Rathfriland Motor Club again played host to the penultimate round of the Northern Ireland Navigation Rally championship on Friday 17th October. The highly popular Championship qualifier started from The Old George in Rathfriland and used two
anti-clockwise loops around the scenic Barnmeen, Mayobridge, Burren and Hilltown areas.
Leading the challengers away were Championship leaders Phil and Alan Dorman in their Nova. After a dominating performance this season, which has seen them take five wins already a finish in the top three would wrap up the title with one round to spare. Their only rivals for the overall positions were Willie McKeown and Paddy McCollum who started one minute behind, and it was indeed the Dormans who dropped penalties first with a late arrival at a checkpoint just 5 ½ miles into the event to hand the advantage to McKeown and McCollum. However their lead was only to last for two sections when they arrived a checkpoint from the wrong direction. With 30 penalties from the one mistake the lead changed hands back to the Dormans who put in a determined run until the halfway halt to drop no more time. They held a slender lead from Rathfriland regulars Eddie Murphy and Barry Taggart who kept a consistent pace throughout the first half while others around them lost a lot of time. As well as McKeown and McCollum, Leslie Young and Lewis Boyd fell foul of the wrong approach on the fourth section just north of Mayobridge, while the father and son pairing of Trevor and Ricky Reid from Banbridge lost out early in the first section from which they were never to recover.
Lower down the field the action was equally frantic. In the Novice class a David and Goliath battle raged between the mighty Triumph 2.5 of Clifford Auld and John Lindsay and the Mini of Chris Ragg and James Woods. Both crews were separated by 1 penalty up until the last section of the first half when both crews hit trouble, but it was the Triumph with emerged with the advantage with a lose of 6 penalties to the 12 penalties of the Mini.
However, a heroic charge in the second half of the event saw the Ragg and Wood catch and pass their rivals and eventually finished on 15 penalties, with Auld and Lindsay on 17 penalties and the Peugeot 106 of Eddie Robinson and Alan Shilliday on 30 penalties.
Ivan and Gareth Hawe in a Renault Scenic won the Rallyschool class with 101 penalties from Nigel Campbell and Colin Harkness, proving that you don't require a special car to compete on a Navigation Rally.
Meanwhile back at the head of the field, Phil and Alan Dorman were well on their way to winning the Rally and Championship and such was their lead that even missing a checkpoint on the last section could not deprive them of the top spot. Willie McKeown and Paddy McCollum fought back over the last half to overhaul Eddie Murphy and Barry Taggart and claim second place on both the Rally and the N.I Championship while Leslie Young and Lewis Boyd finished fourth and Trevor and Ricky Reid finished fifth.
After the nights action the Old George in Rathfriland was buzzing with celebration and a good event was had by all. Rathfriland Motor Club would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who helped man the 40 checkpoints throughout the night and to The Old George for providing the Start and finish venue.

RESULTS
OVERALL Penalties
1st Phil and Alan Dorman (Nova) 35
2nd Willie McKeown and Paddy McCollum (Corsa) 48
3rd Eddie Murphy and Barry Taggart (Nova) 62
4th Leslie Young and Lewis Boyd (Sierra) 84
5th Trevor Reid and Ricky Reid (Peug.205) 112

NOVICE CLASS
1st Chriss Ragg and James Woods(Mini) 5
2nd Clifford Auld and John Lindsay(Triumph 2.5) 17
3rd Eddie Robinson and Alan Shilliday(Peug.106) 30
4th Paul Gray and Jim Smith (Escort) 37
5th William Todd and Maurice Cresswell (Corsa) 57
6th George Wallace and Steven Wallace (Sierra) 60

BEGINNERS
1st Ivan Hawe and Gareth Hawe (Ren.Scenic) 101
2nd Nigel Campbell and Colin Harkness (VW Golf) 144