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Husqvarna’s Andrew DeLong 3rd at Mountain Ridge GNCC Despite tough weather conditions Factory Husqvarna’s newly crowned National Enduro Champion Andrew DeLong finished third in Rd. 11, the Mountain Ridge GNCC after rain left the rocky course extremely slippery. DeLong called it a tough day, as he battled with the stacked field and the wet conditions on his FC 350, but still managed to finish on the XC1 Pro podium with his third-place finish. DeLong: "I got out to a good start and went into the woods about eight or ninth. I started picking guys off, but kept falling on the first lap. I couldn't get anything going – I was sliding around and just couldn't get myself together." Despite his frustrations, DeLong kept inside the top 10 in the first half of the race and then relied on his conditioning during the second half to regroup and charge through the field. ??"I dropped the hammer and had some good lap times. I couldn't stay off the ground to save my life, but I was able to maintain it and keep things going," he said. At the checkered flag, Andrew was fourth overall and third XC1 Pro to pick up his second GNCC podium this season. But although he matched his best finish of the season, Andrew wasn't entirely pleased with his result, and is gunning for even better finishes at the final two rounds. He said although it turned out to be a good day he felt he could have battled for the win. “If I would have rode like I know how, I think I could have been up front but it was still a good day in the end – a solid day for points." ? Andrew's brother, Craig DeLong, carded another victory in the 250 A division to finish ninth overall. Fellow 250 A racer Austin Lee made it three Husqvarna motorcycles inside the top 10 with his 10th overall finish. ?? CAPTION: Andrew DeLong battles wet and slippery conditions in Pennsylvania to finish on the XC1 Pro podium. Photo by Shan Moore Mountain Ridge GNCC XC1 Pro Results: 2014 GNCC Points Standings
Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong 2014 US National Enduro Champion Factory Husqvarna racers ended the 2014 US National Enduro Series on a high note this weekend, with Andrew DeLong capturing the championship, and Russell Bobbitt taking the overall win at the series finale in Matthews, Indiana.The Husqvarna duo blitzed their way through the “epic conditions” at the Muddobbers National Enduro, and both finished on the overall podium with Bobbitt on the top step and DeLong in third. All Andrew DeLong needed was a thirteenth place finish to wrap up the title, but he didn’t come to Indiana to take it easy. “I wanted to win!” he said. “I was pretty nervous. My stomach was upset in the morning and I couldn’t eat anything. I was pretty tough on myself in the first tests. I wasn’t riding well – just making little stupid mistakes. It wasn’t the day I wanted to have.” Fortunately, a chat with Husqvarna Off-road Team Manager Andy Jefferson helped him keep things in perspective. “He crashed in every test at least twice,” Jefferson recalled. “We told him to calm it down and pull it together. After that he ended up going even faster.” DeLong’s teammate Russell Bobbitt also made steady progress throughout the day, moving into the overall lead in the last two tests. “Mike [Lafferty] got out to a great start, but I just chipped away at his time,” Bobbitt said. “The conditions were so good – you just wanted to keep leaning the bike over. The club did a great job with lots of good, flowy single-track. I kept picking up the pace as the day went on. In the end, it was great to have Andrew win the championship, and for me to come back and get a win this year.” As for taking his career-first AMA Championship, and hoisting Husqvarna back to the top in National Enduro, Andrew DeLong is incredibly gratified by it all. “I honestly don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Andrew said. “It’s amazing. I’ve been riding Huskys for four years and I hope I can continue my career with them for a long time. Winning the championship is incredible. It was also good to see Russell come back and have the speed to be up front. It was awesome to see the Husqvarna brand kick butt today!” Not only did the podium boast two Husqvarna motorcycles, but fellow Airgroup Radiant Racing Husqvarna riders Nick Fahringer and Ryder Lafferty also put their Husky machines inside the top-ten. Lafferty was followed in overall standings by Andrew’s brother Craig DeLong, who topped the Expert-AA class ahead of Zach Klamfoth – making for a total of 6 Husky riders in the top-12 at the Indiana National Enduro.
