TULSA (Sept. 30, 2024) – For the first time in history, PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will buck into Tulsa, Oklahoma, holding PBR Tulsa at BOK Center January 24-25. The Velocity Tour’s debut in the city will mark the 21st consecutive season PBR has stopped in Tulsa.
For two nights only, some of the best bull riders in the world will battle the sport’s rankest bovine athletes in the ultimate showdown of man vs. beast in one of the most exciting and unpredictable live sporting events to witness.
The debut of PBR’s expansion series in Tulsa comes on the spurs of one of the organization’s most dynamic individual seasons in 2024 as the Velocity Tour held 30 regular-season events across four months, including 12 weekends with two events held simultaneously. Welcoming more than 356,000 fans throughout the season, the Velocity Tour hosted 20 sold out event days, marking its most successful season in attendance since its inception in 2015.
The upcoming PBR Tulsa will be the ninth event of the new individual season for the PBR’s expansion series. Eventgoers will watch on as riders vie for crucial points in the race to be crowned the 2025 PBR Velocity Tour Champion.
When Tulsa most recently welcomed the PBR in January 2024, Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) went a perfect 3-for-3 to win the Unleash The Beast event. As the season continued, Vieira logged five additional Top 10 finishes, before concluding the year with his 12th career PBR World Finals qualification, finishing No. 13 in the race for the World Championship.
In 2021, the Tulsa event made PBR history.
During the event’s accompanying 15/15 Bucking Battle, Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) teamed with Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch) for a recordshattering score.
Marked a thenunprecedented 97.75 points, Leme’s score aboard Woopaa dethroned the previous top ride score of 96.5 points, achieved four times, most recently before Leme’s ride in Tulsa in 2004 by 1997 PBR World Champion Michael Gaffney (Albuquerque, New Mexico) on three-time YETI PBR World Champion Bull Little Yellow Jacket (Berger/Teague/Taupin).
In a nearly flawless display of athleticism, Leme was marked an almost perfect 49.75 points, out of a possible 50 points, while Woopaa contributed 48 points, the 10th highest bull score in the league’s history.
The Tulsa score briefly remained the highmarked ride in PBR history until Leme faced Woopaa in the championship round of the 2022 PBR World Finals, this time earning an unprecedented 98.75-point score, including the first-ever 50-point score awarded to a rider, and sealing his second consecutive PBR World Championship.
Historically, of the past 16 PBR World Champions, seven have won the Tulsa event en route to capturing the coveted gold buckle. Those riders are: Jess Lockwood (2019 and 2017); Cooper Davis (2016); J.B. Mauney (2015, 2013); Renato Nunes (2010); and Kody Lostroh (2009).
Only four riders have won the Tulsa event in multiple seasons, including two-time World Champions Leme (2018 & 2022), Lockwood (2017 & 2019) and Mauney (2013 & 2015), in addition to 2009 PBR World Champion Kody Lostroh (2009 & 2012).
Other past winners in Tulsa include: Eli Vastbinder (2022), Boudreaux Campbell (2021); Silvano Alves (2020); Gage Gay (2014); Lostroh (2012); Fabiano Vieira (2011); Justin McBride (2008); Adriano Moraes (2007); Kasey Hayes (2006); and Edgard Oliveira (2005).
The bull riding action for PBR Tulsa begins with Round 1 at 8:00 p.m. CT on Friday, January 24, followed by Round 2 and the championship round at 7:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, January 25. All 35 competing bull riders will get on one bull each in Round 1 on Friday, January 24 and Round 2 on Saturday, January 25. The riders’ individual two-round scores will be totaled with the Top 10 advancing to the championship round on Saturday evening for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the twoday event go on sale Friday, October 4 at 10:00 a.m. CT, and start at $15, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, BOKCenter. com and PBR. com, at the QuikTrip Box Office at BOK Center or by calling PBR customer service at (800) 732-1727.
PBR Elite Seats are available for avid fans who want an exclusive VIP experience while enjoying the world’s top bull riding circuit. These tickets, available in three tiers, offer premium seats, personal on-site concierge at the PBR fan loyalty booth, and more. For more on elite seats call (800) 732-1727, or to purchase visit Ticketmaster. com. For more information about the PBR and the 2025 PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour schedule, or to purchase tickets, visit PBR.com.
Stay tuned to PBR. com for the latest news and results and be sure to follow the sport on all social media platforms at @PBR.
About the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour: The PBR’s Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) began in 2014 as the premier expansion tour for the PBR. The Velocity Tour, the sport’s fastest-growing tour, brings the excitement and top levels of cowboy and bovine talent that fans have come to expect from the sport to cities across the United States. The PWVT is proudly supported by Pendleton Whisky, Beat-Box Beverages, Boot Barn, Camping World, GOVX, Kubota, Michelob ULTRA, Montana Silversmiths, Rank 45, South Point Hotel & Casino, the United States Border Patrol, Visit Corpus Christi, and Walmart Health and Wellness. Every Velocity Tour event is carried on PBR RidePass, PBR’s flagship digital network.
