 82.5 points.
As the only other rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Dalton Kasel (Muleshoe, Texas), who rides for the Austin Gamblers in the separate PBR Teams league, was second.
Kasel rode lights out through the opening two rounds of competition, riding Mama’s Boy (Universal Pro Rodeo/Rachel & Dustin Powell/Delmas/Williams) for 87 points in Round 1, and Don’t Come Easy (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers) for 84.5 points in Round 2. hile the charismatic Texan converted atop UTZ BesTex Smokestack (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers) for 89.5 points in the championship round, it was not enough to hold off a hard-charging Crimber.
Kasel earned 97 Unleash The Beast points for the silver showing. He vaulted from No. 9 to No. 4 in the standings, now within 472.83 points of the No. 1 spot.
Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) was third, collecting 83 Unleash The Beast points.
Despite being tossed by Hoka Hey (Blake Sharp/Chris Utz/Carey Brothers) in a heartbreaking 7.88 seconds in Round 1, Vieira, who rides for the 2023 PBR Teams Champion Texas Rattlers, rebounded in resilient form on Championship Saturday.
Vieira first struck in Round 2 when he rode Doze Off (Martinez Bucking Bulls, LLC) for a round-winning 89 points. The reserved Brazilian then lit up the scoreboard in the championship round when he logged the event’s first 90-point ride, riding Red Demon (Universal Pro Rodeo/Rachel & Dustin Powell/Delmas/Williams) for 90 points. john crimber