Muddobber National Enduro Overall Results AMA National Enduro Series Final Points Standings
Andrew DeLong wins Snowshoe; consolidates points lead Factory Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong picked up his second win in the current season this weekend with a victory at the Snow Shoe National Enduro in Grand Junction, Colorado. He now has a 17-point lead in the championship standings. DeLong started his day out strong, nearly sweeping the first four tests of the day. He cruised in the final test of the day with healthy lead aboard his FE 350, capturing the overall win by 20 seconds. "I'm stoked on another win," Andrew said. "I felt great all day. I didn't have any issues aside from some arm pump early on, but overall I can't complain. It was fast flowing single-track; I really liked it. It was actually one of the most fun enduros I've done in my career." Conditions were dry and dusty at the Snow Shoe – a new stop on the National Enduro circuit. The altitude was another challenge for racers (at 2438m – 8000 ft.) but for the sake of preparedness, Andrew and his brother, Craig DeLong, came out a week early to get acclimatized. "We did some training and riding at altitude to get us ready for this race," Andrew explained. "We came out here to be prepared and we were, so it turned out to be a great day." It was not only a good day for Andrew, but fellow Husqvarna racers Nick Fahringer and Ryder Lafferty – both of the Airgroup Radiant Racing team – also carded top-10 finishes. Husky support rider Craig DeLong placed twelfth overall in Colorado, taking second in the Expert-AA division. Snow Shoe National Enduro Results Top 10: 1. Andrew DeLong (Husqvarna) 2. Steward Baylor 3. Jesse Groemm 4. Grant Baylor 5. Ian Blythe 6. Nick Fahringer (Husqvarna) 7. Cody Webb 8. Brad Bakken 9. Ryder Lafferty (Husqvarna) 10. Max Gerston 2014 AMA National Enduro Points Standings 1. Andrew DeLong, 170 points - 2 wins 2. Jesse Groemm, 153 - 1 win 3. Nick Fahringer, 152 4. Brad Bakken, 142 - 1 win 5. Grant Baylor, 132 6. Steward Baylor, 127 7. Charles Mullins, 120-4) 8. Mike Lafferty, 110 9. Ryder Lafferty, 85 10. Cory Buttrick, 78
Husqvarna’s Andrew DeLong 3rd Overall at Rattlesnake National Husqvarna factory rider Andrew DeLong picked up a confidence building third overall at the weekend, competing closer to home at the Rattlesnake National Enduro at Cross Fork, Pennsylvania. Delong was first out following his win in Rd. 6 in Michigan and was optimistic that he might be able to land another win following his victory in Rd. 6 of the competition in Michigan. The weather was on his side but heavy growth over the entire course made it tough to be starting at the front of the field. Aided by ideal weather and a well-prepared Husqvarna FE 350, DeLong made quick work of the first few special tests scoring a pair of seconds and a third by a narrow margin. His results varied slightly throughout the remaining specials and a few mistakes took their toll. "The Rd 6 win was a confidence builder for Andrew but starting first today (as a result of the win) adds pressure and made things more challenging," said Husqvarna team manager Andy Jefferson. "He broke trail for the rest of the guys and that's hard work." Jefferson went on to say that Andrew commented at the end of his race that he couldn't get back into the rhythm he had earlier in the day." "Even without a win, this was a pretty good day,” Jefferson added. “His third place finish puts him into the series points lead and with a trio of races left, it's going to be exciting!" Rattlesnake National Enduro Results: 1. Jesse Groemm 2. Steward Baylor Jr 3. Andrew DeLong - Husqvarna 4. Michael Lafferty 5. Grant Baylor 6. Paddy Holloway 7. Brad Bakken 8. Ryder Lafferty - Husqvarna 9. Nick Fahringer - Husqvarna 10. Kyle McDonal Standings 1. Andrew DeLong - Husqvarna 2. Nick Fahringer - Husqvarna 3. Jesse Groemm 4. Brad Bakken 5. Charles Mullins 6. Grant Baylor 7. Michael Lafferty 8. Steward Baylor Jr 9. Cory Buttrick 10. Ryder Lafferty - Husqvarna
Husqvara’s Andrew DeLong takes first season’s win in AMA National Enduro Factory Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong was in winning form at the Loose Moose National Enduro at Marquette, Michigan this weekend to take his first victory of the season in the competition. Revelling in the near perfect conditions, DeLong brought his Husqvarna FE 350 over the finish line with an impressive winning margin of nearly a minute. Nick Fahringer finished third overall aboard his Air Group Husqvarna, making it a strong day for the brand. Fahringer also currently leads the standings, DeLong is now third. Andrew’s younger brother Craig DeLong was also in form on his Husqvarna TC 250 and picked up the 250 AA Class win. "I came here with a bit more confidence after my performance at Snow Shoe. Today I was more in tune with the bike, more comfortable," said DeLong. "It's not a foreign object; like I know what it'll do and I know what I want." Andrew's increased ease and confidence was also readily apparent to his boss Andy Jefferson, Husqvarna's team manager. "Beginning with the first special test Andrew was spot-on all day," said Jefferson. "He maintained a great pace throughout each special test and he showed a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy. He didn't appear to fatigue or tire. He rode well and it was easy to see that he enjoyed being here." DeLong set a blistering pace right from the start picking up a 22-second lead in the first special test and going on to win all but two special tests. At test #5 Andrew crashed and dropped some 12-seconds and in special test #6 he finished 2-seconds off first place after getting hung up on a rock. In recent weeks Jefferson had suggested to DeLong that he may be a victim of over training and encouraged Andrew to cut back on his workouts and establish a new pace for training between races. Similar advice was offered by others including friend and racing rival Charlie Mullins. "I thought training harder was the way to go but I had burned myself out. Over the past couple of weeks I've backed it down and it is working for me. I cut back a bit on my riding and I changed my diet, too. Normally I don't eat solid food during an enduro, just drink liquids, but today I ate between the tests and I had a lot of energy throughout the enduro." "Andrew showed up hungry to win today." Jefferson reflected. "His win here at the Loose Moose is a nice payoff for working and training smarter, not just harder." Andrew’s younger brother Craig DeLong was also in form on his Husqvarna TC 250 and picked up the 250 AA Class win. The win ends a dry spell for DeLong. He won his last National Enduro win at the Concho National Enduro at Blackwell, Texas in March 2013.
