Cavan Navigation Trial - 16-17 Oct 10

Champions Prove Their Class in Cavan

Posted: October 27, 2010 9:10 AM

Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo were once again the crew to beat as the National Night Navigation Championship got back into full swing with the opening round taking place in Cavan. Damien McCabe took on the role of COC and laid out a testing 80 mile route in North-East Cavan. With narrow gravel lanes, stretches across grassy fields, farmyards, bumpy tarmac roads and twisty, flowing sections, this event really had a bit of everything. Cleverly thought-out sections ensured that navigators had to be on the ball to avoid being caught out. Defending Champions, Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo once again proved their metal to finish well clear of the chasing pack and get their new season off to a winning start. Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan finished an impressive 2nd on a rare outing for Stephen, with reigning Border champions Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan taking 3rd.

The event began with a SRS section after TP1 where some crews dropped penalties. A grassy lane took crews into TP3 and a twisting lane into TP5. More unsurfaced lanes were used into TP8 and Via1 and by the first time-relaxed section, many crews were already feeling the strain. Leading overall were Donegal beginners Kevin Gallinagh/Conor Harvey on a clean sheet with Gerry Cassidy/Paul Sheridan and Michael Conlon/Fintan Clerkin the only novices clean. Gallinagh/Harvey’s run at the front would come to an end with retirement soon after. TP15 had an inviting slot just 30 metres before the intended one, catching a number of crews out. Both of the leading novice crews incurred penalties here, so Longford’s Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston took over at the front along with Declan Tynan/Andrew Grennan, both on clean sheets. Via3 was plot & bash, with Alan Shinnors/George Shinnors losing their clean sheet with a massive 45 penalties. TP17 was also plot & bash and had a tricky section to navigate to avoid a double visit. Some crews took a longer way round costing them extra time. The route to TP18 had a lane up the side of a farm to avoid a double visit to TP11. Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins were caught here as they used the lane first time and got a wrong approach at TP11.

By the 2nd TRS section, Kelly/Johnston and Tynan/Grennan continued to lead, with Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo the only other crew still on a clean sheet. There was a moment of drama for Tynan/Grennan who connected with a hidden rock which forced them into retirement. TP27, TP28 and TP29 were plot & bash timepoints which began a tight and challenging section to the finish. The plots were presented in vertical form with the reference for TP29 hidden on the back of the envelope. This delayed crews as they deciphered the instructions. Kelly/Johnston dropped 4 pens into TP27, but Kierans/McAdoo were the only crew not to drop a penalty here, moving into a clear lead. By TP29, all clean sheets were gone after Kierans/McAdoo dropped their first penalties. With some brilliant lanes to the finish, there were more penalties dropped, with Kierans/McAdoo emerging as convincing winners on a total of five penalties.

In the battle for 2nd place rising rally star Daniel McKenna with semi-retired navigator Stephen Hagan on the maps, clinched an excellent 2nd place at the final timepoint. They edged out Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan on the furthest cleanest rule, both crews finishing on nine penalties. Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston eventually finished 4th and took the semi-expert class. The Longford-based crew certainly raised a few eyebrows as they showed no ill-effects from promotion from novice to the semi-expert class. 5th place went to fellow semi-expert Evin Hughes with stand-in driver Shane Maguire, just 1 penalty adrift.

Expert:
4th Expert home were Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall who were also 6th overall. Richard Cassidy/Sean McCaffrey were next ahead of Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins. A very rare mistake from Liam cost them 2nd place on the night, but this crew are certainly capable of ending the Kierans/McAdoo domination of this sport over the last few years. Another crew to have a difficult night were Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton who after missing Via1 finished down in 7th in class.

Semi-Expert:
Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston took the class and a fine 4th overall. Declan Tynan/Andrew Grennan were also well in contention before their retirement, which elevated Shane Maguire/Evin Hughes into 2nd place. A rusty start, with a penalty dropped at TP6 and another at TP15 after taking a slot too soon made the difference in what was a very closely fought battle for class honours. Gerry McGivney/Brian Ruth finished 3rd ahead of Donegal crew James Logue/Hugh Kelly.

