OCEAN CITY – For the second consecutive season, the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Challenger Series will buck into Ocean City, welcoming fans to the Inlet on June 2-4 for the PBR Ocean City Seacrets Classic.
For three days 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.
The PBR Ocean City Seacrets Classic is held at one of the most captivating venues across the entire 2023 Challenger Series schedule, according to event organizers. In addition to Ocean City being one of the most traveled-to vacation destinations on the coast, the Ocean City Inlet is nestled between the Boardwalk and beaches.
The PBR Challenger Series holds more than 60 events from May-November, culminating with its Championship in late October in Las Vegas. The PBR Challenger Series provides additional competitive opportunities for bull riders who are both affiliated and unaffiliated with a PBR Team Series team.
The PBR debuted at the Ocean City Inlet last June, as 40 of the world’s best bull riders competed within feet of the Atlantic Ocean.
Backed by a two-for-four showing, Eduardo de Oliveira (Nova Lacerda, Brazil) emerged the supreme competitor, winning his career-first PBR event.
Despite suffering a heart-breaking buckoff in the first round, the stoic Brazilian returned determined for round two. Going head-to-head with Pennsylvania-raised animal athlete Just Denim (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls), Oliveira reached the requisite 8 for 81 points.
Oliveira’s momentum then continued in Round 3 when he covered Grey Goose (Mike Miller Bucking Bulls) for 81.5 points to surge to the event lead.
While Cooter Brown (Lucas Manning/Waller Brothers Cattle Co.) proved too much for Oliveira in the championship round, brought down in 4.06 seconds, his two prior qualified rides proved enough to clinch the golden finish.
Oliveira earned 34.5 Challenger Series, propelling to No. 3 in the series standings. When the season came to a climactic end, Oliveira finished the campaign ranked No. 29.
The debut season for the new Series was dominated by 2018 PBR Rookie of the Year Keyshawn Whitehorse (McCracken Spring, Utah) who won two events and finished third at the Challenger Series Championship in Las Vegas to be crowned the inaugural Challenger Series Champion.
The bull riding action for the PBR Challenger Series’ Ocean City Seacrets Classic begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 4.
All competing bull riders will get on one bull each in the first rounds. Following round three Sunday afternoon, the riders’ individual three-round scores will be totaled with the top 15 advancing to the championship round for one more out and a chance at the event title.
Tickets for the three-day event are on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at ETIX.com and PBR.com, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
PBR Challenger Series travels to 27 states across the United States, running in conjunction with the PBR Team Series – an eight-team league competing in five-on-five bull riding games from July to late October 2023.
The PBR Challenger Series, the sport’s only standalone series from June to October, provides additional competitive opportunities to bull riders who are both affiliated and unaffiliated with a PBR Team Series Team.
At the conclusion of the PBR Challenger Series regular season, the top 40 riders in the Series standings will qualify for the Challenger Championship, which will be held on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in conjunction with the PBR Team Finals (Oct. 20-22). A select number of top-finishing riders in the final Challenger Series standings will earn automatic positions in 2024 Unleash The Beast season events.