FOR the second time in three years Drinagh navigator Denis O’Donovan has won the National Navigation Trial Championship with his Mallow driver Derek Butler (Subaru). They finished fourth in the final round in Monaghan to win the series by two points.
Following their non-finish on the penultimate round in Cavan, their title hopes were on the backfoot, and it was a case of a reset and focusing the mind for the final round.
The Monaghan crew of Shane Dalton/Ryan Treanor (Subaru) had moved ahead but the Cork pair were aware of the permutations that could deliver success.
Boosted by the strong entry and the high calibre of the opposition, O’Donovan knew that if their rivals were not in the top two places, they would regain the national title with a top-five finish.
The complex terrain from the base at Ardaghey and on to Castleblayney, Oram and Clontibret proved challenging and they kept their composure and finished with 14 penalties, while Dalton/Treanor finished sixth on 20 penalties.
‘I was a bit nervous on the way up there but once the event started we just did our own thing. The boys (Dalton/Treanor) were running ahead of us and when we didn’t see them, we knew they were going well too. We just kept at it and it all worked out.
‘This win is equally as enjoyable as our first one in the 2019/2020 season before Covid.
‘I hope this gives some of the local lads the inspiration to have a go next season.’
