Monaghan Motor Club hosted the first Navigation Trial of the new year on Saturday night last. Garry Farrelly assisted by Brendan Treanor laid out the 75 mile route based out of Ardaghey Community Hall. Michael Carbin & Conor Mohan were the only crew to negotiate the entire route penalty free and ran out overall winners ahead of Derek Mackarel and Conor Boylan. 3rd place went to Patrick Corcoran and Oisín Sherlock. The 75 mile compact route took in the areas of Ardaghey, Castleshane, Tullycorbet, Braddocks and Clontibret with plenty of narrow roads and gravel lanes to keep competitors occupied. Navigators had to be on the ball from the off as it was immediately into a double plot and bash section from TP1. Competitors had to follow a herringbone tulip diagram from Braddocks to Castleshane and into the first farm lane of the night at Corlust. Navigators had to have their thinking caps on as there was a difficult to see looped lane on the right hand side of a cattle shed and anyone missing it were immediately met with a wrong approach at TP2. Crews then collected a box tulip to find TP3 which brought them towards Aghnagap. Again, crews had to be switched on as the approach to the timepoint was across the street of a farm, and anyone who missed it would get a wrong approach or double visit, a trick that would catch out no less than 12 crews. After this, crews got to relax a bit as the event opened out as they negotiated timepoints 4 to Control B. At the half way mark beside Scotch Corner three crews were on 0 penalties, Carbin/Mohan, Mackarel/Boylan and Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes. The second half of the event was more condense as the event began to loop around Tullycorbet and Braddocks. The first sting in the tail came at the second set of plot and bash where Mackarel/Boylan dropped 2 minutes into TP13 and Duffy/Hughes dropping 7 minutes on a difficult trace diagram at TP14. From there it was through a tunnel under the N2 and towards the much loved lanes at Ballygreaney and Bryanlitter.
There was to be no easy finish to the event as 2 more plot and bashes awaited crews at TP22 and TP23. Again, a herringbone diagram was handed out and this brought competitors back to the farm at Corlust, this time though going left around the shed to TP22, TP23 was in the same location as TP3, however not using the farm yard this time. The difficulty of these last two plot and bashes was evident from the plethora of crews who either missed them completely or got wrong approaches and double visits. So at the end of the night, it was Carbin and Mohan who took a deserved win finishing the entire event without dropping a single penalty. This was Conor’s first ever overall win in Navigation Trials, and if this performance continues, there will be many more to come. In the classes, it was Mackarel/Boylan 1st Expert on 2 pens, 2nd Corcoran/Sherlock on 4 pens and Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin 3rd on 12 pens. Semi-Expert was won by David Acheson/Philip Fitzpatrick on 66 pens, 2nd Gary Cassidy/Killian McArdle on 82 pens and 3rd was Mickey Conlon/Andrew Wedlock on 99 pens. Kieran McCarra/Aaron McElroy finished 1st Novice on 22 pens, with Aidan Keenan/Sean Marron in 2nd with 23 pens and Declan Tynan/Ben McIntyre 3rd with 49 pens. In the Beginner class, Ciaran Duffy/Pauric Duffy finished 1st on 31 pens, Conor Maguire/Ciaran Maguire finished 2nd on 62 pens and Darragh Kelly/Richard McElwaine finished 3rd on 73 pens.
Garry thanked all the residents and the landowners along the route for their support and allowing the event to use their land. He also thanked the marshals who came along and stood out manning the timepoints. The National Navigation Championship continues with the Skibbereen and District Car Clubs 100 Isles Navigation Trial on Saturday the 29th based out of Newcestown Community Hall. Regs will be available shortly.
Top 10 Results:
1st Michael Carbin/Conor Mohan (Subaru Impreza) 0m,
2nd Derek Mackarel/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 2m,
3rd Patrick Corcoran/Oisín Sherlock (Subaru Impreza) 4m,
4th Martin Tynan/Fintan Clerkin (Subaru Impreza) 12m
5th Bob Graham/Ryan Treanor (Toyota Starlet) 18m,
6th Kieran McCarra/Aaron McElroy (Toyota Starlet) 22m,
7th Aidan Keenan/Sean Marron (Subaru Impreza) 23m,
8th Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 30m,
9th Ciaran Duffy/Pauric Duffy (Subaru Impreza) 31m,
10th James McCabe/Shane Farrell (Subaru Impreza) 39m.
