In-form Dohertys fancied

After a seven-week break, the Dunlop National Rally Championship resumes tomorrow with the Sligo Stages Rally. Reigning champion Niall Maguire, who won the last three rounds, has a healthy lead of 27 points over Paul Harris. The impressive Subaru Impreza quartet of Maguire-Paul McLoughlin, Harris-Eugene O'Donnell, Daniel and Michael Doherty, and George Cullen-Dermot O'Gorman head a capacity entry ahead of Toyota Celica crews Donal O'Donovan-Pat Lordan and Tim Nulty-Julia Nagle.

Completing the top 10 seeds are Denis Cronin and Helen O'Sullivan in a BMW M3, with a trio of Ford Escort Cosworths crewed by David Armstrong-Herbie Blackburn, Peadar Hurson-Ian Porter and Joe and Dermot McHugh. While Harris will be on a charge in the chase for maximum points Maguire may take things a little easier such is his lead at the top of the overall standings. However, the really fancied pair are the Doherty brothers after their fourth overall on the recent Donegal International.

In the concurrently run Ford Ka Rally Championship, Kilkenny drivers James Travers and John Carroll lead on 112 and 87 points respectively. Organised by the Connacht Motor Club, the Tom Hunt Motors-sponsored event will be run over eight stages, Rally HQ is at the Sligo Park Hotel and centralised service is at Grange after stages three and six.

Rounds of the various Northern Ireland championships will be run at Kirkistown today and also there will be 250cc and 125cc kart racing on the full circuit. The closest fought race should be between Stephen Colbert (Dungannon) and Noel Robinson (Portadown), who are separated by a only point in the Northern Ireland Formula Ford 1600 series. In Formula Ford 1800 Zetec, Steven Kane leads Tony Rodgers by six points.

The sixth Annual Kells Road Races have attracted all the top Northern riders - Adrian Archibald, John Donnan, James Courtney, Richard Britton and Gary Dynes. Donnan and Archibald, who holds the 2.1mile lap record, will ride in the Supersports 600, Open and Grand finals. Courtney, who was a double race winner at Kells in 1998 but missed last year's meeting, returns this weekend to ride his 996cc Ducati.