The Black Key Bulls’ recent dominance of Little 500’s spring series resumed Wednesday during individual time trials when sophomore Xavier Martinez took home the win.
With a time of 2:19.420, Martinez edged out 2016’s winner Joe Krahulik of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Krahulik placed second with a time of 2:21.583.
Overall, the Black Key Bulls had four other riders finish in the top 12 – junior Kevin Mangel, senior Michael Chettleburgh, senior Charlie Hammon and junior Will Ottenweller – all with times faster than 2:27.
Martinez said his team was motivated to prove itself after an unexpected eighth-place finish in qualifications.
“We came in with a chip on our shoulders after quals because we didn’t do what we wanted,” Martinez said. “This is an event we know we could crush. Being able to come out here and kind of flex on everyone is a really good feeling.”
David Choinacky, founder of the Black Key Bulls, said the intra-team competition throughout offseason training has pushed everyone to become better.
“It’s very unique to find the situation we have,” Choinacky said. “We really grow and develop our young riders and set the bar higher each year trying to get those younger guys to rise up. Xavier’s a perfect example of that.”
Individual time trials also provide an opportunity for teams that did not qualify for Little 500 to stay in competition.
Senior Duo Xu’s Young Pioneers fell short of qualifying for Little 500, posting a time .169 seconds short of the 33rd position. To Xu and the Young Pioneers, continuing on in competition has a bigger meaning.
“Even though we didn’t qualify we want to still show our attitude,” Xu said. “We are not finished with this year. We want to still be involved with other races. Personally, I want to compare to my ITT time from last year to see if I improved or not.”
Xu did improve. In 2016, he placed 143rd in ITTs with a time of 2:48.80. This year Xu moved up 10 places to 133rd and trimmed about five seconds off of his time, clocking in at 2:43.710.
His team didn’t think twice about continuing to compete.
“By the time we had to accept the result on qual day our coach told us we have a choice — race in spring events or not,” Xu said. “I told him we are definitely going to race.”
Saturday, spring series continues with Miss N Outs, the second of three spring series events. In Miss N Outs, up to eight riders take the track per heat and ride consecutive laps with the last-place rider after each lap being eliminated. Once three riders remain in a heat, they secure a place in the next round.
In subsequent rounds only two riders advance. In the semifinal heats, three riders advance to the championship heat. Race Director Andrea Balzano said the event is a fan-friendly experience.
“In comparison to ITTs, Miss N Outs is a little more exciting because there’s more happening than four riders out there doing four laps,” Balzano said. “There’s a lot of strategy involved. You’re seeing riders try not to be eliminated each lap.”
While events will last from about noon to 6 p.m., the final men’s heat will be at 5:30 p.m.