Novice:
Michael Conlon/Fintan Clerkin teamed up on the night and this new crew gelled well to take top spot in the very competitive novice class. They were involved in a close battle with Gerry Cassidy/Paul Sheridan early on before their retirement with mechanical problems. Conlon/Clerkin dropped the majority of their penalties over the last few timepoints but it was still enough to finish ahead of Gerard Callaghan/Kevin Gallagher by three penalties. The Donegal crew were left rueing the five penalties dropped at ITC1 which left them 2nd in class. A wrong approach at TP5 cost Darren Babington/Francis Keenan class honours, but they still did enough for 3rd place. Donal McArdle/Raymond Conlon finished in 4th place. Veteran Pakie Duffy made a return to the navigation scene as he drove son Colin to a fine 5th place in class. Indeed if they hadn’t run out of time at the last timepoint, 2nd place could have been theirs. Damien Ward/Laurence Keenan completed the top six. Local crew Mark & Thomas Wedlock finished 8th, with late problems forcing them to miss two timepoints and drop them down the leaderboard. Class favourites Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey finished just ahead in 7th after losing concentration late on with a wrong departure at TP30 and wrong approach at TP31.

Beginner:
This is a new class for crews competing in their first season with no more than two navigation events completed and was the biggest class of the night with over 20 crews competing. It was father and daughter team, David & Suzanne Wright who took class honours finishing on a respectable total of 77 penalties. David is another experienced competitor making a rare return to this branch of the sport. Darren Quinn/Nigel McCloughrey finished in 2nd place on the night with Aaron Duffy/Daniel O’Neill taking 3rd place, with both crews competing on only their 2nd event each. 4th position went to Brendan Ward/Sean Kelly with Dara Fay/Michael Fay completing the top five finishers.

The National Navigation Championship once again kicked off in fine style with Cavan setting the benchmark for the new season. Round 2 takes place on the weekend of 30th/31st October in Buttevant, North Cork with the Star-Trek Navigation Trial. Martin Sheehan is COC for the event and has laid out a 140 mile route which may feature some classic lanes in the Ballyhoura Forests.

Results

Posted: October 27, 2010 9:06 AM

1 Arthur Kierans/Ashley McAdoo (Subaru Impreza) 5 marks,
2 Daniel McKenna/Stephen Hagan (Subaru Impreza) 9m,
3 Mickey Tynan/Ciaran Tynan (Subaru Impreza) 9m,
4 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston (Subaru Impreza) 10m,
5 Shane Maguire/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 11m,
6 Trevor Farrell/Noel Hall (Subaru Impreza) 14m,
7 Michael Conlon/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 18m,
8 Richard Cassidy/Sean McCaffrey (Vauxhall Vectra) 20m,
9 Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins (Subaru Impreza) 21m,
10 Gerard Callaghan/Kevin Gallagher (Subaru Impreza) 21m,
11 Darren Babington/Francis Keenan (Subaru Legacy) 28m,
12 Donal McArdle/Raymond Conlon (Subaru Impreza) 34m.

Semi-experts:
1 Chris Kelly/Sam Johnston,
2 Shane Maguire/Evin Hughes,
3 Gerry McGivney/Brian Ruth (Toyota Carina) 80m.

Novices:
1 Michael Conlon/Fintan Clerkin,
2 Gerard Callaghan/Kevin Gallagher,
3 Darren Babington/Francis Keenan.

Beginners:
1 Pakie Duffy/Colin Duffy 40m,
2 Mark Wedlock/Thomas Wedlock (Vauxhall Vectra) 50m,
3 David Wright/Suzanne Wright 77m.

