2009/10 National Night Navigation Championship

National Night Navigation Championship Season Review
Kierans/McAdoo Claim Third National Title

Posted: May 12, 2010 4:39 PM

Monaghan’s Arthur Kierans & Ashley McAdoo claimed their third consecutive National Navigation Championship title following yet another strong run of results in this season’s series. Three overall victories, one second place and one third were enough to ensure that Ireland’s premier navigation award would remain in Monaghan once again. Unlike last season, this championship remained in the balance right up until the penultimate round. With five other crews also taking overall victories during the year, it showed that life at the top is certainly not getting any easier.

Andy Mackarel & Liam Higgins finished runners-up in the championship. These former champions were very consistent as always during the season with their only disappointing result being the Star-Trek where engine maladies put paid to any hopes of a good result. Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton held their own against the more experienced crews by finishing 3rd in the series. Their ultra-consistent run had them never lower than 5th place in any round with the first event win in Cavan being the highlight of the year. In the classes, Alan Shinnors finished as top expert driver, with Paul Phelan as always in the reckoning finishing as the leading expert navigator. Michael Carbin was the top semi-expert driver, with Daire Hayes the leading semi-expert navigator. Kevin Keenan finished as top novice driver in the series with Longford’s Sam Johnston taking the novice navigator award.

The Championship got underway back in October last year in Cavan, with Dominic McArdle setting out the route from Maudabawn. Some classic Navigation terrain was included, mixing tight farm lanes, flowing tarmac roads and grassy tracks in a compact 70 mile route. The opening section of the event would prove key in deciding the result with a challenging plot & bash section from TP1 through Via1, TP2 and TP3 in narrow gravel tracks providing a stern challenge to both driver and navigator. Those who gambled and plotted on the go benefited considerably but even so, only two cars were clean after this section. Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton and Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan made great starts and at TP6, another plot & bash timepoint split these two crews as the Tynans slotted one too early and dropped their only penalty of the night. Defending champions, Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo finished 3rd with Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins in 4th. Semi-expert honours went to Declan Tynan/Andrew Grennan with Conor Maguire/Bobby Willis in 2nd. Warren Carleton/John Hetherington won the novice class from Damien O’Reilly/William Kennedy.

Round 2 took the crews to Buttevant, Co. Cork for the Star-Trek Navigation Trial. Martin Sheehan reprised his role as COC from last year and provided a lengthened 115 mile route around the roads of North Cork. Dismal weather conditions left parts of the roads flooded and forced competitors to err on the side of caution. Shane Maguire/Ciaran Coyle took the overall win here, with their 1.8 litre Impreza taking the win from Arthur Kierans/McAdoo’s 2.0 litre Impreza after both crews finished on clean sheets. 3rd overall went to Ger Gowen/Paul Phelan who overcame their non-finish in Cavan, with Championship leaders Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton taking 4th. Colin Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes took the semi-expert class on furthest cleanest from Tadhg O’Shea/Brendan Fahy, both crews on 6 penalties. Novice class honours went to Longford’s Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston who had an excellent run to finish 9th overall to boot.

Monaghan Motor Club hosted round three of the championship, with their premier Navigation event, the Drumlin Navigation Trial. Andy Mackarel took on the role of COC, ably assisted by his navigator Liam Higgins and ran an “old style” Drumlin with a 10.30 start and a staggering 70 timepoints and 11 vias in the 140 miles route. This event was certainly not for the faint-hearted, with nearly all types of roads and road conditions facing the crews during the night. As results became final at 8 o’clock the following morning, Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo were confirmed as event winners on just six penalties. This was their third successive Drumlin win and their 4th in six years. Fintan McGorman/Daniel McKenna had been their main rivals all night, but got caught out at a very clever plot & bash timepoint and receieved a double-visit penalty dropping them to 4th place. Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall and Richard Cassidy/Paul Phelan made no mistakes to take 2nd and 3rd place overall respectively. Donegal’s Paul Doherty/Donny Riney won the semi-expert class after an intense battle with Colin Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes. Peter Hagan/Sam Johnston snatched the novice class win on the second last timepoint to win by just 2 penalties from Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey, both crews in the top 10 overall.

Round 4 was organised by Midland Motor Club, with Gary Hall, originally from Newbliss, Co. Monaghan but now based in Sligo acting as COC. A well-thought out route in the North Roscommon area tested the driver and navigator throughout. Paul Doherty & Donny Riney charged through from the semi-expert class to take the overall win here, becoming the 4th different event winner in the first four rounds. Their semi-expert status secured them the win on a tie-break from Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan in 2nd and Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins in 3rd. All three crews finished on 4 penalties. Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes inherited victory in the semi-expert class on the night, with Doherty/Riney’s overall success. Donegal duo, Gerard Callaghan/Kevin Gallagher were the winners of the novice class and a notable 6th overall with Championship front-runners Peter Hagan/Sam Johnston taking 2nd place on the night.

Cork Motor Club hosted Round 5 of the Championship with the 1000 Shakes Navigation Trial in January. Nial Murphy continued on as COC and laid on a testing 100 mile route through the classic roads of mid-Cork. One of the highlights of the night was the use of a corrugated pipe running right under the main Macroom-Killarney at Via4. Competition was intense through the 1st half of the night with five crews cleaning the 1st half of the event. With the torturous roads continuing through the second half, the pressure grew and a number of crews dropped time. In the end, Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo returned to winning ways finishing the night on just 2 penalties. Second place went to the very in-form semi-expert crew of Cork’s Colin Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes who edged out Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins on the basis of their class status, with both crews on 6 penalties. Novice class honours went to locals Andy Donaghoe/Eamon Hayes who just pipped Monaghan’s Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey.

It was back to Cork two weeks later for Skibbereen Motor Club’s 100 Isles Navigation Trial. Brian O’Mahony reprised his role as COC with the event again running out of Lissavard Community Centre. This year’s route was 90 per cent different to last year’s event with river crossings, watersplashes and underpasses thrown in to the usual mix of twisty roads, narrow farm lanes and grassy tracks. After the 120 miles, it was once again Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo who finished top of the pile on only 4 penalties after an intense battle with Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins who finished just 1 penalty adrift. Shane Maguire, deputising for Gareth Beagan on this one, partnered Stephen Thornton to 3rd place overall. They finished on 40 penalties, with Alan & George Shinnors a further penalty adrift. Semi-Expert class honours went to Paul Doherty & Donny Riney who made their long trip from Donegal pay off while the Novice class honours were collected by Alwyn White/Adrian Tobin who had a storming run up from the beginner’s class to finish well inside the top 10 overall.

With Round 7 in Cavan failing to materialise, it was down to the final round in Monaghan in March. Anthony Finnegan was the COC with the event based in Cremartin. This event would prove to be one the most challenging events of the season, with the endless amounts of tricky lanes meaning that crews would be forced to skip timepoints later in the night. Novice crew, Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly made a clever decision to skip an earlier timepoint which paid dividends as they managed to visit two timepoints more than the majority of the field on the first half to take a surprise lead by the petrol halt. Their challenge faded in the second half as they lost ground over the plot & bash sections. Semi-Expert duo, Declan Tynan/Andrew Grennan had a brilliant second half, getting all the timepoints to take a well deserved 1st place finish. Michael & Ciaran Tynan came home in 2nd, to win the Border Navigation Championship with 3rd overall going to Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins who made an excellent recovery run in the second half. Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall were 4th with novice class winners Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly in 5th. Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes inherited 1st in the semi-expert class but lost out on the championship class win to Daire Hayes who finished one place behind. It was a similar story in the novice class with Barry Garvey denied the navigators crown, beaten on a tie-break by Sam Johnston. Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo had a difficult night finishing back in 9th, however it didn’t affect their championship result as previous performances ensured they became champions for a third successive year.

Navigation Trial Open Forum - (Sat) 8 May 10

Posted: May 12, 2010 4:37 PM

Navigation Trial Open Forum - (Sat) 8 May 10

2009/2010 National Navigation Prizegiving - (Sat) 8 May 10

Posted: April 19, 2010 9:11 AM

2009/2010 National Navigation Prizegiving - (Sat) 8 May 10

Final Championship Positions

Posted: November 8, 2009 9:38 AM

Overall 1st Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo
2nd Andrew Mackarel/Liam Higgins
3rd Garreth Beagan/Stephen Thornton

Expert Class
1st Alan Shinnors/Paul Phelan
2nd Michael Tynan/George Shinnors
3rd Trevor Farrell/Ciaran Tynan

Semi Expert Class
1st Michael Carbin/Daire Hayes
2nd Paul Doherty/Evin Hughes
3rd Colin Fitzgerald/Donny Riney

Novice Class
1st Kevin Keenan/Sam Johnson
2nd Peter Hagan/Barry Garvey
3rd D. Whelton/Gary Farrelly
4th Alwyn White*/Barry O’Sulliva
n 5th Anthony Finnegan*/Adrian Tobin
6th Sean McKenna*/John Hetherington

* Note 4th, 5th and 6th placed novice drivers are all effectively equal 4th as they have same points and same no. of wins and places.

Final Championship Tables for 2009/10

2009-2010 National Navigation Championship Gets Underway

Posted: October 12, 2009 3:24 PM

The 2009-2010 National Night Navigation Championship begins on Saturday, the 17th of October with Cavan Motor Club’s October Navigation Trial. This event was normally round two of the Championship; however with the Monaghan Drumlin Navigation Trial now moved to November, Cavan becomes the opening round of the series. Night Navigations are now enjoying an unprecedented level of interest. This was evident from the recent Monaghan Navigation Trial on Saturday 3rd October. A maximum of 50 starters plus reserves entered the event. The new Championship is shaping up to be one of the most competitive to date, with a strong number of top competitors expected to contest. All roads lead to Cavan this weekend, as the Night Navigation season really kicks into gear.

The Events:
The Championship runs from October through to the final round in Monaghan in March. It will feature the same eight events as last season as well as two reserve rounds, which may be brought in if any of the original eight events is cancelled. Five motor clubs are involved in the running of these events, Cork, Cavan, Monaghan, Midland and Skibbereen. Cork, Monaghan and Cavan each run two events, while Midland and Skibbereen host one event and one reserve event each.

Points Scoring System: Competitors count their best six scores from the eight counting rounds. 1 point is awarded for starting an event, and 1 point for finishing. The overall winners score 16 points, with 14 for 2nd down to 1 point for 15th. Five additional bonus points are available to those competitors who contest every round. There are three classes in the Championship, Expert, Semi-Expert and Novice. 10 points are awarded for a class win, down to 1 point for 10th in class. As in the overall standings, competitors count their best six scores, with five additional bonus points available for contesting all eight rounds. Competitors who finish in the top three overall in the championship are not eligible for class awards. Competitors who take a prominent role (COC or ACOC) in the running of a counting round will receive full points (18) for overalls and (10) in their class. This rule is designed to encourage competitors to give back to their sport by getting involved in the organisation of an event.

Championship Preview:
This years Championship is shaping up to be another top season of competition, with any of a number crews capable of securing an event win and possibly even the championship. However, first they must overcome the defending National Champions Arthur Kierans & Ashley McAdoo. This pair dominated the Championship last year, taking no fewer than five event wins, to clinch the Championship even with two rounds remaining. Now gunning for a third National title in a row, this talented crew are hoping to take the title back to Aghabog, Co Monaghan once again.

Their main opposition will most likely come from former National Champions Andy Mackarel & Liam Higgins. A difficult start to last season resulted in them dropping out of the championship race after just four events. However the pair rediscovered their old form, winning four events in a row, including the final two rounds of the National Championship in Cavan and Monaghan. If they can maintain that sort of form, they will certainly provide a strong challenge to Kierans/McAdoo.

Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton are another crew eyeing a championship push this season. Stephen was third in the championship last season, with Gareth, Janice Mackarel and Shane Maguire all driving him during the season. The highlight of the year was a fine second place on the Midlands event. Stephen has taken the Navigation scene by storm in the last few years. With honours such as Monaghan’s ‘Novice Navigator of the Year’, the Border Novice & Semi-expert class Champion and third overall in both the National & Border Championships last year is an impressive CV for someone still in his teens! With the experience of Gareth guiding Stephen for the full season, this could be a crew to watch out for this season.

