2012 ANICC Northern Ireland Night Rally Challenge Have you ever wanted to compete in motorsport but thought the cost meant it was out of reach? Well 2012 could be your chance to get involved in a great low cost motorsport. You could follow in the footsteps of Northern Ireland’s two top WRC competitors, Kris Meeke and Chris Patterson, and compete in Navigation Rallying. Just like in the WRC, navigation rallying needs a crew of two people to compete against the clock, but unlike the WRC, navigation rallying doesn’t require a special vehicle or expensive safety gear. A completely standard car will allow you to compete, even at the highest level. To ease new competitors into the sport there will be a series of 7 dedicated beginner events throughout the year to help them learn the navigation and timing skills necessary to go on and win rallies. Each event will be competitive and together they will make up the “Northern Ireland Night Rally Challenge”. The first event in the calendar will be an introduction to Navigation Rallying and will include some training on what is required to start competing on events. The rest of the rallies will start each evening with a short training session on some more aspects of the sport, followed by an event out on the road. Each event in the year will get progressively longer, so that by the year’s end, crews will have reached the level and experience required to compete in a full navigation rally. Details of each event will be posted up online so if you can’t make an event you will be able to catch up on what you missed before the next one. So why not make 2012 the year you take the first step to getting involved and join some like minded people to enjoy this low cost motorsports. Your weekends will never be the same again! The Northern Ireland Night Rally Challenge rounds will be on: 10 February – Queen’s MC (No driving will be involved) 2 March – Newry & District MC 30 March – Cookstown MC 15 September – Dungannon MC 13 October – Rathfriland MC 26 October – Omagh MC 17 November – Ulster Automobile Club These dates and more information will be posted on the ANICC website (http://www.anicc.org.uk/Discipline.aspx?d=1) Please also take a minute to join the Facebook Group (http://www.facebook.com/groups/349019905117705/) To be kept up to date please join our mailing list. (http://pete-moore.us4.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=434441e2f99f3907bf5891197&id=26ca1d9ea8)
Nav rallys are fantastic - joined QUBMC when I was 18 and thoroughly enjoyed the nav rallys and the club craic. Recommend it to anyone.
I really can't recommend this enough to people. I've been competing for a few years at them, and its a seriously good, cheap form of motorsport. If you can't afford to go stage rallying, then you should be out on these. If you've every been curious, or thought they are difficult (which they aren't!), then this is the perfect opportunity to get into them. By the end of the year, you'll be hooked
The McGrady Insurance Night Rally Challenge 2012 will kick off on Friday 10th February with an introduction to the sport of Navigation Rallying and full details on what is happening this year.The night will focus on the fundamental skills required to compete in Navigation Rallying with presentations from experienced competitors in the sport. These skills can then be tried out with a practice table top rally in preparation for the first road based event which follows on 2nd March.Topics covered on Friday 10th February will include: What is navigation rallying? Simple navigation instructions Car preparation Rally Timing The venue for the first night will be Superdrive Motorsport Centre near Portadown. Sign on will be at 7:00pm with the presentations starting at 7:30pm sharp. The cost to register for the 2012 Challenge will be £10 per person which includes a starter pack containing everything you will need to use on the first night. You will not need to bring anything with you.There will be many people there who are not already part of a crew, so if you need a driver or a navigator for future events then we should be able to provide one.The Northern Ireland Night Rally Challenge rounds will be on:10 February – Queen’s MC (No driving will be involved)2 March – Newry & District MC30 March – Cookstown MC15 September – Dungannon MC13 October – Rathfriland MC26 October – Omagh MC17 November – Ulster Automobile ClubThese dates and more information will be posted on the ANICC website (anicc.org.uk) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions, please contact Ciaran Carey at ciarancarey@hotmail.co.uk.Superdrive (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=superdrive+ni&hl=en&ll=54.472108,-6.499529&spn=0.016783,0.033088&hq=superdrive+ni&hnear=Craigavon,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=15)
another vote for the nav rallies...great craic and a good foundation for anyone wanting to go further.
Don't be put off from taking part because you think your car isn't suitable. I have competed in and had good results in many standard road cars, including; 1.2 Nova, 1.2 Corsa, 1.0 Micra, 1.1 106, diesel ZX, diesel 405, Passat estate, & diesel Focus.
You don't need to bring anything with you tonight, all the equipment and maps you need will be provided. If you aren't already part of a crew come along anyway and we will try and pair you up.
After the great turn out for the introduction night on the 10th Feb, where we had 42 new competitors register for the Night Rally Challenge it is now time to move things from the class room out onto the roads! Newry and District Motor Club have organized the next night of the Challenge for Friday 2nd March. The event will run out of the Mountain House Bar, near Newry, from 7:00pm with the rally school starting at 7:30pm sharp. Entry forms should be downloaded from the ANICC website and brought with you on the night. Competitors will be introduced to another couple of the most common navigation rally instructions and then it will be time to head out on the roads. This will be a chance to try out their new skills for the first time and get a taste of what it’s like to compete in a navigation rally environment, with all the darkness, noise, bumps and occasional arguments that it involves. If you missed the introduction night don’t worry. There will be experienced navigators on hand to take you through what you missed and bring you up to speed with everyone else. If you haven’t yet got a second member for your crew sorted out please send an email to the address below and you will be matched up to a fellow beginner, or an experienced competitor who will join you on the night. We won’t let anyone miss out. As explained at the introduction night your normal road insurance won’t cover you for the road section of the event. If you are over 21 years old and have no more than 6 penalty points you can sign up for the event insurance on the night. However, if you can’t meet these conditions you will have to apply for insurance in advance. It’s a simple process but if this effects you then please get in touch and you will be guided through it. The remaining rounds of the Northern Ireland Night Rally Challenge will be on: 2 March – Newry & District MC 30 March – Cookstown MC 15 September – Dungannon MC 13 October – Rathfriland MC 26 October – Omagh MC 17 November – Ulster Automobile Club These dates and more information will be posted on the ANICC website (anicc.org.uk) and our Facebook page. If you have any questions, please contact Ciaran Carey at ciarancarey@hotmail.co.uk. Mountain House Bar (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...VbQwmsTPNMttm4np_xQ&cbp=12,228.3,,0,8.17&z=19)
You can navigate on a Navigation Rally from the age of 12 so it's (almost) never too early to introduce your son or daughter to competing in motorsport events.
