Four-Time PBR Australia Champion Aaron Kleier Wins Monster Energy Tour Event in Toowoomba, Queensland

TOOWOOMBA, Qld. – In front of a sensational Toowoomba, Queensland, crowd Saturday evening, Aaron Kleier (Clermont, Queensland) topped two rounds of competition en route to clinching the event win at the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Australia Monster Energy TourToowoomba Invitational at Meatstock, catapulting him to No. 5 in the race for the 2022 PBR Australia Championship.

While Kleier’s outing at the Toowoomba Showgrounds began in less-than-ideal fashion, bucked off by Double Dealings (ST Bucking Bulls) in 5.76 seconds in Round 1, the reserved Queensland contender was quick to rebound as Championship Saturday got underway.

Kleier first topped the field in Round 2 when he covered Mickey Mouse (Peter Wallace) for a commanding 86 points.

In Round 3, the 24-year-old again led the draw, conquering Pirate Patch (Running Gold Bucking Bulls) for 83.5 points.

While Kleier was unable to cap his event with a qualified ride, bucked off by Pretty Boy (Peter Wallace) in 3.14 seconds in the championship round, his back-to-back, round-winning scores were enough to clinch the win at the PBR Toowoomba Invitational at Meatstock.

For his efforts, Kleier collected a crucial 100 national points. He is now ranked No. 5 in the national standings, 104.5 points behind the No. 1 position.

In 2022, Kleier is chasing history.

After tying David Kennedy (Kyogle, New South Wales) for most Australian national titles won by one rider in league history in 2021, each now with four, should Kleier win his unprecedented fifth consecutive national title at season’s end, he would become the winningest bull rider in PBR Australia competition.

Looking down the leaderboard, 2016 PBR Australia Champion Cody Heffernan (Singleton, New South Wales) delivered a fifth-place finish to overtake the No. 1 rank in the national standings.

Heffernan went a near perfect 2-for-3 but was relegated to the sidelines for the championship round due to an ankle injury.

In the opening round, Heffernan was quick to strike, riding Night Fury (ST Bucking Bulls) for 83 points.

The poised New South Wales rider then covered his second animal athlete of the event when he bested Holy Poly (Peter Wallace) for 83.5 points in Round 2.  

Big Iron (BK Bucking Bulls), however, emerged the more dominant athlete in Heffernan’s Round 3 showdown, tossing him to the dirt in 4.78 seconds.

The Top 5 effort earned Heffernan 39.5 national points and he now leads No. 2 Brady Fielder (Clermont, Queensland) by 18 national points.

Second was Braith Nock (Bendemeer, New South Wales), collecting 82 national points.

After bucking off Little Thunder (ST Bucking Bulls) in 3.48 seconds in Round 1 and Meet Ya Maker (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) in 4.11 seconds in Round 2, Nock epitomized the resilient cowboy spirit as he begun to rebound in Round 3.

Nock first put points on the board when he rode Breaking Bad (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) for 82 points.

The surging 20-year-old then punctuated his efforts with a championship round-best, 86.5-point score atop Suga Boom Boom (BK Bucking Bulls).

The silver finish propelled Nock inside the Top 5 in the national standings. Now ranked No. 4 in Australia, he is within 87 points of No. 1 Heffernan.

Qynn Andersen (Koumala, Queensland) was third after going 2-for-4 in Toowoomba.

The 18-year-old young gun registered his qualified rides in Round 1 and Round 2, covering Seven Eleven (Peter Wallace) for 84 points and Foot Rots (BK Bucking Bulls) for 83.5 points.

Andersen left his home state event having earned 62.5 national points, solidifying his stronghold on the No. 3 rank in his bid to be crowned the 2022 PBR Australia Champion. He now trails No. 1 Heffernan by a mere 22 points.

Rounding out the Top 5, and finishing fourth, was Nathan Burtenshaw (Coonamble, New South Wales).

Burtenshaw’s 82.5-point score on Houston Calling (Ruhland Ranch Bucking Bulls) and 84.5-point ride atop Pied Piper (Ruhland Ranch Bucking Bulls) earned him 52 national points.

The New South Wales standout is now ranked No. 12 in Australia.

In the bull pen, Pretty Boy was unrivaled, earning the Bull of the Event title. Pretty Boy was marked a commanding 44 points when he bested Kleier in 3.14 seconds in the championship round.

The 2022 PBR Australia season continues Saturday, April 16 for the Monster Energy Tour’s Rockhampton Invitational at Great Western Hotel. Action in Rockhampton, Queensland, will get underway at 7:00 p.m. AEDT.

PBR Australia Monster Energy Tour
PBR Toowoomba Invitational at Meatstock
Toowoomba Showgrounds – Toowoomba, Queensland
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-National Points)
1. Aaron Kleier, 0-86-83.5-0-169.50-100 Points.
2. Braith Nock, 0-0-82-86.5-168.50-82 Points.
3. Qynn Andersen, 84-83.5-0-0-167.50-62.5 Points.
4. Nathan Burtenshaw, 82.5-84.5-0-0-167.00-52 Points.
5. Cody Heffernan, 83-83.5-0-0-166.50-39.5 Points.
6. Lachlan Richardson, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-30 Points.
7. Chris Wilson, 0-83.5-0-0-83.50-13 Points.
(tie). Michael Smith, 0-83.5-0-0-83.50-13 Points.
9. Will Purcell, 82.5-0-0-0-82.50-9 Points.
10. Kelsey Pavlou, 80.5-0-0-0-80.50-5.5 Points.
11. Jackson Gray, 0-80.5-0-0-80.50-4.5 Points.
12. Ben Moran, 78.5-0-0-0-78.50-3 Points.
Beau Willis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brumby Brandenburg, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lachlan Slade, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Caiden Sandilands, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Brody Woodard, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jono Couling, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Joey Buckingham, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Oscar Leake, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Toby Leake, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Clay Hall, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Bryn Francis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Steven Carter, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Lane Hindmarsh, 0-0-0-0-0.00