31/07/06 - The 2006 Pacenotes MSA Northern Ireland Stage Rally Championship bounces back into action on Saturday 5 August with round five, Maiden City Motor Club's Dogleap Stages Rally.

Sponsored by Limavady Borough Council and North West Motor Factors, this year's event boasts a mouth-watering array of Northern Ireland's leading rally talent, ready to commence battle in the gravel strewn forests surrounding Limavady!

Local driver Kevin Lynch heads the entry list in his Subaru Impreza WRC. Partnered by Martin McNicholl, the Dungiven driver is aiming for another victory at his home rally. It was on this event that Lynch claimed his first Northern Ireland series win in 2003, and he promptly repeated that success with two more Dogleap wins in 2004 and 2005. Now with an armful of wins and experience under his belt, he will be in the hunt for his fourth Dogleap win on the trot.

"It's always a good event," Kevin said, "and it has very good stages. Until last weekend, the last time I was out on gravel was at the Bushwhacker Rally in October last year. So I took the car down to the Cork Forestry Rally and it went very well. Hopefully, we should be back up to speed now so we'll have another good crack at the Dogleap!"

Lynch, who comfortably won last weekend's Cork Forestry Rally, will start the event ahead of current championship leader, Glenn Allen. The Cookstown driver has yet to win a major championship and when Lynch announced his sabbatical from the sport earlier this year, Allen was the odds on favourite for taking championship honours. Now, with Lynch back in the fray, success is far from certain.

"We were a bit closer to Kevin at the Mourne Rally," Allen said. "We were able to work with him a bit better, although we had our own problems in the end and he was well in front at the finish. We'll try our best as usual and hopefully it will all come good!"

Starting at 3, Raymond Johnston is another man that will be looking to build on his championship position. Currently lying third in the Pacenotes backed series, the Fermanagh man has been enjoying a relatively successful year, with top three finishes on three out of four events. The second round of the series at Bishopscourt is the only blot in his copybook when a suspension problem caused a very heavy landing over a jump, resulting in Johnston jarring his back.

Other men capable of springing a few surprises include Kilrea's Kieran Shaw, with Crawford Henderson on the notes. Shaw is listed on the entry list with a Ford Focus WRC beside his name, and if he brings it to the woods, it will be his first outing in the 2003 specification car.

Donemana's Sean Devine and Omagh's Kevin O'Kane will also be two of the top runners while the production category battle will be headed by local man, Richard Hogg. The former Group N champion is listed to start in a Lancer Evo 8.5 MR but the Limavady driver is hoping to have his car upgraded to Evo 9 specification in time for the event.

After missing the Mourne Rally, Hogg has dropped to second in the category standings, six points behind Antrim's Martin Elliott. It's all still to play for, though the favourite for Dogleap Group N victory will be the local crew. It's their home event, and it's one that 'Hoggy' always enjoys.

Making the trip from across the water, Tony Arnsby is returning to the event with his Group A Lancer while Trystan Pye is bringing his Group N Impreza. The two Englishmen will be aiming to throw the cat among the pigeons, and Arnsby is hoping to lay his Dogleap ghosts to rest. Last year's event came to an abrupt end for the Gateshead driver when he rolled his Lancer on the final stage while lying inside the top six!

The battle for Superdrive sponsored two wheel drive honours will be equally as interesting with a number of men capable of taking the spoils. Glenarm's Andy Magee took the spoils last year ahead of Moy's Frank Kelly, and both men have indicated that they are going to return for another Dogleap battle. Mark Barnett and Trevor Moore will also be tussling for honours, as will Bob Riddles and Mickey McGillen.

Based at Limavady's Roemill playing fields, the action starts on Saturday 5 August when the first car leaves the fields at 10am. The first stage is due to get underway at 10.30am and competitors will tackle 10 torturous tests, including the mighty Cam stage (which has been extended to almost 10 miles) before returning to Limavady for the champagne finish.

Rally updates will be provided on the hour, every hour, through Cool FM and Downtown Radio, while television coverage will be aired on UTV, RTE, Sky Sports and Motors TV during the weeks after the event.

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