The PBR Unleash The Beast Tour returns from its Easter-weekend break for event No. 16 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Friday will mark the 11th time the Time has stopped in Sioux Falls, and it’s staying for the whole weekend. It will mark the fourth three-day event of the season thus far.

Clay Guiton won in Sioux Falls last year on a perfect performance. He was the only rider to cover all four of his bulls, leading to his first and only UTB event win.

Guiton sits in 8th place in the World Rankings as he awaits his imminent return come May at the World Finals.

Ahead of Guiton, the Top 5 riders remain the same as they were before PBR Albuquerque. The average margin between each of the Top 5 riders is just 52.75 UTB Points.

The three-day format includes an increase in points, along with the crucial opportunities to earn them.

With just three weekends left before May’s World Finals begin, Sioux Falls will make an excellent battleground for riders aiming to finish the regular season strong.

Top 5 Report

John Crimber (703 points)

Crimber has ridden just a single bull in each of his last two events and he’s covered only two of his last six overall.

It’s no time to panic, though, as Crimber continues to hold a solid 47-point lead on Sage Kimzey. He ranks in the Top 5 on Tour in riding percentage (53.85%), qualified rides (21), and total outs (39). He ranks seventh in average score at 87.24, the fourth-highest in the Top 10.

Crimber will face Cherry Shot on Friday Night in what could be an explosive opportunity for him to remind the world why he’s No. 1. Cherry Shot was 45.9 in his previous outing in Indianapolis, bucking off Marco Rizzo in 2.59 seconds That 45.9 was his best score ever, bringing his average to 43.23 Crimber could earn a massive score out of the gate in Sioux Falls.

Sage Kimzey (656 points)

Kimzey had an uncharacteristic 0-for-3 weekend in Albuquerque. It was the first time he’d bucked off three consecutive bulls, and the second event where he went scoreless this season. He’s covered just one bull in his last six outs; the worst stretch of his season.

Regardless, Kimzey still remains in second place with the third-best riding percentage on tour at 60 percent, and the most event wins on Tour with three. He’ll face 14-0 Cherry Chew on Friday as Kimzey will continue to build toward a potential first PBR World Title.

Leandro Zampollo (595.5 points)

Zampollo has covered five of his last six bulls, including going 3-for-4 in Albuquerque. In Albuquerque’s Championship Round, Zampollo covered Chico to improve to 7-for-8 in Championship Rounds for the season.

Zampollo holds the second-highest riding percentage on tour at 63.16%, paired with the most qualified rides with 24. Zampollo is the highest-ranked rider without a UTB win this season, but has six Top 3 finishes.

Zampollo will not be riding this weekend in Sioux Falls, and with just a 2.5-point lead on Brady Fielder, he risks falling down a peg in the World Standings. Regardless, Zampollo is still a dangerous competitor who’ll be vying for the World Championship in May.

Brady Fielder (593 points)

Fielder kept his foot on the gas pedal after winning PBR Indianapolis, going 3-for-4 and finishing 4th in Albuquerque, giving him 236 UTB Points in the last two weekends alone.

At The Pit, Fielder earned his third 90+ ride of the season, covering Tigger for 91.15 in Albuquerque’s Short Round. He’s covered six of his last seven heading into South Dakota, where he’ll face off with Ransom, a bull who has bucked him off twice already this season.

Fielder is just 2.5 points behind the absent Zampollo, and 64 points behind Kimzey in second. If he can string together another strong weekend, he has a good chance of landing No. 2 in the World.

Paulo Eduardo Rossetto (492 points)

Rossetto has recorded two qualified rides in three of his last four events. Last time out, he finished ninth in Albuquerque, going 2-for-4. He has been good, but not exceptional, and that stagnation has cost him positional security; he’s just 3.5 points ahead of sixth place Dalton Kasel.

Furthermore, Rossetto’s 46.34% ride percentage is the worst in the Top 10, and with a 101-point gap between him and 4th, Rossetto can’t afford mediocrity as he sits on the precipice of the World Finals.

Rossetto will take on the rideable Dirty Money on Friday in what could set him up for a great weekend.

Injury Updates

After stellar showings in New Mexico, Keyshawn Whitehorse and Jose Vitor Leme are both sitting out this weekend.

Whitehorse had the best weekend of his career in Albuquerque, going 90+ three times and winning the event in front of Navajo Nation to go from No. 20 to No. 9 in the Unleash the Beast Standings.

Meanwhile, the three-time World Champion Leme had a season resurgence in Albuquerque. He went 3-for-4 while notching his first 90+ ride of the season.

Fans will be looking out for their return next week at PBR Billings.

On the other side of that coin, two-time PBR World Champion Jess Lockwood is on the daysheet for the first time since PBR Pittsburgh on Feb. 13. Lockwood is just 6-for-14 on the season, but three of those rides have resulted in round wins.

Trending Up

Daniel Keeping: After going scoreless for five consecutive events, Keeping bounced back with two impressive rides in Albuquerque. He was 88 in the Second Round and followed that with a 90 in the Third, his second 90+ score of the season. It was a stark turnaround for Keeping, who’s currently 9-for-34 on the year and in 32nd place in the World Standings.

Bob Mitchell: Mitchell notched the second perfect weekend of his season in Albuquerque, extending his qualified ride streak to five in a row. He has the best ride percentage of anyone not in the Top 10 at 51.72%, which ranks 6th-best on Tour this season. Mitchell is No. 17 in the World Standings.

Trending Down

Cassio Dias: Dias has covered just one bull in his last 11 outs. Since winning PBR Pittsburgh in mid-February, Dias has been on 17 bulls but has ridden just three of them. Dias is now in 14th place in the World Standings with the worst ride percentage of anyone in the Top 30 at 28.57%.

Kaiden Loud: Since finishing third in Bridgeport, Loud has taken a step backwards, covering just 2-of-7. He missed PBR Indianapolis, too, allowing himself to slip further away from Top 10 aspirations into 15th place. His 336 UTB Points are 56 points behind Cort McFadden in 10th, and a lot would have to fall Loud’s way to make up lost ground. He could start, though, by riding 2-0 Rolex for 8 seconds. Rolex scored 44 and 44.5 on his previous two outs, giving Loud an opportunity for a lot of points.

Round 1 Matchups to Watch

Jess Lockwood v Stryker: Lockwood will make his return to the Tour Friday night for the first time since PBR Pittsburgh in mid-February and returns with the highest average score in UTB this season at 89.02 points per ride. Stryker, a seasoned veteran who has been at least 42.3 points on every out this season, will give Lockwood an excellent welcome-back test.

Cort McFadden v Purple Rain: It’s been over two months since McFadden has gone through an event scoreless. In that time, he’s been able to climb the ranks to 10th place through a streaky, but gritty string of performances. Purple Rain has yet to be ridden, though, in 17 career outs. McFadden has an incredible opportunity to score big and take another leap in the standings.