Qualifications plagued by harsh conditions

Conditions were ideal during last year's Little 500 qualifications.\nTemperatures were in the mid 70s, and the wind was almost non-existent.\nThis year, conditions weren't as friendly to riders.\nThe temperature never rose above 40 degrees. In the morning the track was wet, but the moisture was not enough to compensate for the dry conditions during the past week. The track was loose by the afternoon and wind was a factor during the whole day.\nOne of the advantages men's riders had in their favor was that conditions didn't vary much. Judging by the times posted, there wasn't a big difference between qualifying in the morning and afternoon.\nThree of the best six times posted were in the morning. The other three came in the afternoon when the track was rolled twice, once at noon and once again around 2:45 p.m.\nPhi Gamma Delta, which recorded the pole position with a time of 2 minutes, 30 seconds, qualified at 11:30 a.m. Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta qualified third and fourth despite attempts that started before 9 a.m. when temperatures were in the low 30s. Sigma Phi Epsilon had a time of 2:33.50 and Phi Delta Theta recorded a 2:34.09.\nPhi Delta Theta junior Matt Marketti said the wind was in the team's face on turns one and two. During the morning session, the wind was at the riders' backs as they headed towards the finish line.\nWhen asked about the wind Marketti said, "In quals you don't feel much. You just go out and ride."\nDelta Tau Delta failed to qualify in the morning, and had to return at 5 p.m. for its third attempt. Delta Tau Delta junior Ryan Tolle said there wasn't as much wind in the afternoon as there was during morning qualifying.\n Some riders said in addition to the wind, the track was wet in the morning. Sigma Phi Epsilon senior Isaiah Knouff said the track was still wet from early Saturday morning's light rain. Sigma Phi Epsilon qualified about 20 minutes after Phi Delta Theta.\n"Turn one was rutted out," Knouff said. "There's nothing you can do about it. You have to ride through it or ride outside of it."\nThe track, which most riders said felt loose, was only suppose to be rolled once. But after Delta Chi senior Jason Sonneborn fell on turn one during his team's first attempt, the track was rolled a second time.\n"They do a lot of great work on the track, but unfortunately conditions are very poor," Sonneborn said. "We need rain. Rain keeps it packed down and makes it like riding on a road. If we don't have rain it's just like riding on gravel."\nRace director Jonathan Purvis said the track was rolled to smooth a divot on turn one. Immediately after the track was rolled, Alpha Tau Omega and Delta Chi qualified fifth and second, respectively. \nDespite having the track rolled before his team qualified, senior Alpha Tau Omega rider Jack Caveney said the track was still loose on his team's second attempt. Caveney called the advantage of riding on a freshly rolled track a "mental thing."\n"Because you see track getting rolled, you think it's going to be smoother," Caveney said.