ANAHEIM, Calif. – California love.

Joao Ricardo Vieira knows how to ride.

In the city of L.A.

In the city of good ol’ Sacramento.

In the city, the city of Anaheim.

Now can he keep it rockin’?

The No. 4 bull rider in the world standings sure hopes he can keep his gold buckle aspirations rolling Saturday night during the conclusion of the Anaheim Invitational.

Two of Vieira’s three event wins this season have come in the Golden State – a PBR Major victory at Iron Cowboy in downtown Los Angeles and an important three-day event win in Sacramento in January.

“I don’t know what it is,” Vieira said. “It is good energy here. I feel good. I come here to do my job, and this year I am so happy. It has been so good for me. I am happy for this season.”

Vieira rode Spotted Panther for 83.75 points Friday night in Round 1, and he heads into Round 2 sitting in 11^th place.

The 35-year-old is a perfect 8-for-8 on California soil this season.

Vieira has drawn Pitch Black (0-0, UTB) for Round 2.

Fans can watch Round 2 Sunday on CBS Sports Network at 1 p.m. ET and then the conclusion of the event on CBS national television at 5 p.m. ET.

Vieira begins the final rounds 1,282.5 points behind world leader Jess Lockwood. A fourth event win would immediately put Vieira back into the world title conversation.

The primary focus in the title race currently is on the Big 3 – Lockwood, Round 1 winner Jose Vitor Leme and No. 3 Chase Outlaw.

However, Vieira is not counting himself out of the race one bit.

“I believe,” Vieira said. “I never give up. All the time I believe. You need this. You need to have a dream. I believe. I believe in myself.”

Round 1 is a microcosm of the challenges Vieira faces in trying to contend for the gold buckle.

He is the least flashy among the world title contenders. He averages 85.48 points per ride and only has four round wins compared to 14 for Leme and eight for Lockwood and Outlaw.

Therefore, consistency and event wins are that much more important for him if he hopes to gain large chunks of points toward the standings.

Vieira knows his style does not help him place high in rounds all the time.

“The system of points is so much more difficult for the world title” Vieira said. “I ride with more strength, and the other guys are more flashy and get more points. It can be one or two points different in the round, but if you win the round it is 100 points.”

Regardless, Vieira is confident he can contend for the 2019 World Championship.

There are five more remaining Unleash The Beast regular-season events following Anaheim, including next weekend’s three-day event in Springfield, Missouri, and a two-day event in Fairfax, Virginia, in two weeks.

Vieira is 30-for-63 (47.62%) with three event wins, six Top-3 finishes and nine Top 10s. He has won more than $851,000 this season at all levels of competition when you factor in his victory at THE AMERICAN and his contributions to Team Brazil’s Global Cup victory.

His near 48% riding average is the best since he finished fifth in the 2016 world title race. That was the last year Vieira was in the title race. He finished Top 3 in the world his first three seasons on tour (2013-2015).

RidePass analyst Colby Yates said earlier this week to not rule Vieira out of the title race just yet.

“The one to watch out for is Joao,” Yates said. “He is so consistent, and it just seems like he does this every year. He has won three events. You go ask a regular individual how many events he has won and they are not going to know. They could probably tell you Jess Lockwood has won four. But they aren’t going to know Joao has won three events. He just doesn’t put himself out there. He is not obnoxious about it. He is not like, ‘Here I am.’ He just rides. He is always a player.”

Vieira believes he is a more well-rounded bull rider today than he was four years ago, which means this may be the best shot at a world title he has ever had.

“Last time, I did not ride good away from my hand,” Vieira said. “This year, I work hard for a better season. I can do this, this season. I am a new JRV. It is a new season. It is a new Finals.

“I am trying to win all the time.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko