Aaron Kleier Furthers Stronghold on No. 1 Rank in PBR Australia with Touring Pro Division Event Win in Bloomsbury

BLOOMSBURY, Qld. – As the 2022 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Australia season continued Saturday in Bloomsbury, Queensland, four-time Australian Champion Aaron Kleier (Clermont, Queensland) inched closer to his unprecedented fifth consecutive national title, winning the Touring Pro Division’s PBR Bull Pit to further his stronghold on the No. 1 rank in the nation.

After tying David Kennedy (Kyogle, New South Wales) for most Australian national titles won by one rider in 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.

As the action got underway in Round 1, Kleier delivered the third-best score when he covered Ranch Kitty (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) for 83 points.

The stoic Queensland native remained perfect in the second round, delivering his second consecutive 83-point ride when he went the distance atop Hair Trigger (Dittmann Bucking Bulls).

As the championship round got underway, Kleier readied to take on Ambush (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls), positioned second on the event leaderboard.

Matching the powerful animal athlete jump-for-jump, Kleier completed his flawless outing in Bloomsbury, Queensland, with an event-best 88-point score to clinch the event win.

Kleier’s golden finish, his fourth straight, and eighth overall of the season, earned him a crucial 93 national points. Extending his lead atop the Australian national standings, Kleier now leads new No. 2 Cody Heffernan (Singleton, New South Wales) by 223.5 points.

Chasing his first national title this November, veteran rider Kurt Shephard (Mareeba, Queensland) finished second to collect 80 national points.

Shephard was unrivaled in both Round 1 and Round 2, delivering the top score when he covered Ima Booga Too (Blackhall Livestock/English Bros) for 84 points, and Drag Iron (Dunne Bulls) for 85.5 points.

The home state rider, however, was unable to cement the victory in the final round when he bucked off POA Crack The Latch (Dittmann Bucking Bulls) in a quick 4.44 seconds.

The silver showing elevated Shephard from No. 14 to No. 8 in the national standings. He now trails No. 1 Kleier by 505 national points.

Third was 2016 PBR Australia Champion Heffernan.

Going 1-for-3, Heffernan covered On Bail (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) for 84.5 points in Round 2 to collect 52 national points.

The podium finish elevated Heffernan from No. 3 to No. 2 in the race to be crowned the 2022 PBR Australia Championship.

Fourth was Jackson Gray (Barcaldine, Queensland).

Gray’s 83.5-point ride atop Dang It (Dunne Bulls) in the opening round earned him 42 national points.

Rounding out the Top 5 in fifth was seven-time PBR World Finals qualifier Lachlan Richardson (Gresford, New South wales).

Marked 82.5 points atop Law & Order (Blackhall Livestock) in Round 1, Richardson left PBR Bull Pit having netted 26 national points.

Richardson remained No. 4 in the national standings, now 266.5 points back of No. 1 Kleier.

In the bull pen, Rambo (Dittmann Bucking Bulls) and Ranga (MJ/Keliher Bucking Bulls) tied for the Bull of the Event honor, both marked 44.5 points in the championship round. Rambo earned the score for his 4.82-second buckoff of Heffernan, while Ranga delivered the marks when he dispatched Jack Keats (Cloncurry, Queensland) in 4.18 seconds.

The 2022 PBR Australia season will continue Saturday, September 10 for the Touring Pro Division’s PBR Quirindi Show in Quirindi, New South Wales. Action at the Quirindi Showground and Racecourse will get underway at 6:00 p.m. AEDT.

Stay tuned in to PBRAustralia.com.au and follow the tour on Facebook (PBR Australia), Twitter (@PBRAustralia), and Instagram (@PBRAustralia) for the latest results, news, stats and more.

PBR Australia Touring Pro Division
PBR Bull Pit
Dittmann Bull Pit – Bloomsbury, Queensland
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2- Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Aaron Kleier, 83-83-88-254.00-93 Points.
2. Kurt Shephard, 84-85.5-0-169.50-80 Points.
3. Cody Heffernan, 0-84.5-0-84.50-52 Points.
4. Jackson Gray, 83.5-0-0-83.50-42 Points.
5. Lachlan Richardson, 82.5-0-0-82.50-26 Points.
Qynn Andersen, 0-0-0-0.00
Ben Moran, 0-0-0-0.00
Jack Keats, 0-0-0-0.00
Beau Willis, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Milgate, 0-0-0-0.00
Lane Mellers, 0-0-0-0.00