Corona, CA – At the Ironman GNCC in Crawfordsville, Indiana, the newest member of the Fred Andrews Racing (FAR) Husqvarna team – Andrew Delong – recorded a podium finish in the XC2 class. Meanwhile, Jason Thomas continued to forge ahead, this time racing to a sixth-place finish despite a broken hand!

FAR Husqvarna has added Delong to the team for the remainder of the 2012 season. The 21-year-old National Enduro regular only had two days on the bike before the Ironman GNCC, and still managed to pilot his TXC250 to a third-place finish.

Despite getting off to a “bad start,” Delong made his way into third place by the end of the opening lap. He was pushing for more throughout the race but still ended up in a strong third place for the day.

Jason Thomas injured his hand on Tuesday while out testing with Andrew. The X-rays revealed a broken bone, but nonetheless, Thomas announced that he was racing – broken hand and all. Luck was still not on his side as he had a terrible first lap which left him struggling to overcome a time deficit for the rest of the race.

“The track was the best one this year and I pushed hard today, but I’m so mad,” Thomas lamented. “I was climbing one of the big hills and a spectator was sitting on the hill with a cooler. I had to change my line into a tree not to hit her! I lost so much time on lap one. That cost me for the day. My hand was hurting but I can handle pain.”

“I am so proud of Andrew and Jason today,” Fred Andrews said. “Jason always gives me 110% – he raced with a broken hand! Andrew rode awesome today and FAR Husqvarna is excited to add him to the team.”

Thomas managed to finish in sixth – within seconds of fifth-place. The next – and final – stop on the GNCC circuit is Loretta Lynn Ranch, where the FAR Husqvarna team will be racing on both Friday the 4th and Sunday the 6th of November. Thomas now sits third in the XC2 standings, one point out of second, but with two rounds remaining in the championship, anything can happen!