Up and down: 2006 champions ATO look to qualify for race on Saturday

Junior Alpha Tau Omega member Steve Ziemba has been a Little 500 rider for only two years, but he has already experienced the highest of the race’s highs and the lowest of its lows.

Two years ago, as a rookie rider, Ziemba watched as his ATO teammate Hans Arnesen lapped the field on the way to ATO’s impressive 2006 Little 500 title.

Last year, however, Ziemba and ATO missed the chance to defend their title when they failed to qualify for the race. It was the first time in the event’s 57-year history that the defending champion failed to qualify for the next year’s race. At Saturday’s qualifications for the 2008 race, ATO will try to learn from last year’s mistakes and earn a spot in this year’s field.

“As a freshman, I just came into a really good situation,” Ziemba said. “We had really strong leadership and just a really great team. Last year was tough. We trained so hard all year and then having that happen, it was devastating watching everyone else and not being able to compete.”

After dropping the bike during an exchange in its first two attempts, ATO was left with one more chance to complete its run and qualify for the race. But after a judge ruled it made an illegal full-bike exchange on the first exchange of their last attempt, ATO failed to solidify a spot in the race, leaving its competitors stunned.

“I was actually there when they did their third attempt, and obviously everyone was yelling and screaming and then all of the sudden there was nothing – everything was hushed,” said junior Kirk Weesner, a Pi Kappa Alpha rider. “I was just as shocked as everyone else.”

While some competitors were surprised, others viewed ATO’s mishap as a competitive advantage.

“I think a lot of teams, to tell you the truth, were more excited than they were shocked because it was good to have a good team like that out,” said junior Chad
Timmerman, a Phi Sigma Kappa rider.

Junior Robert Perez, who was on the front end of ATO’s last exchange, said the final failed run was a result of a misunderstanding of the rules. While initially Perez and ATO supporters were angry at the ruling, their emotions later shifted to regret.
“It was more disappointing than anything,” he said. “We had worked hard all year leading up to that and we had a really competitive team.”

On Saturday, ATO hopes to recover from last year’s disappointment and race up to expectations.

“Last year, we were coming off spring break and we were riding really fast,” Ziemba said. “We might have been a little cocky and tried to come out too fast.”
While three of the ATO riders missed the chance for race experience last year, Ziemba still believes ATO has a team that can challenge for its second title in three years.

“We still have a very good team,” Ziemba said. “Our rookies have trained hard, and even though they haven’t been in a race yet, we still consider them veterans. Everyone has improved and our team is a lot stronger.”

The first step, though, is to qualify Saturday – something the teammates now know they cannot overlook.

“We just have to keep calm,” Ziemba said. “Qualifications are probably the most stressful part of the race. You have to do three exchanges in three laps and you only get three attempts. It’s about us being comfortable. It’s not so much about winning, it’s about getting in.”

With memories of last year fresh in its mind, ATO will have plenty of incentive Saturday.

“We don’t want to dwell on it, but it’s obviously good motivation for us,” Perez said. “We want to come back strong after that.”