Duffy and Hughes take National Navigation Trial Championship spoils with event to spare

For Drumlish native Duffy, it was a fourth title and a fifth crown for Ballybay born Hughes.

Sun, 22 Feb, 2026 - 18:09

Martin Walsh

Second place on the Cavan Navigation Trial was enough for the Longford/Monaghan duo of Pakie Duffy/Evin Hughes (Subaru Impreza) to clinch the 2025/2026 Motorsport Ireland National Navigation Trial Championship with the luxury of one remaining event.

For Drumlish native Duffy, it was a fourth title and a fifth crown for Ballybay born Hughes.

The event, which was based in Ballymagauran, near Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, was won by Monaghan pair Derek Mackarel/Conor Boylan (Subaru Impreza), who finished with fourteen penalties. They incurred their first penalty at TP8 on a slippy bog lane on the Cavan/Leitrim border.

At previous TP's on a section of plot and bash in the same area Duffy/Hughes dropped time.

Later in the night, dense fog around Slieve Rudden on the Cavan/Fermanagh border made navigation difficult as most of the thirty-five entries dropped time.

Further plot and bash sections at Bawnboy near Ballyconnell brought additional penalties for Duffy/Hughes, who finished on 33 penalties, however, it was enough to secure another national title.

Meanwhile and yet to be confirmed, it appears that while the Mallow crew of Derek Butler/Aaron O'Regan (Subaru Impreza) slipped off the road early in the event near Swinburn and subsequently missed four Time Points, have finished as championship runners-up as they recovered to finish eighth overall.

Elsewhere, another Longford/Monaghan crew, that of Shane Dalton/Ryan Treanor (Subaru) were in the reckoning for event victory with six penalties until a double-visit to one time point brought an additional thirty penalties and a fourth place finish.

For the second event in succession, the Ulster crew of Garry Gallagher/Jake Mahoney (Subaru) won the Beginners' class. The series concludes with the Monaghan Navigation Trial (March 7/8).

Cavan Navigation Trial (Round 8, National Navigation Trial Championship) Ballymagauran. Co. Cavan: 1. D. Mackarel/C. Boylan (Subaru Impreza) 14pens. 2. P. Duffy/E. Hughes (Subaru Impreza) 33pens; 3. S. Laverty/C. Coyne (Subaru Impreza) 34pens. 4. S. Dalton/ R. Traynor, (Subaru Impreza) 36pens. 5. A. Keenan/S. Marron (Subaru Impreza) 43pens. 6. G. Gallagher/Jake Mahoney (Subaru Impreza) 53pens.