Andrew DeLong showed that his hard work is paying off by collecting his best finish to date at the Snowshoe GNCC. The Factory Husqvarna rider rode to a third-place finish at round nine of the Grand National Cross Country Series, marking his first podium of the season. Andrew took on the mud, roots and steep terrain of the Snowshoe course – home to West Virginia's largest ski resort – and quickly found himself in contention for second place. He took on a three-way battle with Thad DuVall and Jordan Ashburn throughout the first three laps of the race. The Factory Husqvarna racer, riding his FE 350, relied on his training to power through the last part of the race to finish on the podium. It was the Husqvarna rider’s best finish of the season, and first podium as an XC1 Pro rider but DeLong already has multiple overall podiums to his credit. The veteran Husqvarna rider broke onto the overall GNCC podium twice in 2012 as an XC2 Pro rider. Photo by Ken Hill Snowshoe GNCC Results: GNCC Overall Championship Standings:
Team Husqvarna’s Andrew DeLong pitted himself not only against tough conditions in the John Penton GNCC but also a competitive field to finish eighth in the race with the legendary tough-as-nails reputation. It was not only race time temperatures in the mid 20- degrees Celsius and high humidity that hindered riders. The pro class contestants also greeted with a drenching rainstorm as they approached the starting line. Andrew DeLong got off to a good start and was able to maintain a brisk pace within range of the leaders in the early stages. Rain made the track progressively slicker as the race progressed and
Andrew suffered a series of crashes that dropped him out of podium
contention.Despite the tricky conditions DeLong still managed to bring his
Husqvarna FE 350 home in eighth place for a creditable top ten finish.
Factory Husqvarna's Andrew DeLong carded a third-place finish at the Lead Belt National Enduro this weekend where rain on Wednesday and Thursday provided perfect conditions at the Park Hills venue in Missouri. DeLong shared the podium with fellow Husqvarna rider Nick Fahringer, who finished second place overall. A third Husqvarna and another DeLong celebrated a big win at the event – Craig DeLong was impressive on his way to the AA-Expert overall win and 10th overall. "It was an absolutely beautiful place for a race," commented Husqvarna Racing Manager Andy Jefferson. "I'm really happy with the way Andrew was riding today; he's really starting to put it together." Andrew ran in a strong second place for the first half of the day, and held a nine-second lead over Fahringer going into the fourth test. Unfortunately that is where the small mistakes started taking their toll on Andrew. A crash in tests four and five saw him slip to third overall, but he minimized the damage and managed to end the day with his FE 350 on the podium. "It was great to see two Husqvarnas on the podium today," Jefferson continued. "Nick and Andrew both rode very well – congratulations to Nick Fahringer and the AirGroup Racing Husqvarna team. We still have a lot of racing left to go this year, and we're looking to keep this momentum going." Lead Belt National Enduro Overall:
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Off-road Team Manager Andy Jefferson agreed that the day couldn’t have
gone much better. “We’re so impressed with Andrew; he really came
through this year. We’re also thrilled to celebrate a win with Russell
Bobbitt before the season ended. All our guys have worked so hard this
season, and it’s all worth it when we can make history for Husqvarna
Motorcycles.”
Best
to date finish by Andrew DeLong at Snowshoe GNCC
