Fort St. John’s Jake Gardner Ties for Sixth in Round 1 of PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Event in Pensacola, Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Marking the first-ever PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour event in Pensacola, Florida, Canadian sensation Jake Gardner (Fort St. John, British Columbia) tied for sixth in Round 1 of the PBR Pensacola Invitational, earning crucial world points in the early 2021 PBR World Championship race.

Splitting the sixth-place position with Francisco Garcia Torres (Sal, Mexico), both contenders earned one world point.

Each marked 85 points, Gardner covered Rag Doll (Tom Baker Bucking Bulls), while Torres rode Touch of Silver (Okeechobee Bull Co.).

Gardner is now ranked No. 92 in the world ahead of the event’s continuation Sunday afternoon.

Albertan Logan Biever (Claresholm, Alberta) is also stateside for the tour stop, however failed to convert Saturday evening. He was bucked off in 4.12 seconds by Shake Down (D4 Cattle/Tomaski).

While the event marks Gardner’s first PBR event of the 2021 season, Biever has been in the United States since January, riding on both the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and Touring Pro Division.

Michael Lane (Tazewell, Virginia) and Cole Skender (Hamburg, Arkansas) were electric Saturday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center, recording matching 87.5-point rides to tie for the Round 1 victory at the PBR Pensacola Invitational.

Lane covered Gone Rogue (Red Laces Cattle Co.), while Skender went the distance aboard Fu Man Chu (Sho-Me Rodeo/Titan Cattle Co.), both netting 5.5 world points.

For Lane, he surged from No. 69 to No. 55 in the world standings, while Skender climbed 20 positions, catapulting from No. 94 to No. 74.

As one of 12 riders to record a score in the opening round of competition, Luis Blanco (Iacanga, Brazil) was third.

The 32-year-old covered Hickory (Oilfield Outlaw’s Bucking Bulls) for 86.5 points and subsequently earned three world points.

Blanco is now ranked No. 72 in the world after beginning Round 1 of the Florida event No. 79.

In yet another tie, Marcus Mast (Middlebury, Indiana) and Devon Weaver (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) split fourth courtesy of 86-point rides, both netting 1.5 world points.

Mast made the 8 aboard Little G (Her Lightning), while Weaver reached the whistle atop Cow Dog (Rockin R/Jim & Shannon Barr).

The PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Pensacola Invitational was also a stop on the 2021 Million Dollar Bull Team Challenge.

GEM Bucking Bulls won the performance with 272.04 points courtesy of the trips notched by Whacked Out, Bring The Bling and Red Line.

Second place was Okeechobee Bull Company with 269.8 points, while Her Lightning was third with 269.49 points. Okeechobee Bull Company’s team included Domino, Touch of Silver and Drifter, while the bronze effort from Her Lightning was earned courtesy of outs recorded by Buckle Up, Chopsaw and Little G.  

Fans can relive all the action from Round 1 of the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Pensacola Invitational Sunday, March 21 at 8:00 a.m. EDT on RidePass, at RidePass.com or via the RidePass app available on iOS, Android and Roku.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour action from Pensacola, Florida, and the Pensacola Bay Center continues on Sunday, March 21 with Round 2 and the championship round. Action gets underway at 1:00 p.m. CDT.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour – Pensacola Invitational
Pensacola Bay Center – Pensacola, Florida
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Michael Lane, 87.5-0-0-87.50-5.5 Points.
(tie). Cole Skender, 87.5-0-0-87.50-5.5 Points.
3. Luis Blanco, 86.5-0-0-86.50-3 Points.
4. Marcus Mast, 86-0-0-86.00-1.5 Points.
(tie). Devon Weaver, 86-0-0-86.00-1.5 Points.
6. Francisco Garcia Torres, 85-0-0-85.00-1 Points.
(tie). Jake Gardner, 85-0-0-85.00-1 Points.
8. Clayton Sellars, 84.5-0-0-84.50
9. Dylan Smith, 84-0-0-84.00
10. Anthony Lyons, 83.5-0-0-83.50
11. Shane Proctor, 83-0-0-83.00
12. Cody Nance, 80.5-0-0-80.50
Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-0-0.00
Austin Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Thor Hoefer II, 0-0-0-0.00
Keith Hall, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Byler, 0-0-0-0.00
Justin Houston, 0-0-0-0.00
Rubens Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Logan Biever, 0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Fideles Souza, 0-0-0-0.00
Alecio Ferreira da Costa, 0-0-0-0.00
Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00
Caleb Christian, 0-0-0-0.00
Jake Davis, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00
Jake Lockwood, 0-0-0-0.00
Triston Dean, 0-0-0-0.00
Laramie Craigen, 0-0-0-0.00
Bradley Brittain, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cardozo, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody Campbell, 0-0-0-0.00
Romildo Rodrigues, 0-0-0-0.00
Allen Burkholder, 0-0-0-0.00
Max Castro, 0-0-0-0.00
Lucas Phipps, 0-0-0-0.00
Rosendo Ramirez, 0-0-0-0.00
Juan Carlos Contreras, 0-0-0-0.00
Lane Nobles, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Ednei Caminhas, 0-0-0-0.00
Anthony Hopen, 0-0-0-0.00
Braden Richardson, 0-0-0-0.00
Ty Shaffer, 0-0-0-0.00