The rain began to fall as fans streamed into VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, just steps away from EverBank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. PBR Jacksonville, sponsored by the U.S. Border Patrol, occurred on February 23rd and 24th.
The weekend was full of excitement as 18-year-old John Crimber won his first-ever PBR Unleash The Beast event in front of a sold-out crowd that included actor Cole Hauser from Yellowstone.
It is no surprise to PBR fans that John Crimber is excelling in the 2024 PBR Unleash the Beast Tour. Destined for greatness, John Crimber is the son of PBR legend and Florida Freedom head coach Paulo Crimber. He got his PBR card when he turned 18 and earned ten event wins on the Challenger Series, PBR Canada, before making his Unleash The Beast debut.
Crimber earned 148 Unleash The Beast points in Jacksonville, Florida, climbing to second place in the 2024 PBR World Championship, just 295 points behind number one Cassio Dias.
John Crimber closes in on Cassio Dias after a good showing at PBR Jacksonville. Photo Courtesy of Josh Homer at Bullstock Media
Despite being bucked off bull Big Worm on Saturday night, Dias made a comeback and rode Hunted Down for 82.5 points. We interviewed Dias, the current world number one, and asked him about his recent experience riding Man Hater and his plans for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“My family, they travel with me; they are what keeps me strong; they are my biggest support group,” Dias said with Gloria Peña translating.
Dias does not shy away from hard work, consistent training, or the chance to ride previously unridden bull, Man Hater. His family joins him on his travels, and he stays energized by their presence on his exciting PBR journey.
When asked about the secret behind his consistent performance throughout the season, Dias replied, “Lots of hard work and training, lots of training.”
Like all journeys, there are peaks and valleys, and this young bull rider is ready for the ride. Dias achieved a new career high of 94.75 points by riding Man Hater in the Championship Round of the 2024 PBR Unleash the Beast Michelob ULTRA PBR in Los Angeles. Before being ridden by Dias, the bull had bucked off thirty bull riders.
With Peña translating, we asked which bull he would like to match up with again this year, and he said, “Man Hater was definitely a great match. We scored great points together. I would want to match up with Man Hater again, for sure!”
Current World #1 in the PBR Unlease the Beast Tour, Cassio Dias. Photo Courtesy of Josh Homer at Bullstock Media
Dias won the title of the PBR Brazil National Championship in 2022. In addition to winning $100K, Dias also secured a spot to participate in two of the main PBR competitions in the United States: the Challenger Series Final and the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals. He continues to succeed across the nation. Will 2024 be the year Dias adds PBR World Champion to his achievements?
“I’m going to keep training and working hard,” Dias said in response to the question of how he would stay consistent for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Other notable riders at the PBR Unleash The Beast in Jacksonville, Florida, included Dalton Kasel, who was the only other rider going three for three behind Crimber. Veteran João Ricardo Vieira showed up to ride Saturday evening, earning scores of 89 and 90 to secure a third-place finish.
John Crimber and Caden Bunch tied for round one win at the recent Sold-Out PBR Unleash The Beast Event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Crimber remained number two in the Unleash The Beast standings, inching within 270.5 points of number one Cassio Dias. (as of March 11, 2024)
-Story by Kristen Schurr
PBR Unleash The Beast – U.S. Border Patrol PBR Jacksonville
VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena – Jacksonville, Florida
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. John Crimber, 87-87.75-91-265.75-148 Points.
2. Dalton Kasel, 87-84.5-89.5-261.00-97 Points.
3. João Ricardo Vieira, 0-89-90-179.00-83 Points.
4. Daylon Swearingen, 0-86-87.25-173.25-50.5 Points.
5. Ednélio Almeida, 84.75-86.75-0-171.50-42 Points.
6. Caden Bunch, 86.25-84.75-0-171.00-35.5 Points.
7. Jesse Petri, 84.25-86.5-0-170.75-30 Points.
8. Michael Lane, 84.75-75-0-159.75-13 Points.
9. Cody Jesus, 87-0-0-87.00-25 Points.
10. Clay Guiton, 86.5-0-0-86.50-17 Points.
(tie). Dawson Branton, 86.5-0-0-86.50-17 Points.
12. Kaiden Loud, 0-86.25-0-86.25-15 Points.
(tie). Marco Eguchi, 86.25-0-0-86.25-13.5 Points.
14. Vitor Losnake, 0-86-0-86.00-13.5 Points.
15. Lucas Divino, 0-85.75-0-85.75-12 Points.
Unleash the Beast Standings (as of March 13, 2024):
2024 PBR Unleash The Beast Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
1. Cassio Dias, 15, 4, 5, 881.83, $235,932.67
2. John Crimber, 13, 1, 5, 617.33, $163,383.00
3. Dalton Kasel, 13, 1, 5, 563.50, $136,275.33
4. Austin Richardson, 8, 2, 3, 533.50, $188,437.00
5. Eduardo Aparecido, 13, 0, 3, 447.00, $77,521.67
6. Koltin Hevalow, 16, 1, 5, 445.50, $92,458.67
7. Caden Bunch, 14, 2, 3, 400.83, $105,718.17
8. João Ricardo Vieira, 13, 1, 3, 380.00, $88,701.67
9. Alan de Souza, 13, 0, 3, 372.00, $58,326.33
10. Brady Fielder, 15, 2, 4, 327.16, $72,640.33
11. Cody Jesus, 10, 0, 3, 327.00, $59,803.00
12. Julio Cesar Marques, 15, 0, 3, 323.32, $44,076.33
13. Kaiden Loud, 14, 0, 2, 264.50, $41,359.00
14. Wingson Henrique da Silva, 12, 1, 3, 263.83, $61,151.00
15. Leonardo Castro, 4, 1, 1, 257.50, $121,005.00
16. Alex Cerqueira, 14, 0, 2, 245.00, $34,528.00
17. Clay Guiton, 10, 0, 3, 238.66, $32,232.33
18. Daylon Swearingen, 15, 0, 1, 237.50, $26,627.00
19. Cort McFadden, 9, 0, 2, 234.00, $25,610.00
20. Vitor Losnake, 13, 0, 2, 223.50, $23,457.67
Full Crowd at the PBR Unleash the Beast Tour in Jacksonville. Photo Courtesy of Bullstock Media.
