In front of a raucous Mount Isa crowd, hometown favourite Jake Curr delivered a flawless 2-for-2 performance to win his first event of the 2022 season, victorious at the PBR Australia Touring Pro Division's Mount Isa Show.
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The 22-year-old Curr has risen to prominence in the last two years rising from being the 2020 rookie of the year to being selected for the Queensland State of Origin PBR team after being named on an Australian team to travel to the US.
In Round 1 at the Mount Isa Show, Curr put points on the board when he covered Pandamonium for 80.5 points.
Curr, who was then sixth in the event, next readied to go head-to-head with Super Natural.
Poised, the young gun matched the bull jump-for-jump, reaching the requisite 8 to earn an event-best 89-point score to clinch the victory.
For his efforts, Curr earned 25 national points, rising to 14 in the race to be crowned the 2022 PBR Australia Champion.
Curr trails No. 1 Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, New South Wales) by 266.67 points.
While Richardson maintained his No. 1 rank, he was shutout during Saturday afternoon's event. After being bucked off by Cattle King Screaming Deamon in 4.07 seconds in Round 1, he was upended by Hair Trigger in a swifter 1.85 seconds in Round 2.
Richardson now leads the nation by a mere 10.5 national points.
Qynn Andersen (Koumala, Queensland) delivered a runner-up effort, collecting 17 national points, and climbing to No. 2 in the Australian standings.
Andersen was unrivaled in Round 1, delivering the top score when he bested Tropical Rash for 88 points.
He was unable to stay atop the leaderboard after being bucked off by Gangster's Retreat in Round 2.
Seeking his first national title in 2022, No. 2 Andersen is within a mere 10.5 points of the top position.
Will Purcell (Merrijig, Victoria) and Bradley Wheeler (Grafton, New South Wales) tied for third, each taking home 10 national points.
Purcell and Wheeler both delivered 85.5-point rides in the opening round, covering G Shock and Mr. Bright Side respectively.
In the fierce battle to be crowned the 2022 PBR Australia Champion, Purcell is now No. 10, while Wheeler is ranked No. 24.
Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was Kurt Shephard (Mareeba, Queensland).
The veteran rider rode POA Lock n Load for 84.5 points in Round 1 to earn 5 national points.
Home for a brief time before he returns to the United States to compete for the Texas Rattlers in the groundbreaking PBR Team Series, Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland) was eighth.
Going 1-for-2, Fielder rebounded from a 2.57-second buckoff dealt to him by End Game in Round 1, but covering Trigger Man for 77.5 points in Round 2.
During the Mount Isa Show Saturday evening, PBR also celebrated standout bovine athlete Cattle King Ray Ban of Dittmann Bucking Bulls who officially retired.
Making his last trip at the Touring Pro Division event, Cattle King Ray Ban was scored 42.5 points in Round 2 when he dispatched Beau Willis (Bowen, Queensland) in 6.5 seconds.
The 11-year-old animal athlete delivered 35 outs in his career, ridden just 12 times. He posted his career-best score during the 2017 PBR Australia Grand Finals when he was marked 45.5 points for his 4.94 seconds of work against eventual Australian Champion Troy Wilkinson.
The 2022 PBR Australia season will continue July 16 in Cairns, Queensland, for the Monster Energy Tour's PBR Cairns Invitational.
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