In any Championship preview, it is impossible to leave out the “Kingpin” of Night Navigation Paul Phelan. Paul, an astonishing 18 times National Champion, is planning yet another assault on the series in search of a 19th title. Ger Gowen who has shared many campaigns with Paul on the Championship over the years is set to drive. This pair came very close to the title, two years ago finishing a close 3rd behind Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo & Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins. Paul had a quiet year last year, with 2nd place on the Drumlin the highlight. A missed round in Cavan and a non-finish in Cork, always made it difficult to sustain a championship challenge. However with Ger having joined the “Subaru” brigade this year, this crew will always be in with a shout for Championship honours.

The popular Tynans, Michael & Ciaran could be another crew capable of winning the Championship. This uncle and nephew team took an overall win in Cavan last year, which acted as a catapult to their season and helped them claim the semi-expert class in the championship. Top three finishes were also secured in Midland and Monaghan, earning them 5th place overall in the series as well. Should this crew mount a Championship attempt, they will certainly be giving the more experienced crews a run for their money.

Michael Carbin & Evin Hughes had an excellent Championship campaign last year. A consistent run all year saw them not only claim the Novice class in the Championship, but also 2nd place overall as well. Their surprising victory in that remarkable Skibbereen event last February was the highlight of a fine season. Now moving up to the semi-expert class for 2009-2010, this pair hope to continue their form of last year and give the leading experts a real run for their money.

Colin Fitzgerald & Daire Hayes are also contesting the semi-expert class this year. Their first attempt on the championship saw them narrowly miss out on the semi-expert class title. However with Daire having scored a recent overall win in Monaghan, beating all the locals, suggests this could be a crew worth watching with another season’s navigating behind them and a new Subaru Impreza on the way. Expect big battles with Carbin & Hughes in the semi-expert class!

Kevin Keenan & Barry Garvey start as firm favourites for the Novice class this year. Back-to-back 3rd place finishes in Midland and Cavan last year, while still Beginners, certainly has showed that Barry has the talent to be a future National Champion. Barry tackled the full championship last year and as he gained experience, the results improved. This elevated him to 2nd in his class, which became first once Evin Hughes was removed due to his overall placing. If things go right for them, don’t discount an overall win later in the season.

Last season, the Championship was dominated by Monaghan crews, who claimed most of the top awards. However it is unlikely that this will be the case this year, with a number of leading Cork crews considering a National assault. The Likes of Alan & George Shinnors, Fergus & Anthony Harrington, Ray & Stephen O’Neill, Ger O’Connell/Niall O’Keefe, James Fitzgerald/Ed O’Neill and Anthony Murphy/Paddy Drake are all well capable of winning events and as Daire Hayes’ recent win in Monaghan shows, these crews shouldn’t be daunted by the opposition in the Monaghan/Cavan region. The recent Monaghan Navigation Trial also featured the return of former stalwarts Ted Gaffney/Rory Dooley, Vincent Fagan and Bobby Willis. Although these competitors haven’t been competing often on Navigations of late, it would be great to see them out on more events this season.

Strong competition within the classes is also expected. Some leading crews in the Novice Class this season could include: Derek Butler/Olivia McCarthy, Donal McArdle/Raymond Conlon, Darren Babington/Francis Keenan, Cathal McCarthy/Mark McCarthy, John Buttimer/James Kingston, Sean McKenna/Garry Farrelly, James McCarville/Fintan Clerkin, Stephen Rice/Patrick O’Neill and Martin McGuigan/Martin Connolly.

Championship Rounds

Posted: October 8, 2009 4:42 PM

1. Cavan - 17/18 October 2009
2. Cork Startrek - 31 Oct/1 November 2009
3. Monaghan Drumlin - 14/15 November 2009
4. Midland 28/29 November 2009
R. Skibbereen Carbery- 12/13 December 2009
5. Cork 1000 Shakes - 16/17 January 2010
6. Skibbereen 100 Isles - 6/7 February 2010
R. Midland - 13/14 February 2010
7. Cavan - 6/7 March 2010
8. Monaghan - 20/21 March 2010

R = Reserve Event