Report
Many thanks to Lee Matthews for this report. Results are available below.
Crews gathered inside the Bull Hotel in Valley for Sion's latest Navigation Run offering. The 25-mile route started by going over the railway bridge to the Valley beach area, thus avoiding the potential of the railway crossing barrier being down. A number of the crews however miss-plotted this first point and the two accompanying symbols. Bad start for them, as there were few tricky hidden symbols this time, all seventy-three code boards very easy to spot in the darkness, provided they were on the correct route.
The first “hidden in plain sight” symbol was a “K” placed up against a signpost by the first triangle near RAF Valley. For the first time Sion used the housing estate roads through RAF Valley, but most competitors seemed to find these OK. Two more layby triangles on the old A5 by the former Go-cart track before heading north towards Bodedern, taking in the very narrow hard to find shortcut road, before zig-zagging to Gwalchmai. Here Sion found a new very hard to find housing estate track that some could not find, including Merfyn and Iwan so two symbols missed. South now, and over the A55, where Yvonne & John miss-plotted the loop up to Engedi, so that is where their two missing symbols lay.
All three triangles were used on the main road down to Bryn Ddu, although one was run loop-the-loop. The final 5 miles was in and around Capel Gwyn before the dash down the A55 back to the Bull Hotel.
We had a lot of experts taking part on this night so results were expected to be close. In fact, two crews had clean sheets, having spotted all 73 symbols correctly, and avoided the one dud one that was placed on a B-road. So, joint winners and congratulations to Duncan Littler / Winnie Chen, and Dion Bee / Emma Roberts. Appropriately for the Cupid (Valentine) event the top three were mixed crews, when brother and sister crew Iwan and Sioned Evans were awarded third place after results were scrutinised the following day, and it was found they who had won the tie-break, ahead of Lee Threadgold / Sion Jones, and Deio Hughes / Cian Jones, the latter two crews missing the same symbol, that K near RAF Valley. The one Iwan / Sioned missed was in the RAF village housing estate.
Sixth place also needed a tie break, Merfyn & Iwan making their error first, so Yvonne and John claimed 6th place.
Phill & Andrew were next, having missed that very first loop out, with Jill & Paul one symbol less having gone wrong just after Bryn Ddu in the last 5 miles.
Another tie-break was needed on 68 points, with Dewi & Ceri missing one very early on, meaning Geraint & Cameron rounded out the top 10. Jason & Leighton were just 1 symbol adrift in 12th place.
There was a great club atmosphere at the finish, with bubbly and chocs for the victors. Thank you to Sion, Lee and Endaf for organising, The Bull Hotel staff for the welcome, and to John, Yvonne, Iwan and Sioned for helping pull the code boards down.
Another fun night with friends. Well done all.
Information
Navigation Runs are ideal for learning to plot a route and read a map, and provide good practice for anyone aspiring to compete in a road rally anytime soon.
This event will be organised by Sion Matthews and team.
The start venue is the Bull Hotel, Valley.
You will require map 114 Anglesey/Ynys Môn plus the usual navigation aids of poti, romer, pen/pencil, etc. Sign and route handout on from 19.00 hours.
Drivers and navigators need a valid club membership. Renew or join at Membership Application
Drivers and navigators also require a Motorsport UK competition licence of minimum grade RS Clubman. The RS Clubman licence is available free of charge at RS Clubman licence application