2010-2011 National Championship kick-starts in Cavan

Posted: October 14, 2010 12:04 PM

This year’s National Night Navigation Championship promises to be another compelling season of competition as crews battle across eight rounds run by five motor clubs. Last season’s champions were Arthur Kierans & Ashley McAdoo who clinched a third National title in succession. Overall wins on the Drumlin, 1000 Shakes and 100 Isles were the spring board to success. High finishes in Cavan and Cork also helped keep them ahead of their main rivals Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins and Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton. There were five different overall winners throughout the season including first time winners Beagan & Thornton and Paul Doherty/Donny Riney. There was a thrilling battle for semi-expert class honours with Cork’s leading National navigator, Daire Hayes emerging victorious over Evin Hughes on a tie-break; with Donny Riney finishing a close 3rd. Michael Carbin was the top driver from Paul Doherty and Colin Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald missed the final round in Monaghan which dropped him to third in the driver’s standings. Novice class honours went to Sam Johnston who just held off Barry Garvey after a season long battle. Kevin Keenan finished top driver, with Peter Hagan 2nd.

Events: The Championship gets underway in Cavan on the third weekend in October and will run until we return to Cavan on the third weekend in March. Along the way there are three visits to Cork, two to Monaghan and one to the Midlands.

Points Structure:
18 points are available to the overall winner of any round, 16 points are available for 2nd place down to 3 points for 15th place. All other finishers receive 2 points, with all starters who fail to finish each receiving 1 point. Five bonus points are available for competitors who compete on all counting rounds of the championship. There are four classes in the Championship, Expert, Semi-Expert, Novice and Beginner. 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:
Once again, familiar faces will be battling for Championship honours. Can Arthur Kierans & Ashley McAdoo take a fourth National title in a row? It certainly won’t be easy with top crews such as former National champions, Andy Mackarel/Liam Higgins, reigning Border champions Michael Tynan/Ciaran Tynan and rising stars Gareth Beagan/Stephen Thornton. Mixing it with the best will also be multiple champion Paul Phelan who has more experience of winning National Championships by some way. Limerick brothers Alan & George Shinnors contested the full series last season and this Expert duo will look to build on that experience to mount a title assault. Colin Fitzgerald/Daire Hayes move up to the expert class this year and will hope to build on the promise shown over the last two seasons. There is also a wealth of top experts both north and south capable of winning events and mounting a serious championship attack.

The Semi-Expert class looks on paper to be a three-way fight between Michael Carbin/Evin Hughes, Paul Doherty/Donny Riney and Peter Hagan/Sam Johnston. All three have won events overall and capable of mixing it with the best of the experts. Even though this is the class with the smallest numbers of crews, it is also one of the most competitive as shown last year with two points separating three crews going into the last round.

Kevin Keenan/Barry Garvey have come agonisingly close to the Novice title over the past two seasons. They start this season as firm favourites for the class and at their best can give the experts and semi-experts a run for their money. Alwyn White/Adrian Tobin showed great promise on the Cork events last year, finishing as top novice & 7th overall in Skibbereen and 4th novice on the 1000 Shakes. Dermot Whelton/Barry O’Sullivan also showed well on the Cork events and could be contenders if they consider a go at the championship. Other potential leading lights include: Sean McKenna/Gary Farrelly, Darren Babington/Francis Keenan, Dessie Keenan/Enda Sherry, Donal McArdle/Raymond Conlon, Derek Butler/Olivia McCarthy and Damien Ward/Laurence Keenan.

This year there is a Beginners class for the first time. This class is for competitors taking part in their first full season of competing, with no more than two previous events behind them. It gives them an opportunity to gain experience as well as competing with competitors of same experience for prizes on events.

Once again the National Night Navigation Championship looks set to be an exciting season of competition.

2010/11 National Night Navigation Championship

Regulations / Details

Posted: January 1, 2010 12:01 AM

• Cavan Motor Club