Circuit of Down2 March 2012It took a tie break to decide the winner of the 2012 Circuit of Down. Two crews impressively managed to get round the route without any penalties at all. Gavin & Stuart Campbell and Neil Anderson & Kerry Moreland could only be separated once the engine capacity tie break was brought in, with the Mazda MX-5 of the Campbells winning over the Ford Mondeo of Anderson and Moreland.The Circuit of Down is part of this year's Night Rally Challenge where the emphasis has been put on bringing new competitors into the sport of rallying in general and navigation rallying in particular. The whole year is structured to introduce different aspects of competing as the season progresses, so the first night was held indoors and consisted of crews being taught how to plot map references and follow tulip diagrams. This being the second night, the crews took to the roads for the first time and the route they were to follow was described only by the type of previously taught instructions. All crews were allowed to plot the route before they left the start venue and had experienced competitors to call on for help should they have needed. Another part of the night was a talk explaining map trace and clock face type instructions which will be used on the next round of the series.The route for the competing crews went from the Mountain House just outside Camlough heading in the general direction of Markethill, then towards Poyntzpass and back to the finish venue. It was a dry, clear and mild night which made ideal conditions for the event.Sixteen crews left start venue but more importantly, sixteen crews made it back to the finish, albeit they took many varied routes in between. One lane between TCA and TCB proved particularly hard to find and of the crews that went wrong here, some realised their error and turned, some went off route but found their place on the map within a few miles, some ended up back at the start and were able to have another attempt at the route and for some it was an error they could not recover from. From TCB to TCD there were no real problems, but a tricky lane just before TCE was the next major sticking point. The crews that found the lane approached TCE correctly, but those that didn't picked up 15 marks for a wrong approach. Only four crews found this lane, and two of those crews, namely David Gibson & Ian Ewart and Craig Hunt & Kathryn Vaux, took one minute longer on this section than they should have. Gibson and Ewart subsequently went a bit wrong on the next section, and with dropping time here came fourth. Hunt and Vaux finished 3rd in their Citroën DS3 with only 1 mark scored for the entire route. This meant that two crews successfully completed their first attempt at a rally without dropping any penalties at all. With Neil Anderson and Kerry Moreland's bigger engine, the win went to Gavin and Stuart Campbell.Although both Kerry and Stuart were complete Novices, they did have a bit of experience in the car with them as Neil is a regular competitor as a navigator in these events and Gavin actually won this championship as a navigator back in 1987.Some crews, even though they found the finish venue, were classified as DNF (Did Not Finish) as they failed to visit at least two-thirds of the controls on the route. At the end of the rally, all the crews talked about the buzz of taking part and the enjoyment they got from being out competing on a rally.The next round of the series takes place on 30th March in Cookstown, which will be a little longer and use some more types of instruction as crews build up their experience and expertise in a gradual and structured learning curve.Patrick McCollumhttp://www.anicc.org.uk/Blog.aspx?b=278 Photos http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.378312425521786&type=1
Press Release Last month sixteen entirely new crews took their first competitive steps in rallying on the Circuit of Down. After the rally there was a supper where they all enthused about the great buzz they had from the night’s rally. The next installment in the series is the Donaldson Fuels Rally on Friday 30th March, organised by Cookstown Motor Club. Scrutineering will start at 7pm at the Braeside Bar, Orritor Road, Cookstown. Entry forms and event regulations can be found on CMC’s website as well as the ANICC website. Crews wishing to compete on this rally should enter in advance of the rally and get their entries in to the organizing club in good time. Competitors will be introduced to the next couple of navigation rally instructions and then it will be time to head back out on the roads. Just like the last event there will be experienced navigators on hand to go over all the previous rally schools and bring you up to speed with everyone else. So if you missed the introduction night don’t worry. If you haven’t yet got a second member for your crew sorted out please send an email to the address below and you will be matched up to a fellow beginner, or an experienced competitor who will join you on the night. We won’t let anyone miss out. As explained at the introduction night your normal road insurance won’t cover you for the road section of the event. If you are over 21 years old and have no more than 6 penalty points you can sign up for the event insurance on the night. However, if you can’t meet these conditions you will have to apply for insurance in advance. It’s a simple process but if this affects you then please get in touch and you will be guided through it. The remaining rounds of the Northern Ireland Night Rally Challenge will be on: 30 March – Cookstown MC 15 September – Dungannon MC 13 October – Rathfriland MC 26 October – Omagh MC 17 November – Ulster Automobile Club These dates and more information will be posted on the ANICC website (anicc.org.uk). If you have any questions, please contact Ciaran Carey at ciarancarey@hotmail.co.uk